dwarf Seahorses

Izsabelle

Izsabelle

Active member
I started a new dwarf seahorse tank, and here are a few pics of my very little dwarves. Their bodies are about half the size of a dime. I had no idea they were this tiny.

Sorry for the lack of picture quality, but my camera is old and I don't have Alex's skills. By the way, anyone have any recommendations for a mid-price camera that has great macro capabilities and one that takes pictures quickly?



dw4.jpg

dw3.jpg

dw2.jpg

dw1.jpg
 
Judging by the size and shape of their snouts, they are still babies. Cute as all get out though. Good luck. And Canon makes really good cameras. I have an a6 something, and it takes really good pictures, and the zoom / macro mode is impressive, although the learning curve is high.

Matt
 
If i ever get my 25g Tall eclipse back from the kids that are running fresh right now that is my goal to turn it into a SH tank and the wifes. SH's rock !
 
Matt,
These aren't babies. These are adults. The adult dwarf seahorse is about 1inch from tip of snout to tip of tail. That means their bodies are less then half an inch in length. If you look at the first photo you'll see a baby swimming in the background. In the other photos you'll see several pregnant males with large pouches. I know it's hard to judge their size from these photos, so I'll try to compare them against an everday object later and I'll post it as soon as I find the time to do it.

Also, how exactly do you set you camera to take good macro shots? I have the cannon a75, and I have zero camera knowledge. I'd appreciate it if you could share your macro tricks with me.


Avalanche,
Dwarves are normally kept in 5g tanks, with low flow and the optimal temp is 72-74. In a 5g tank, you could possibly have (max)10 to 15 dwarves and have a lot of empty space. For a 25g eclipse you could house a pair of erectus without any problems. Erectus are medium sized seahorses and can get to 8 inches in length, plus they come in all sorts of colors, green(pictured in my avatar), red, orange, yellow, black, etc.. I think you get the idea. :)
 
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Brooke, I bought him from a breeder in S. Ca. Send me a Pm for her contact information. There is no guarantee that you'll get a green, yellow or red erectus. My green guy was a light yellow, but after a year he decided to become green. I've also received a brown seahorse that turned red, and I was given a $300 supposedly Fire Red Oceanrider seahorse that stayed brown. That's why it's a huge rip off to buy colored horses.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9599443#post9599443 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lanxang
You can buy an adapter for your camera to extend the macro shot ability if you don't think it's good enough. Look on ebay. There should be some there. I got one for my a85 for $30. That was for the adapter and macro lense.

You can also check this site out: http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/A85A75A70A60macro.html
Click to expand...

Thanks!!

That's what I need. I bought an adapter that can take pics of corals and larger horses, but these guys need a +17 and I had no idea these existed for a canon a75.
 
I didn't either. :D.

They also explain how they did the setup so that might help you out.

I don't know if the 75 has the same ability as the 85 but I was able to change the speed of the camera. I have the ability to take 2-3 shot within seconds of each other. To do it, you have to make your own manual setting. I forgot how to but if I find the site again, I'll post it for you.
 
that is whay has me scared to death with doing them ! From everything i have read you really need to have a lot of meds on hand and really know what you are doing.

I am less scared of SPS than of seahorses for sure but I do really want a tank of them.


Wife made a crack last night if I keep starting up tanks she is going to put up a sign on the lawn - AQUARIUM ADMISSION $5.00


lol sad thing she is righ t:P
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9599877#post9599877 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Elite
Cool seahorses... Do you have a chiller or something to keep the water cool Liz??
Click to expand...

Hi, Thanks, but no chiller yet. I'm watching the temps and so far the tank hasn't gone above 74. I hope I won't need one because the tank is only 8 gallons and the room is air conditioned, but if I do, I guess I better start looking for a small chiller soon. Do you have any suggestions for a small chiller that won't require drilling?


<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9601168#post9601168 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maxdout
great looking SH. question... are they harder to care for than the fishes?
Click to expand...

Yes and no. They require more daily maintenance because of the small tank size and they require a huge amount of 2-3 day old enriched bbs. I think it takes me at least an hour a day to clean their tank, water changes, testing, cleaning bbs hatchers and hatching bbs, removing old bbs and other little things, but dwarf seahorses tend to be a bit hardier then the larger ones. The larger ones are easier to feed and maintain because the larger the tank, the more buffer for error.

Avalanche, seahorses are fun, but a lot of work, and it might be what gets your wife hooked into the hobby. :) About meds, yes, it's always handy to have the meds on hand and the meds are expensive. You don't want to know how much I've spent on meds for my horses, it would make you ill. I know it makes me ill to think about it. :eek1:


Mkent, do you have pics? What type of seahorse are they, erectus, reidi or kuda or???

I took the pics with using my old canon and the poor mans macro, a magnifying glass. :rollface:

Lan, When you find the time, can you send me that link? I can't find my manual.
 
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Not sure if it'll help, but BAR is putting together a "how to shoot macro" thread on our website:
http://www.bareefers.org/discussion/index.php?topic=1807.0

There are a few different solutions listed, though it's a work in progress. It may be of some help.

If you want a point and shoot solution, go for macro attachments, but if you ever really want to get true macro or even more magnification, I would suggest something like a Nikon D40x + a Sigma 105mm 1:1 macro lens. It gives you slight magnification too ;) Pretty "cheap" setup in terms of a digital SLR.

Just tossing some ideas out.

nice dwarf sea horses though =) I was considering putting together a small tank too, but the work was too much for me =( Plus I didn't know how to keep the water quality in good shape with all the bbs fed into the tank.
 
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