dwarf seahorses

[panmanmatt]

PokeHero,

Have you ever kept dwarfs, or any other seahorses for that matter?

I have looked through your posts and you are a new person your self and don't even have a tank set up. Matter of fact you have posted in at least 6-8 forums/threads asking the saem question " How do I set up a tank?".

I am not trying to pick on you, but I don't feel you can advise someone on how to set up a tank for a delicate creature such as these without even have the knowledge of a basic saltwater set up.

Keeping dwarfs is not even close to the same as keeping the larger species of seahorses. We appreciate your willingness to help, but please do a little more research on this species yourself.

 

[tom14]

so i should get 3-4 pairs to start and then add more? what routine could i use for my brine shrimp so i know when they will hatch and when to feed etc?

thanks this has been a realy help.

so the tank, filter and heater are fine. i need to get a hydrometer, salt, rock from that website or start from scratch, and buy some hatcheries and some BS eggs (lots of) . right. have i missed anything?

 

[tom14]

im not going to ruck out and get one tommorrow. im not going to do it untill i move house so im just getting ideas and and to see how much it is going to cost me.

oh yeah will i need a sump?

 

[panmanmatt]

Tom,

At this time I would suggest/reccomend that you slow down and do a lot more research befoer you commit to doing anything. The links that Ann provided for you contain a lot of good information and will help you to set up a hatching/feeding schedule for the brine shrimp. Also I would suggest at least checking out the other sites that were mentioned so you can get a better feel from the folks that are actually keeping dwarfs. You can read abouth their set ups and how they do things and see if it is really something you are prepared to get into. It can/will get very expensive, time consuming and labor intensive.

It also a very good chance that your first attempt at keeping them isn't going to turn out favorable if you rush into this.

 

[tom14]

like i just said. im not going to do this tomorrow. im going to have a good thing about this and read all the threads and see if it for me. i need to think about time consumption, price and if i can hadle it really. once i know i will start to proceed but not until then.

i have no experience so this is why im taking it slow but at the same time i have a lot of q's sorry!

 

[panmanmatt]

Tom

Don't be sorry for asking questions. I apologize if I sounded harsh but i can tell what worksd for me and my schedule may/will not work for you. There are way to many variables to evenm come close to covering all of them.

What we are suggesting is that you read some threads from folks that are actually keeping them and see how they do it. Just about everyone of them has their own ways so your chances of finding something that will fit your schedule and budget are far greater.

This is a great site, don't get me wrong, but there really isn't a lot of folks keeping dwarf seahorses around here so your knowledge base is going to be pretty small compared to a place that deals specifically with the species you are looking to keep.

 

[PokeHero93]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9732670#post9732670 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by panmanmatt
PokeHero,

Have you ever kept dwarfs, or any other seahorses for that matter?

I have looked through your posts and you are a new person your self and don't even have a tank set up. Matter of fact you have posted in at least 6-8 forums/threads asking the saem question " How do I set up a tank?".

I am not trying to pick on you, but I don't feel you can advise someone on how to set up a tank for a delicate creature such as these without even have the knowledge of a basic saltwater set up.

Keeping dwarfs is not even close to the same as keeping the larger species of seahorses. We appreciate your willingness to help, but please do a little more research on this species yourself.

i work at a pet store with many different seahorses so i know what i'm doing...in my posts i said i dont have MY OWN seahorses...besides i was asking how to start a reef tank so i could set one up at my job....so next time you try to make a comment like this one GET ALL OF THE INFO

 

[panmanmatt]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9732772#post9732772 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PokeHero93
i work at a pet store with many different seahorses so i know what i'm doing...in my posts i said i dont have MY OWN seahorses...besides i was asking how to start a reef tank so i could set one up at my job....so next time you try to make a comment like this one GET ALL OF THE INFO

You are corerect. I apologize. Have a nice day. :wave:

 

[LisaD]

I have never received accurate information, yet, from a pet store on keeping seahorses, UNLESS the person giving advice has personally kept and researched seahorse keeping and has their own successful tanks at home. And I have never seen dwarf seahorses offered for sale in LFS, anyway. So even if a LFS has experience with larger seahorse species, dwarf seahorses are entirely different in their requirements.

Tom, I agree with panmanmatt that keeping dwarf seahorses is really not for beginners. It's actually a lot like raising seahorse fry. You need to provide small live food items (usually BBS) several times a day, yet you need to keep the water clean. But you can't have a strong filter, because it can suck up the seahorses and their food. That is a tough balance to maintain. Then you have the added problem of hydroids (related to jellyfish), which thrive in a zooplankton rich environment. While they are harmless to larger seahorses, they can sting and kill dwarf seahorses. I have kept and bred dwarf seahorses, and have always found myself giving them away or selling them because they were a whole lot of work for some pretty tiny animals.

I like the larger seahorses (H. reidi, H. erectus or H. kuda are good beginner species). If you buy healthy stock from a reputable breeder, they are usually hardy if you provide the right tank conditions and food.

Let me make a suggestion. Take the tank you have and set it up as a nano with ~1-1.5 lbs/gallon live rock and a few very small hardy inverts and a small fish or two (and I mean tiny, like neon gobies or clown gobies). You can learn the basics of marine keeping without the higher risk of failure you are likely to have with dwarves. If all goes well, you can move on to dwarf or other seahorses.

Or better yet, get started in salt water with a larger tank. For the basics, get a good beginner book. My favorite for the basics is "New Marine Aquarium" by Mike Paletta. Less than $20, good illustrations and pics, very valuable information, and great stocking suggestions. It will answer all your questions about salt, filtration, live rock, etc. Once you get the basics down, the online forums will be a lot more useful for you. Good luck!

 

[PokeHero93]

I did some research and these can be with seahorses.

Corals:

clove polyps
finger leather
kenya tree coral
leather coral
photosynthetic gorgonians
pulse coral

Fish:

curious wormfish
neon goby
sharknose goby
yellow clown goby

Invertibrate:

astraea snail
linckia starfish
cerith snail
dotted/marbled fromia starfish
fanworms(such as feather dusters)
fighting conch
lettuce sea slug
nassarius snail
nerite snail
trochus snail
turbo snail

 

[ann83]

Poke, they can be with large species of seahorses, but not dwarf seahorses. Why are you posting this list on other people's threads?

 

[LisaD]

I agree with ann83. Dwarf seahorses are totally different, and you are MUCH more limited as to tankmates. Animals that are harmless to other fish can decimate dwarf seahorses.

Really, not a beginner seahorse.

 

[PokeHero93]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9734665#post9734665 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ann83
Why are you posting this list on other people's threads?

true,i shouldnt be posting this on other people's treads.
I apologize:sad1:

 

[daveonbass]

PokeHero93

"i work at a pet store with many different seahorses so i know what i'm doing...in my posts i said i dont have MY OWN seahorses...besides i was asking how to start a reef tank so i could set one up at my job"

You work at a Pet Store...But want to know how to set up a reef tank at your JOB??? (the pet store?)
So the local pet store that you are employed by does not have a reef tank...????!!!??
Sounds to me like you don't have ANY personal experience with seahorses. And anyone who says that seahorses are EASY...has either never tried to keep them, or has never had a regular reef. Seahorses are not the easiest of the marine species to keep. And Dwarfs are even more difficult. I started out with dwarfs and have never tried them again. I'm not going to say that they are impossible to keep...just that they should not be the "first" thing you keep. They are harder than any fish I've ever owned.
Please stop posting on things that you have NO first hand experience on. Expecially if you're going to contradict your self.

 

[seas_inside]

IMO... slow down. Tom, before going out and buying everything already, I strongly recommend you research, research, research. Check out the links Ann posted and all the other information posted. Dwarves are tough to get a hold on all their requirements.

Poke Hero...dwarves are MUCH different than any other bigger breed of seahorses. There are many terms and practices used with dwarves that aren't with others... (hydroids are not a parameter, they're a creature. Hatching brine shrimp is easy, but repetitious. Tankmates are very limited, your list above is not relevant to dwarves. etc) It's great that you take care of other breeds of seahorses, but a lot of that knowledge doesn't apply here, to dwarves. We don't want to misguide Tom or any other newbie of misinformed care of these intriguing creatures.

This is just my two cents other than that already discussed.

 

[seas_inside]

Oh..forgot to mention: Tom, I don't recommend you get them from ocean rider, as posted on the first page. Their dwarves are $45!! Instead, go with a more reliable and less expensive source, like seahorsesource.com. Excellent service and wonderful people.

 

[Big Ying]

Get the BBS hatching trays, instead of bubbling bottles. Been using them for a year and it's painfully easy and practically no time involved to hatch and feed. I think I got them from Brine Shrimp Direct out of Salt Lake. Need two of them, not cheap, but worth it. Once you have your dwarf tank set up properly, and establish a routine, I have found it is the least time consuming of all my aquariums and is not difficult at all if you have done extensive research first.