First SH

bpoore89

bpoore89

New member
Well im on my third tank. I currently have a 55g reef that is almost a year old and a 10g clown tank. I want to try my hand at another 10g with SH's. From what Ive read they will have to be dwarfs. I used a whisper filter only for flow. along with LR I need to order some kelp (http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=490+664&pcatid=664) for them to hitch to. My problem is, where do I get the horses? My lfs is way to expensive and I cant find any online. Any ideas?
 
You'll have to hatch the brine shrimp in a seperate hatchery - it's not advisable to add eggs, decapped or not, directly into the main tank.

It's really not a good idea to use live rock in a dwarf tank unless it's been pretreated for hydroids. Same with any live plants. Unfortunately, not all plants can survive a pancur treatment - which is the usual treatment to eliminate hydroids from live rock/plants/tanks. Panacur can be purchased from the same place as the brine eggs you linked to above.

I use both newly hatched brine for my dwarfs as well as 2-3 day old enriched brine. On occassion I feed copepods, but due to time restrictions on my part with the other tanks and nursery tanks I have, I don't culture other foods for them. My tanks been running well over 3 years now witn no major issues.

Hope that helps a bit... any other questions feel free to ask.

Tom
 
Hey thanks alot that does help. So should I just go with no LR and artificial decorations for them to hold on to? How often should they be fed and how many can I keep in a ten? With the SH's well being in mind of course
 
You can use dry base rock without having any issues to give it that "natural" look you may like. If finances allow, there is an online vendor that sells "hydroid-free" live rock and caulerpa specifically for dwarf tanks. (Not knowing the RC rules, I won't post it but feel free to PM me).

I feed my dwarfs twice a day if I can, however, there are times they only are fed once a day during the week since I work so darn much at the store.

You can keep, ummmmm.... A LOT of dwarfs in a ten gal. At it's peak, my 10 gal held over two dozen adults and quite a few juveniles.

As with all tanks, don't stock to capacity in the beginning. Personally, I would add 6 after the initial cycling and if things go well add another half dozen or so a few weeks after. Of course, check parameters often to make sure the bioload of the dwarfs and the constant feeding of bbs doesn't cause any spikes.

Tom
 
Oh one last quick question. How long does it take to hatch brine shrimp? Ive heard it take two days so I would have to prepare a batch two days ahead of time for every day
 
Anywhere from 16 to 24 hours usually IMO. I keep at least two hatcheries going all the time in case something happens to one. To start, add eggs to a hatcher in the morning and eggs to the other at night. Use the bbs from the first hatcher for the first feeding, then clean & add more eggs. Then just keep rotating like that and you'll always have fresh bbs to feed.

Tom
 
I have a 10 gal hex and wanted to do Dwarfs but everyone keeps telling me that they are to hard to raise. What is your opinion on having them? The tank is going through the cycle process right now. I have live plants, 2 crown snails and 2 hermits in there. Will the hermits be a risk to them or the babies? What about pipefish? I was planning on getting tank bred seahorses from seahorse source. Do you think another species would be best and if so with only a 10 what species?
Thank you, Sue
 
suebart1- There isn't any other seahorses to keep in a 10 gallon tank.
The hermits will be a problem. They can eat the entire dwarves and pinch their tails.
It is not a good idea to mix species together dwarves & pipefish.
SeahorseSource is a great place to get Captive Bred seahorses from.
 
Their not really hard; just takes time because of the daily live food.
You do need to make sure that anything live put into the tank is hydroid free.
I would keep panacur on hand and a few of the medications to be safe.
Abbie and Dan at SeahorseSource can help you decide wich ones to have on hand.
 
OK. I wanted them as a living tribute to my son. I lost him on Nov. 21 2007 but I don't want to hurt the little guys in anyway. So I want to do this in the best way possible. Right now the tank is going through the cycle process so it will be a few more weeks. What about any tank mates and live plants? Should I treat the tank first just to make sure?
Thanks, Sue
 
Is there sand or barebottom tank?
Live plants need to be treated before going into the tank. Snails need to be scrubbed and watched really well.
Keep an eye on the PH. I usually have to dose every couple of days.
Sorry about your son.
 
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