hippocampus zoostera

[ctenophors rule]

i would like to keep dwarfs.

i will have 2 pairs on a 1-2.5 gallon tank, with a simple sponge filter, and daily additions of amquel plus, with weekly waer changes of 20 percent.

when they have created babies, and the babies are largr, i will move them up to a 5 gallon. when their are more i will move them up to a ten gallon.

the water temp will be inbetween 74-76 degrees.

i will feed rotifers to larvae, and bbs and enriched bs to adults

the lighting schedule will utilize the large window i have in my room, in conjuntion with a 14,000k and 20,000k bulb.

i will build a protien skimmer, and a fluidized bed dilter for the ten gallon tanks.

everything will be mesh protected, and airstone powered.

is their anything i have left out that is important?

i am planning to sell the seahorses to local reefers and pet shops, but believe the later may be illegal..so i will stick to local reefers, and if necesary reefers in other states.

before i sell them, do i need to get any liscences or anything?


thanks guys, you da best!

 

[CCall]

The babies and the adult dwarves need to be fed newly hatched baby brine shrimp a couple times a day. A 5 gallon tank is good for 20 or dwarves. I would do water changes every couple of days. Temp should be 72-74 degrees. If you use a protein skimmer make sure that they cannot get to it.
The ten gallon could be hard to keep them fed. They do not like to have to chase their food that much.
Do watch out for hydroids.
If you are going to sell make sure they have a proper tank and live baby brine shrimp to feed to them.
I do not know about a license.

 

[ctenophors rule]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15472273#post15472273 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CCall
The babies and the adult dwarves need to be fed newly hatched baby brine shrimp a couple times a day. A 5 gallon tank is good for 20 or dwarves. I would do water changes every couple of days. Temp should be 72-74 degrees. If you use a protein skimmer make sure that they cannot get to it.
The ten gallon could be hard to keep them fed. They do not like to have to chase their food that much.
Do watch out for hydroids.
If you are going to sell make sure they have a proper tank and live baby brine shrimp to feed to them.
I do not know about a license.

thanks ccall, the skimmer is my own make, with zephyr hills water bottles, the intake will be covered with thick mesh.

the ten gallon would be for 35+horses, is that still too big?

i am going to be training them to be fed at a certain side of the tank, and with a feeding ring. (or atleast attempting to)

i guess i will have to get a chiller, the temp is only ever 78 durring the mid of summer....but i don't want to stress them out.

 

[CCall]

The low temps helps to control bacteria.
Their are a few that use 10 gal. and split the tank.
The dwarf section at seahorse.org would have pictures of different setups.
You can use a fan to help keep the temp down.

 

[Elysia]

If you want to attempt to train the seahorses to eat at a certain area of the tank, all you need to do is position a desk lamp at one side of the tank. The light will attract the brine shrimp, and the brine shrimp will attract the dwarves.

CCall is correct, though. I have witnessed the laziness of dwarves first hand. Most would rather starve than do more than stretch to snick down a brine shrimp. The smaller the set up, usually, the better in this case. You do not need rotifer for the fry; they will be large enough to take newly hatched brine. It is best to used decapped brine so that the baby brine has some nutritional value right away.

The dwarves will need appropriate things to hitch onto. Again, I agree with CCall that more frequent water and filter changes/cleanings will serve you better than Amquel. You'll only need enough light to keep the algae in the tank alive, which will help keep the temps in the tank low.

While dwarves do produce fry with ease, their natural lifespan is between 12 and 18 months, and not all of that time can be spent as fertile procreators. "Colonies" of dwarves seem to fizzle out over time if additional animals are not eventually acquired.

 

[ctenophors rule]

thanks elysia, i have figured a 240$ per month profit, after the 4th motnh, and i will be using the nicest baby from each batch as a breeder, so i never run out....

thanks everyone, i will stay away from the 10 gallon, and 5's will be the largest, i will just have multiples..i was also considering using long and narrow containors, so their is less depth, that way any ddwarf is never more than 1 or 2 inches from either side..might help keep the brine in range?

 

[ctenophors rule]

decided to go fuscus..wish me luck!

 

[Fishobsessgal]

Good luck, watch for temperature fluctuation of no more than 2 degrees and don't overfeed, keep temp around 74 if possible. They are very sensitive "ponies".

 

[jdhuyvetter]

Sensitive to what? I collected some last weekend off of Sanibel Island in the grass flats at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. Area is prone to temp swings (65 winter, 90 summer) and salinity swings. I think it may be a factor of where you get your brood stock.

As for license, you will need a business license and a Florida Aquaculture certificate. You can get the license through your local city or county. Aquaculture certificate http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/onestop/aqua/aquacert.html

Good luck!!

 

[Fishobsessgal]

I was replying to ctenophors rule, not about dwarfs............... didn't mean to be confusing.

 

[Fishobsessgal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15562867#post15562867 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fishobsessgal
I was replying to ctenophors rule, not about dwarfs............... didn't mea

n to be confusing.

 

[DanU]

ctenophors rule,

jdhuyvetter is correct in that you would need a Florida Aquaculture Certificate. Pretty easy to get. Getting things worked out with the city of PSL may be a different story. You may also need a permit from the county. Also you may need a state retail license.

Selling to local pet shops is legal provide you have the state Aquaculture Certificate.

I am currently using a 65 gal tank for our dwarfs. Much larger than what most will use but it is working out well.

Both H. fuscus and H. zosterae are high in demand and have limited availability. The dwarfs have the edge if you are looking at keeping things on a smaller scale.

thanks elysia, i have figured a 240$ per month profit, after the 4th motnh, and i will be using the nicest baby from each batch as a breeder, so i never run out....

Keep in mind, that most breeders fail to turn a profit the first year or two. Turning a profit with seahorses is very difficult which is why you don't see more of them. Many have opened and closed. I am nearby if you want to learn more.

Dan