pygmy seahorse

[wild_one123]

Ok im going to get a crash course in keeping a marine tank. im going to set up a

30x30x30 cm cubed aquarium with no filter, just LR and LS for filtration and water changes everyday.
im going to use branched corals so ill have about 100watts of lighting on the tank, and about 5-10kags of LR, im going to give them a go at breeding.

But the biggest problem i have is getting them! i need a private seller or someone who knows a seahorse wholesaler.

 

[Fishfreak218]

branched corals??? do you mean SPS corals? or gorgonians?

 

[wild_one123]

i mean zoos and other easy corals like sea fans and non aggresive corals,sorry i meant 250watts. I am having a sump placed on the back of my tank, so i will have a filtration system.

Does anyone know how do i get hold of these guys?

 

[Samala]

If you were going to do a crash course in keeping a marine tank I wouldn't elect to start out with pygmy seahorses and a tankful of gorgonians. Both animals try the patience of seasoned marine aquarists.

True pygmy seahorses, such as Hippocampus colemannii, are not available in the trade and will likely never be available in the trade. None of the other true pygmy species have been available in the last five years as far as I'm aware. Science doesnt know what they eat, how they breed, or any other life history facts (again, as far as I'm aware).

The smallest seahorses available would be Hippocampus zosterae, dwarf seahorses and they are no walk in the park. We generally do not keep them with many corals though gorgonians could work. It would be a balancing act between feeding the gorgs and feeding the SH. You will need excellent filtration for any seahorse tank.

This tank is going to run around 27l if I've done the math right (hope so), or about 7 gallons US. 250watts of light over that small of a tank is excessive to say the least. The heat load (if MH I'm guessing) will be enormous and evaporation will drive some pretty serious salinity and pH swings.

I would start back at square one. It is possible to do a gorgonian and seahorse tank, but perhaps not with this specific method. You are also going to be up against a challenge since you are in New Zealand. The dwarf SH mentioned above are not readily available outside of the US. It would be best to get in touch with some of the local keepers or breeders, I believe there are a few in Australia including a breeding operation.

>Sarah

 

[pledosophy]

Sarah, telling it like it is.

 

[wild_one123]

year i thought that lighting was a over kill, id probally be looking at something smaller, what do you recomend? I thought pygmy seahorses where in the trade? is their any way to try and get hold of them. My sump on the back will turn over the tank about 5x hour. I was looking at dwarfs but i would much rather pygmy.

 

[Brock Fluharty]

No...pygmies are not available, and even if they were, they would die. They should be left in the ocean. If you have 0 experience, then get a nice reef tank instead of jumping right into SH's.

 

[pledosophy]

I jumped into seahorses, I've done O.K.

Pygmy's are a made up name by Oceanrider given to zostrea. So pygmy really equals dwarfs to most people in the hobby.

I agree dwarfs aren't a good starter fish, but can work if you've got the time to read.

IMO you need to read more. Your setup and plan are flawed.

 

[birdie]

"Pygmy's are a made up name by Oceanrider given to zostrea. So pygmy really equals dwarfs to most people in the hobby. "

No, there are at least 2 species of seahorse that can be classified as pygmy, the H. bargibanti and the H. denise. They live on gorgonian, look like the gorgonian they are inhabiting, down to the bumps that the polyps would create on the gorg itself. With an average length of 2cm, thats pygmy to me.

Richard

 

[Brock Fluharty]

Kevin, you're thinking of "Pixie". Ocean Rider calls dwarfs Pixies, not Pygmies. He said he was thinking of dwarfs, but would rather have a pygmy, so I think he knows the difference.