Clownfish2004
New member
I have been wanting to setup a small 10 15 gallon seahorse tank but I have no idea of what to get.Could some one give me a list of seahorse tank supplies for a small one.:reading:
Seahorses
- Thread starter Clownfish2004
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lifeoffaith
Member
That small you will only be able to do dwarf seahorses and they require live brine for food. Have you done all your research? 10 gallon would be max, and you could do quite a few in that small of a tank, but if you haven't done your research I would do that first. Nothing bigger than dwarfs will work in a tank that small.
Fishmaster13
New member
10-15 gallons is a little too small for seahorses. They need at least 30 gallons with at least 18 vertical inches to swim up and down. You also need a very established tank with a healthy copepod population which means live rock is pretty much required (and makes it more natural and adds more cover). It isalso recommended to get some aquatic saltwater plant for them to hang on to. Also some advice for later, buy tank raised seahorses. Not only do they protect the wild population, but they are also adapted to eating frozen food and are much more resistant to diseases. Make sure the temperature is between 60-76°F and only house them with shy, peaceful fish such as pipefish, dragonetts, dart fish, etc. Also only house with small invertabre such as algae eating snails and mini hermit crabs. No stinging corals or anenomies either. For the equipment, good filtration is mandatory. A protein skimmer, even a cheap one, is a must have in a seahorse tank. Canister filters are probably one of the best filters you could have in this type of tank. An overflow system would also be a good thing to incorporate. P.s., mandarins are wonderful fish to have with seahorses and wonderful fish in general, but they will rapidly deplete the copepod population in your tank which won't be good for your seahorses, so I would recommend a different fish companion. I think you should try to invest in a larger tank. You will be great full later on. Seahorses simply cannot live in a 10-15 gallon tank. Sorry this is so long, hope I helped.
Fishmaster13
New member
Sorry for the temperature I meant 70-76 not 60-76. Also I had forgotten about dwarf seahorses but feeding live shrimp every day can be a pain and if for any reason you aren't able to get live food for a couple days they will starve. They larger ones are slightly more durable as well.
Clownfish2004
New member
Could I keep a single dwarf in like a fluval spec 2 gallon tank.
Fishmaster13
New member
No that's to small even for a dwarf. They need some room to move around
I disagree. Dwarfs have plenty of room in a 2g tank for all the movements they usually do.
However, seahorses do better in numbers, not singularly.
Anyway, with only one you probably wouldn't see it very often as they are so small. You could fit 3 or 4 on a silver dollar.
I had no problem with 25-30 dwarfs in a 2.5g regular tank and 50 in a 5g.
Be sure to put protection around the overflow to prevent dwarfs from getting sucked up against the overflow or into it.
Tank is small so frequent water changes are economical and help assure water quality.
However, seahorses do better in numbers, not singularly.
Anyway, with only one you probably wouldn't see it very often as they are so small. You could fit 3 or 4 on a silver dollar.
I had no problem with 25-30 dwarfs in a 2.5g regular tank and 50 in a 5g.
Be sure to put protection around the overflow to prevent dwarfs from getting sucked up against the overflow or into it.
Tank is small so frequent water changes are economical and help assure water quality.
lifeoffaith
Member
From what I've read, dwarfs would do fine in a small tank like that. I've heard of them being trained to frozen, but that was short-lived in every case I've seen and they went back to live food quickly. Water changes and water top offs should keep you busy on a small tank. My ten gallon needs a top off every few days.
Clownfish2004
New member
Could I put 2 in the 2 gallon?Would there be enough room for them to swim?Would they be less shy with a friend?
Clownfish2004
New member
Do you still have some that you could ship to me?
You could certainly put a pair of dwarf seahorses in a 2 gallon. Like rayjay said, as much as 25 dwarf seahorses would be fine in a tank that size.
I don't know about rayjay selling you dwarf seahorses, but I do know that you DanU at Seahorse Source breeds these (though they are not in stock at the moment). Furthermore, you can get wild caught ones (not as hardy as captive bred, but not too delicate) from a variety of sources. Sea Life Inc., for example, offers wild caught Dwarf Seahorses. I believe that LiveAquaria has in the past, though they don't at the moment - it may be a seasonal offering. You can also find them on eBay, though the quality of livestock may be questionable.
I don't know about rayjay selling you dwarf seahorses, but I do know that you DanU at Seahorse Source breeds these (though they are not in stock at the moment). Furthermore, you can get wild caught ones (not as hardy as captive bred, but not too delicate) from a variety of sources. Sea Life Inc., for example, offers wild caught Dwarf Seahorses. I believe that LiveAquaria has in the past, though they don't at the moment - it may be a seasonal offering. You can also find them on eBay, though the quality of livestock may be questionable.
Sorry, I got out of dwarfs after a couple of years as it was just too much work with trying to raise erectus fry as well. I'm too old at 72 and too out of shape to be doing so much any more.
Also, here in Canada we are not allowed to ship by Canada Post or by courier without having set up an account with monthly minimum charges and having packaging methods tested prior to sign up.
I bought mine from seahorsecorral.com in Florida as Dan doesn't ship to Canada.
I have a seahorse friend an hour away that has about 100 dwarfs in the main tank and she has more demands for the dwarfs than she can supply.
(Yvette on seahorse.org)
Also, here in Canada we are not allowed to ship by Canada Post or by courier without having set up an account with monthly minimum charges and having packaging methods tested prior to sign up.
I bought mine from seahorsecorral.com in Florida as Dan doesn't ship to Canada.
I have a seahorse friend an hour away that has about 100 dwarfs in the main tank and she has more demands for the dwarfs than she can supply.
(Yvette on seahorse.org)
