Help

[steviesmomma]

Hey there everyone, i sure hope im doing this right. I want to set up a tank with some Dwarf Seahorses but i need help with it, most of what i have read on the internet says one thing but then when i talk to ppl at the pet store they tell me something totally different! HELP

 

[nybutterfly03]

Find Rykna, she is the guru of ponies!!! See some of her other posts on here there is tons of info

 

[kanicky]

I wouldn't trust most LFS' with info on seahorses...
I've read a little on Dwarf Seahorses, and what I've gleaned from my reading is that they require live feeings of BBS (Baby Brine Shrimp) and that the tank they go in has to be practically sterile as far as LR and LS go... If aiptasia/hydroids hitch-hike in, they can kill the 'horses, so that's why some people even opt for a completely artificial enviroment, with the exception of chaeto for pods and other foods, as well as for hitching.
Because they're so tiny, it's not really recommended that anything else is kept with them, although some do "go against the grain" and keep a goby or blenny in the tank.
As with any seahorse, Dwarves require pristine water conditions, especially when kept in a smaller tank. They don't have much of a digestive tract, and their food basically goes from mouth to bum, and therefore the water gets dirty quick.
There are many other things to cover, but the short end of it all is that Dwarf Seahorses are not recommended for beginners.
There are a few people on this board who are knowledgeable, and there's another seahorse forum on the internet as well... some of the people there can be nazi's though, but I think you find that everywhere

Good luck!

 

[bronco300]

agreed...they are a very very dilcate horse compared to most...and much more difficult to care for..
like mentioned before you have to hatch yourself live brine shrimp at least twice per day...you also would want to do 10gallons or less--so water quality is a definite question as you need to keep up with water changes etc.
Tankmates are limited...mostly snails can work, crabs wont and other meateaters....but anything you want to put in a dwarf seahorse tank NEEDS to be treated with panacur...it helps rid everything of pests like hydroids that are fatal to dwarves.
Water flow is an issue...you need to cover and and ALL intake covers because the babies can literally fit on a dime...and the adults on a quarter....that was my biggest problem when i started is i couldnt get a good medium...you need to have enough flow to be careful of dead spots in your tank for algae growth, but most important need to make sure any intakes are not stong enough to pull in or make the babies/adults stuck.
Hitches can be any fake plants or gorgonias if you have the lighting..or anything small, they'll hitch to just about anything if they are small enough for them.
No live sand or live rock can really be put in there because of the fact of transferring over bad pests like aipstasia/hydroids, etcetc....although i never liked the fake look...i put in dead rock and dead sand which can be a nice alternative.
if you look around you'll see some threads on other parts of the forum(cant remember which i posted in) you'll see pictures of the dwarves i had with a hatching schedule and setup,etc for these little guys and explaining a lot about them.
If you have other questions just ask, thats what we're here for

 

[steviesmomma]

thank you guys, so far youve been able to help me more then half the stuff i have read online!!!! i know everyone says that a saltwater tank is awefuly hard, but i think seahorses are just beautiful and i would love to have some of them for my very own. i guess its the little girl in me. but i cant wait to get them

 

[bronco300]

I am just going off what you say, but i'm guessing your new to saltwater as well? If so its usually recommended to start with another breed...saltwater isn't be any means super hard, you just have to have patience and research a ton...but considering saltwater can be more difficult with the small tanks with water parameters etc...then throw in tiny dwarves that need very special attention, it makes it a bit more difficult...which can be done, just really not recommended. My warning is to definitely make sure you read and ask everything you can...then read again...and make sure you have the time to committ to these guys...maybe try hatching some to make sure you're able to feed them properly...just things you can do to prepare and make sure you can keep these guys...not saying you cant by any means...but its always good to prepare then be disappointed down the road when you find you dont have the time like you though( like me )

 

[steviesmomma]

yeah thats one thing that im trying to do, is my research on these little beauties. and i sure would like to think that i have the time and dedication to take care of them too. dedication i would deff say i have, i have, i got my son some redear slider turtles a few months ago, tiny little things they are, and one of the poor babies is blind. so im the one that gets to talk to him everyday and take as much time as needed to get him to eat.
but the hopes are that i can get as much information as i can about these beauties. i did find one page that was amazing on care and tips and what not.

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by SteviesMomma
Hey there everyone, i sure hope im doing this right. I want to set up a tank with some Dwarf Seahorses but i need help with it, most of what i have read on the internet says one thing but then when i talk to ppl at the pet store they tell me something totally different! HELP
Rule #1:
Never....NEVER...trust input from LFS or from online. Only your own personal experience can help you make benificial choices for you and your fish.
After loosing my first Kuda to a incurable disease, I collected any information I could find that would help me unravel what led up to the invasion of the parasite. I found it. It was a combination of components that when all take place in your tank lead to the birth of this little killer.
I had 4 years of sw exp., before i started keeping seahorses. The biggest thing I've learned is preparation, preparation, and more preparation.
Welcome aboard, and get ready for the ride of your life

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by NyButterfly03
Find Rykna, she is the guru of ponies!!! See some of her other posts on here there is tons of info

wow!!! Thanks. However, my teacher, the Ultimate Guru of ponies, is Luke(Bronco300). He has guided me from day one, when he gave me his ponies.

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by SteviesMomma
yeah thats one thing that im trying to do, is my research on these little beauties. and i sure would like to think that i have the time and dedication to take care of them too. dedication i would deff say i have, i have, i got my son some redear slider turtles a few months ago, tiny little things they are, and one of the poor babies is blind. so im the one that gets to talk to him everyday and take as much time as needed to get him to eat.
but the hopes are that i can get as much information as i can about these beauties. i did find one page that was amazing on care and tips and what not.

The biggest draw back to ponies is the tank size. I have never been a fan of small/nano tanks. Water quality declines much faster than in larger tanks and/or reef tanks, which led to my first disaster with my Kuda seahorse. Water quality is the number one thing that can not be sacrificed when keeping horses.
Within this new Seahorse forum there is a huge amount of info regarding care, set ups, photos, videos, etc.~which I'm sure you've already explored many times.
Tank Set up would be my first step to take.
So what were you planning?

 

[steviesmomma]

for my tank setup, im still really open on ideas and tips and whatnot. all i know is i want to make it so that it works for them. but from everything that ive read on here and on the net so far i dont think that i want to go with anything bigger then a 10gal. and for seting up the inside i read that one good way is to set it up so that you have the decor towards the two outer sides of the tank, as to leave the middle area open almost like a dance floor for them. i think that sounds awesome but i was wondering what all of you ponie experts have to say about a set up like that?

 

[rykna]

Here's my newly refurbished 10 gallon, finally got it cleaned up

 

[steviesmomma]

how big of a tank would you say i should do? cause as i was browsing a bit ago i saw a ad for a BioCube Nano System 8, looks like it comes with most of what i need to get started on the tank. what do you guys think about that? oh and the ad that i found was on here under aquarium supplies.

 

[bronco300]

i think your idea sounds nice, with hitches on the left and right and open space in the middle....the cubes are nice and give you a nice refuge for filtration which is of course very important....the only thing is to just make sure whatever the intake to the back refuge you can cover up so none of the horses get sucked back in.
If thats the type of tank your talking about..that has a back compartment...if not you might also look up the finnex 8 gallon aquarium...they run around $45...comes with a HOB filter and PC lighting...a really nice looking tank.

 

[steviesmomma]

that finnex dont look half bad. i still cant decide tho if i want to do a tank smaller then a 10gl or if i want to just do a 10gl. but one thing that i know is that i need a good filter, what kind of filter is the best for this situation?
i talked to a guy at our local pet store and he was actually pretty helpful, alot of what he told me was very much the same things that i was reading on here. so he has an idea of what hes talking about and he said that hes had a saltwater tank for over two years and that the way that hes got his set up he could turn off the power and everything would be totally fine with the tank. and i guess there is a young guy local around here who breeds dwarf seahorses. so the guy at the pet store is going to ask the kid next time if it would be possiable for him to get his contact info for me to get ahold of him. i would much rather get them from someone local then have them shipped from somewhere across the country. and plus that gives me a dwarf pro right here in my area to help me with them.