I'm starting a dwarf seahorse tank!

[newbiekid]

I'm going to start a seahorse tank with a 5 gallon hexagon tank all that is in it now is the water and sand. I was wondering what the quickest and most efficient way to cycle it is.
Here is what I'm wanting-
4 sea horses 2 females and 2 males
1 short nose pipefish
2 snails
a serpent star
And some plants

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by NewbieKid http:///t/391747/im-starting-a-dwarf-seahorse-tank#post_3475908
I'm going to start a seahorse tank with a 5 gallon hexagon tank all that is in it now is the water and sand. I was wondering what the quickest and most efficient way to cycle it is.
Here is what I'm wanting-
4 sea horses 2 females and 2 males
1 short nose pipefish
2 snails
a serpent star
And some plants
Hi,
Welcome to the site!
First you can't keep dwarf seahorses with a serpent star, nor the pipefish ...reason... mixing the pipe and horses is dangerous because of disease. The pipefish eat different food than the dwarf horses. Pipefish eat copepods and frozen mysis if they are tank raised. In a 5g hex tank you don't have room for the pipefish and without an established refugium, the ability to raise enough food for it.
Dwarf seahorses must have live brine shimp to live...that is all they eat so you must keep a hatchery always going so you can feed them.
IMO they are the hardest of all the seahorses to keep because of the need for live food. Look for a larger tank and try Erectus or Kuda horses that are captive bred and eating frozen foods, they are no harder to keep than any other SW fish. You do still have to be careful of what can live with them.

 

[newbiekid]

Thanks for the info, so I will not get the serpent star or the pipefish but are the snails ok? Also I already got the tankin running so Im not going to change but do you know anything that can live with the seahorses?

 

[novahobbies]

Dwarf horses should really be considered a species-only tank. I've never kept them personally, so I honestly don't know if you can do snails in there....I assume you can, but you know what they say about "assume!"
Oh, and a small correction on Flower's statement -- they eat live BABY brine shrimp...hence the need for the hatchery.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by novahobbies http:///t/391747/im-starting-a-dwarf-seahorse-tank#post_3476741
Dwarf horses should really be considered a species-only tank. I've never kept them personally, so I honestly don't know if you can do snails in there....I assume you can, but you know what they say about "assume!"
Oh, and a small correction on Flower's statement -- they eat live BABY brine shrimp...hence the need for the hatchery.
So it isn't just Live brine shrimp but just the babies??? Wow.

 

[jaodissa]

My dwarfs eat 2 day old brine shrimp. First day in hatchery cup. Second in enrichment hatchery. Then I feed Sometimes If I have extra I can feed the next day, but I usually don't.