New 5 gallon for seahorses

[chrismilano]

Well, I started a new cycle on a 5 gallon minibow with hopes of having a seahorse or 2 in a few months.
I started by putting a 3 lb piece of matured live rock in with a small whisper filter and a prizm. I figure the rock will start the process since a bunch of copepods died off when I transferred. Maybe Ill add a shrimp. Im going to take my time with the cycle.
Should I add 3 inches of sand?
At what point should I add a Gorgo? Is there something I can do to prepare this nano for a seahorse? Am I forgetting something?

 

[overanalyzer]

hey Chris- I don't have seahorses but I do know they like low flow and verticle height plus areas to grasp on to or anchor too - not sure if a gorgo is the best choice in an unestablisehd tank though. Maybe some plants like some caulerpa or some halimeda?
interested to see some responses - and good luck!

 

[zack schwartz]

I have been thinking about sea horses as well.
I have seen that they like the vertical tanks such as a hex tank, planting like calurpa for them to grab is good as stated, little flow from the prism would be the best option too. Tank should have a smaller sand bed like 1-2".
Food should be frozen for them, helps keep them healthy. I have heard from a friend that once his sea horse got stuck to the sucker part of a power filter and died, so be careful with that.

 

[eelfreakrobi]

For a 5 gallon tank only get the pygmy sized sea horses like the pixies, and should be fed mysis, it should be fed about 2 times a dayand the quantity depending on the size, also mysis should be enriched in vitamins to keep them healthy.

 

[littleguy]

the one problem i had in my pixie tank was red slime. i added a fluval (can't think of the specific name) but it does the job and the seahorses don't get caught in it like my tetra. not sure about flow in a 5 gallon though

 

[krunk]

get a mini jet 404, they are adjustable, 13-100 gph.

 

[chrismilano]

Thanks guys
Ill let it cycle for a month or 2. Like most of us, I rushed my first tank too much and cost myself a fortune.

 

[killafins]

what kind of seahorses are u looking into?

 

[chrismilano]

To be honest,I dont know anything more than color when it comes to seahorses.
What types are there and what should I look into as a beginner in a 5 gallon?

 

[killafins]

Oh man... okay... for a five gallon tank you really can't do much. I mean,your only option is dwarf seahorses. They like small homes so do a search on them.

 

[overanalyzer]

Chris - there is a really nice website out there for seahorses but since SWF sells some Seahorses so I can't post it here - but shoot me an e-mail and I will pass it on: hilscher@kc.rr.com
Killafins - you a Robert Jordan fan I see - too bad the last two books are horribly written!! Huge fan and I can't wait for hte next one - but I may wait until it hits paperback!

 

[killafins]

Alright, alright... i admit the last book sucks.... the ninth book wasn't my favorite but it was still good.

 

[overanalyzer]

Originally posted by killafins
Alright, alright... i admit the last book sucks.... the ninth book wasn't my favorite but it was still good.

No way -it repeated the same stock phrases over and over - he telegraphed big time what weas going to happen - and the story line only advanced a few short way ....in 500+ pages. He could've summed all the novel up in 3 chapters and written with some more action .......the sad thing is I will be getting book 10 as soon as I can - no info onwhen it will be published next on www.tor.com ..... he better pick it up a notch or he might only beo nt ehbest sellers list for a week!

 

[killafins]

book ten already came out. I'm confused... *sigh*...
I really do think you are right about how he could easily have summed up the series but i don't think he wants to. think about it, he made his own world and have people all over falling in love with it. By drawning on and on with the book he has people caught. However, I do feel there is going to be a few more books before it ends. My and my friends say around 13-14... but...

 

[overanalyzer]

I meant the 11th book - sorry - the 9th was not that bad but the 10th sucked major!!!
check the new OT thread I posted for you

 

[killafins]

chris, i'm sorry that we took up your thread. Oh, please be careful about going by colors. Seahorses can change colors so that wont' help at all. Dwarf is the way to go, they can fit in a fish bowl (or they say)

 

[lesleybird]

Hi,
The pygmy's are the only ones that will fit in a 5 gallon. They will not eat mysis as they are too big. They will not even eat full size brine shrimp bought at the fish store as they are too big.....I know as I had some pygmy's once. I fed mine newly hatched brine and amphipods. They will only take live food. It is best if you have a filter that does not suck up the brine.....some people like to use sponge filters. They need more that just brine shrimp, so when I had them I grew a large amphipod culture in the tank with them. The pgmy's eat the baby amphipods, so you need to start with a large amphipod population so that their reproduction can keep up with the seahorses eating them. Macro algae helps to keep the nitrates under control, and they love to hook on to it.
I would change out a gallon of water every week or so. This is how I would do it if I were to do it again. I think I may try to put some in a 7 gallon bow front this time. The last time I had some pygmy's they were too difficult to feed in a 25 gallon. They will not swim to the food, so in a large tank like I had them in I could not get the concentration of food in the water high enough. I found something called Life A which are brine shrimp eggs without the shell so that you can pour them right in the tank to hatch. You will have to do a search for this or email me as I am not allowed to mention the compeditors on here. You can get amphipods at florida-aqua-farms.com. I would order about 50 to a hundred to start. Feed them sinking algae waffers or other fish food.
Good luck! Lesley

 

[killafins]

Not to be argumentative, but pixies may be a little too hard for a beginner. In fact, dwarf would be too but easier for beginners.
In adult size dwarf seahorse's can get from 1.5 to two inches. They also need daily feedings of live artemia, straite from ur hatched depcapped brine cysts.
Dwarf seahorses can fit in anything from a fish bowl all the way up to a ten gallon container. However, once again it is not recommended for a ten gallon because of feeding. Bascially, any size under 10 gallon would suffice as long as it has filtration.
Just to give u a size to tank ration: u can fit five dwarves in a two gallon aquarium.
FYI, stay away from live sand or live rock. It is quite possible they may be hiding a creature that may hurt the pony. Think about it, ask questions.... Lesley is absolutely right with what she said about the pixies....
However, I just feel that the dwarf seahorses may be a bit easier..

 

[daniel411]

Hiya, just registered onto this board after reading for the past week. Really impressed with everyones skill in saltwater.
Anyways, my question is, if I ordered 50 or so amphipods, how often and how much algae wafers would you recommend feeding them to sustain the population in a 7 gallon aquarium thats going to be for sea horses?
Also, I just took down my 90 gallon fo tank-sold it, and have a 37 gallon mostly reef and goby tank going as my main tank. How many amphipods and copepods would you reccommend purchashing to start a sustainable population?