I've been doing alot of research on dwarf seahorses and was informed that i could keep a pair of dwarves in a 5 gallon tank w/ good filteration. Im going to be starting a 20 gallon tank and was wondering if i could get a tank seperater from petsupermarket and take off 5-6 gallons of water and keep a pair of dwarves in that.
Dwarf Seahorse
- Thread starter ck508
- Start date
panmanmatt
Well-Known Member
1 pair in a 5 gallon tank is way understocked, the amount of food you will have to add would be astronomical to keep those 2 guys fed. Dwarfs don't really chase after their food like the larger species so you need to add a LOT of food to make sure they get enough to eat. Most folks will do at last 10-12 dwarves in a 5 gallon.
Also you know that they will need to be fed 3-4 times a day with enriched live baby brine shrimp. Water changes are an every other day task, you can't really keep anything in with them. And most people, even seasoned seahorse keepers, can't keep them alive for more than 4-5 months. They require a lot of time and work.
If you really want to do seahorse I would suggest looking into the larger species as you will get more enjoyment out of them.
Also you know that they will need to be fed 3-4 times a day with enriched live baby brine shrimp. Water changes are an every other day task, you can't really keep anything in with them. And most people, even seasoned seahorse keepers, can't keep them alive for more than 4-5 months. They require a lot of time and work.
If you really want to do seahorse I would suggest looking into the larger species as you will get more enjoyment out of them.
I just could not pass this Topic up. My wife & I use to have Dwarf Seahorse.
Back in the mid 1980's "1983" to "1996". I also had Dwarf Seahorses back
when I was in 6th grade around 1976 or so too. And then in the 80's &
90's my wife and I not only had them but raised them in the same tanks as
the parents. Since the parents could not eat them "the babies" as larger
types of Seahores often do. We had a wide range of color's of Dwarf
Seahorse, Red, Purple, White, Green, Yellow, Black, & Grey, and also
many odd mixed color's. We found that for us the 10 gallon Tanks
was almost as good as it could get, since you don't want it to large or to
small. The Dwarf Seahorses seemed to be happiest in large numbers and
in a smaller sized tank, especially when it came time for matting.
The Dwarf Seahorse do get around quit well but feeding them babie Brine
Shrimp everyday twice a day we found the 10 gallon Tanks we a good size
for the Dwarf Seahorses to be able to find the food track it down & eat
them, and the babie Dwarf Seahorses could eat and be full also. The babie
Dwarf Seahorses could grow up in the tanks with the adults to full size also.
As for the number of Dwarf Seahorses in a 10 gallon Tank as long as you
have a good filter system and a great air supply, we had upto 130 Dwarf
Seahorses "Adults" at one time in a single 10 gallon tank. And had NO
PROBLEMS for upto 3 years as long as you watch your hydrometer &
nitrate levels. The Ph level never seemed to ever be of any trbl. ..
We had 10 tanks set up just for our Dwarf Seahorses and all were the same
10 gallon all glass a under gravel filter system with very, very fine crushed
coral, and a good air stone system, but not alot of current in the tanks
some but mild. The Dwarf Seahorses seemed to like the tanks with a very
heavy carpet of Algae growing in the tank and good lighting too.
We even had some Dwarf Seahorses that had long spikes that looked just
like the seaweed you find them in the wild. We did catch all of our Dwarf
Seahorses in one spot that I found when I was in 6th grade back around
1976, and over the years I had figured out was of making sain nets that was
basicly made out of butterfly net material or that same size netting.
You find them in sea weed or sea grasses in about 2' of water on low tide!
We would take a babie bath tub and dump the contents from the nets into
them filled with water, most of the time the Dwarf Seahorses & Pipefish
along with Cowfish would swim out into the open water in the bath tub and
we would catch them in small fish tank nets and put them in 10 gallon cooler
filled half full of saltwater with a airstone in them other wise the water
would get to hot for them and they would die in transporting them home.
We no longer have our Tanks, I'm now disabled after almost 30years with
the Phone Co. G.T.E & Verizon. But maybe I will get to feeling better I have
Kidney problems that keeps me down and out most of the time now, I'm
sorry if I got off topic here & there, but I hope this puts some light on this
topic. We have had all kinds of Saltwater fish back from 1976 thru 2000.
One last thing we did not use man made saltwater. We would use
plastic jugs and pour the saltwater into a funnel with just clean cotton
cloth over the funnell setting in the jugs. Put the tops on them and bring
them home. We had even stored the saltwater inthe clear plastic jugs out
of any light in a cool place for upto 8 months with no ill effects we would
just give the water a good filter of a airstone before pouring it into our
tanks. We had tanks upto a 300 gallon that we had special made since the
tank was a kinda L shaped tank.
Take care, Explorer near Tampa, Florida...
Back in the mid 1980's "1983" to "1996". I also had Dwarf Seahorses back
when I was in 6th grade around 1976 or so too. And then in the 80's &
90's my wife and I not only had them but raised them in the same tanks as
the parents. Since the parents could not eat them "the babies" as larger
types of Seahores often do. We had a wide range of color's of Dwarf
Seahorse, Red, Purple, White, Green, Yellow, Black, & Grey, and also
many odd mixed color's. We found that for us the 10 gallon Tanks
was almost as good as it could get, since you don't want it to large or to
small. The Dwarf Seahorses seemed to be happiest in large numbers and
in a smaller sized tank, especially when it came time for matting.
The Dwarf Seahorse do get around quit well but feeding them babie Brine
Shrimp everyday twice a day we found the 10 gallon Tanks we a good size
for the Dwarf Seahorses to be able to find the food track it down & eat
them, and the babie Dwarf Seahorses could eat and be full also. The babie
Dwarf Seahorses could grow up in the tanks with the adults to full size also.
As for the number of Dwarf Seahorses in a 10 gallon Tank as long as you
have a good filter system and a great air supply, we had upto 130 Dwarf
Seahorses "Adults" at one time in a single 10 gallon tank. And had NO
PROBLEMS for upto 3 years as long as you watch your hydrometer &
nitrate levels. The Ph level never seemed to ever be of any trbl. ..
We had 10 tanks set up just for our Dwarf Seahorses and all were the same
10 gallon all glass a under gravel filter system with very, very fine crushed
coral, and a good air stone system, but not alot of current in the tanks
some but mild. The Dwarf Seahorses seemed to like the tanks with a very
heavy carpet of Algae growing in the tank and good lighting too.
We even had some Dwarf Seahorses that had long spikes that looked just
like the seaweed you find them in the wild. We did catch all of our Dwarf
Seahorses in one spot that I found when I was in 6th grade back around
1976, and over the years I had figured out was of making sain nets that was
basicly made out of butterfly net material or that same size netting.
You find them in sea weed or sea grasses in about 2' of water on low tide!
We would take a babie bath tub and dump the contents from the nets into
them filled with water, most of the time the Dwarf Seahorses & Pipefish
along with Cowfish would swim out into the open water in the bath tub and
we would catch them in small fish tank nets and put them in 10 gallon cooler
filled half full of saltwater with a airstone in them other wise the water
would get to hot for them and they would die in transporting them home.
We no longer have our Tanks, I'm now disabled after almost 30years with
the Phone Co. G.T.E & Verizon. But maybe I will get to feeling better I have
Kidney problems that keeps me down and out most of the time now, I'm
sorry if I got off topic here & there, but I hope this puts some light on this
topic. We have had all kinds of Saltwater fish back from 1976 thru 2000.
One last thing we did not use man made saltwater. We would use
plastic jugs and pour the saltwater into a funnel with just clean cotton
cloth over the funnell setting in the jugs. Put the tops on them and bring
them home. We had even stored the saltwater inthe clear plastic jugs out
of any light in a cool place for upto 8 months with no ill effects we would
just give the water a good filter of a airstone before pouring it into our
tanks. We had tanks upto a 300 gallon that we had special made since the
tank was a kinda L shaped tank.
Take care, Explorer near Tampa, Florida...
It has been so long ago I don't really remember to be honest what the actual
Salinity reading was. We would read it at the location where we would catch
the Dwarf Seahorses in the Gulf of Mexico and that would very since most of
those locations might me up in Bayou Areas along the Gulf or Inter Costal
water Ways. But there was mainly just one area that I ever found the Dwarf
Seahorses year after year in the same area. And even then they would only
be there in large amounts just before school would start back each year, it
made it easy for me to remember that since I first found them when I was in
6th grade. 1976 or so and did find them the last time we looked in 2000.
But I think the reading you ask about is what we keep the tanks at or very
close to it. Take Care CK508!
The Explorer near Tampa, Florida... :hallo:
------|
Salinity reading was. We would read it at the location where we would catch
the Dwarf Seahorses in the Gulf of Mexico and that would very since most of
those locations might me up in Bayou Areas along the Gulf or Inter Costal
water Ways. But there was mainly just one area that I ever found the Dwarf
Seahorses year after year in the same area. And even then they would only
be there in large amounts just before school would start back each year, it
made it easy for me to remember that since I first found them when I was in
6th grade. 1976 or so and did find them the last time we looked in 2000.
But I think the reading you ask about is what we keep the tanks at or very
close to it. Take Care CK508!
The Explorer near Tampa, Florida... :hallo:
------|
Yes ck508 the Dwarf Seahorses & there babies all ate daily hatched baby
brine shrimp. We never found a after market hatcher that was automated.
Meanig we wanted something that you could have a hatcher hatch &
separate the egg shells from the hatched baby shrimp and have it auto
feed into the tanks. But now I see ways of using shrimp that most all of the
egg cases or shells are already removed, to where you don't have the empty
brine shrimp shells to deal with. We ended up using 5 gal. empty glass tanks
to use as hatchers with just a good airstone in them. Then we would stop
the air flow when we had a good hatching of the brine shrimp and just used
a pen point light on the outside of the 5 gal. tank to draw the baby brine to
the light just down below the surface allowing most of the egg shells that had
hatch to float at the surface and the un hatched eggs go to the bottom to
hatch out later. We then just used a "Cooks" Baster to suck the baby brine
up and we would the flush them into a very, very, fine fish net & rinse them
in the net with fresh clean water. Next just rinse the net full of these baby
brine shrimp into the tanks, usually two times a day if we had new born
dwarf seahorses in the tanks, since they need more feedings. We would
flood the tanks at feedings with baby brine to the point the tank would
have a white tint from the shrimp. But it would not take long for the dwarf
seahorses to eat them all!
Ck508 sorry about my typing & spelling but it's late & I have not slept now
in two days. Due to Kidney Stones So take care, I hope that helped some.
The Explorer, near Tampa Florida...
brine shrimp. We never found a after market hatcher that was automated.
Meanig we wanted something that you could have a hatcher hatch &
separate the egg shells from the hatched baby shrimp and have it auto
feed into the tanks. But now I see ways of using shrimp that most all of the
egg cases or shells are already removed, to where you don't have the empty
brine shrimp shells to deal with. We ended up using 5 gal. empty glass tanks
to use as hatchers with just a good airstone in them. Then we would stop
the air flow when we had a good hatching of the brine shrimp and just used
a pen point light on the outside of the 5 gal. tank to draw the baby brine to
the light just down below the surface allowing most of the egg shells that had
hatch to float at the surface and the un hatched eggs go to the bottom to
hatch out later. We then just used a "Cooks" Baster to suck the baby brine
up and we would the flush them into a very, very, fine fish net & rinse them
in the net with fresh clean water. Next just rinse the net full of these baby
brine shrimp into the tanks, usually two times a day if we had new born
dwarf seahorses in the tanks, since they need more feedings. We would
flood the tanks at feedings with baby brine to the point the tank would
have a white tint from the shrimp. But it would not take long for the dwarf
seahorses to eat them all!
Ck508 sorry about my typing & spelling but it's late & I have not slept now
in two days. Due to Kidney Stones So take care, I hope that helped some.
The Explorer, near Tampa Florida...