Dwarf Seahorses

[Sharkie]

Hello!

Before everyone goes "what are you thinking, sea horses?!?" I'll letcha all know i'm posting for a friend :)

My buddy jay has been researching Dwarf Sea Horses and has really been interested in getting some, hes had his tank up and running for 5 years know and knows a lot about fish...

I've read online that all you need for dwarf sea horses is a 10gl tank, some sand, and live baby brine/nutrient rich food small enough for them to eat.

first off, how hardy are they? The will be going in a seperate 20gl tank all by themselves (save a couple mexican turbos to keep things clean) and will have live sand and fake plants to anchor themselves on...

what exactly else do we need? i've seen that salinty levels should be a 19 versus the normal 22-27. i've also seen that they keep the temp around 74degrees. does this sound correct? what are the best conditions for them?

if so are these guys better to buy online or at a LFS? we have none here that will order in sea horses as they say they don't have the time to care for them... are dwarfs a good way to go at all?

thanks for all your help, you guys are great! :D

 

[yote]

The one time I've dealt with dwarf seahorses,tought me that I sure aint gonna try to keep em.
But,if your friend is going to try.He'll need something to just barely move the water.If a HOB filter is used,place something over the intake.Dwarf seahorses are small enough to be sucked right into even the smallest filters.
As for being hardy,their not.My LFS ordered around 30 of them last summer.The entire order died within a week and we did everything we could to keep them.Even had live baby brine shrimp going right into the tank to feed them.

 

[Bifferwine]

The salinity and temp thing is correct. They do better with these lower because they are extremely susceptible to disease, and the lower salinity and temps are less hospitable to disease. That said, that environment is not conducive to keeping the inverts, like the snails, you mentioned.

I personally don't know of anyone that has been able to keep them alive for more than a month or two. But that doesn't mean it can't be done. So good luck to your friend!

 

[Sharkie]

hmm okay. he is asking what is the best place online to possibly order them? He's still doing research but if he does end up getting some i think its best if he orders them from a reputable place :)

 

[dustin_P74]

liveaquaria.com
liveaquaria.com/diversden (if they have any up)
and maybe bluezooaquatics.com