My Dwarf Seahorse Aquariums

[cynster]

I have a 5 gallon hexagon currently housing 10 seahorses and a 6 gallon display tank to be stocked in the future once I feel it is completely established and once my seahorses propogate enough to move some over (right now they are happy where they are and I don't want to disturb them, but I also want a second tank to hold them in case they multiply too much for the tank they are in)

Pix:

6g Fluval Edge - Display tank

The display tank

You can see clearly from the top

from one of the sides

from the other side

closeup

5g Hexagon Marineland - Currently stocked with 10 dwarf seahorses, shrimp, crabs, pods

The tank

closeup of one of the seahorses (I did it this way to show just how little they are)

closeup of the macroalgae and shell

 

[little_fish]

They are so amazing! Please tell me more about how you feed them and care for them. I have wanted to get some for ages, but im afraid i wont be able to provide proper care for them.

 

[cynster]

I'm probably going to have some seahorse experts on my back for this post but here it goes:

I'm a beginner and I have wild caught dwarf seahorses. I've had them about a month now. I've had moderate previous experience hatching brine shrimp for fish fry. This is my first marine tank. These fish are extremely hardy. They require live food - which ok, you can grow live food, learn how to enrich it. They require a clean tank - if you have had prior tank experience and can keep fish alive, you can probably keep the tank clean enough for dwarfs. They require safe tankmates and a safe environment - meaning if you have live rock, either boil it or deworm it. Check around for safe tank-mates for them. I have peppermint shrimp, tiny hermits, and narcissus snails. What I would suggest is get your tank-mates first, deworm, then add your seahorses.

Why I bring up deworming is because of hydroids - I haven't had any, but I prepared for them. I actually think my display tank might get them because it is resisting the dewormer pretty darn well. Hydroids can kill dwarf seahorses and same with aiptasia (which is why I chose the peppermint shrimp, that eats them)

tl&dr: In a nutshell - I think they are easy to take care of. I did get one with bad tail rot, but I used some melafix and it was better within 8 or 12 hours. I can't get over how hardy they are, and I should know because I have a knack of killing delicate fish and a brown thumb for aquarium plants. That is why I chose the dwarf seahorses instead of the larger ones. I don't mind being dedicated to their needs - I just don't want them to get very ill and die off of sickness. So they are perfect for me. At the moment, I feel as if they are actually hardier than my freshwater angelfish - or I guess I have better luck with them.

I'm sure there will be people who disagree, and I've only had them a month, so please take that into account. :)

Disclaimer: Oh and if you get them, nearly everyone agrees you should get captive bred. I didn't get captive bred for some unrelated reasons - but my wild caught are doing fine. I've been told after the 6 month hump, I should be good to go (like know for sure if my method is working and if I have healthy seahorses).

 

[little_fish]

I will be very interested if you can keep them alive for longer than 6 months, very few people can keep them longer than 4. But you seem educated to their needs, which really good.

But i disagree, they are not any hardier than their larger counterparts, and also, they are an endangered species, you should not be buying wild ones.

 

[cynster]

Well they actually aren't endangered. They have been petitioned, but they aren't endangered yet - and that's a whole new discussion...

Mainly - I'd like mine to propogate and I worry about inbreeding so I started off with wild - plus even though captive are used to the aquarium and easier to keep alive in the aquarium, I feel like ones raised in sterile environments are not exposed to pathogens in the ocean to build their immune system and the ones that are "tank raised" are overcrowded and prone to sickness. I don't really want to get into a debate about it - it's just how I feel about it, and I totally respect your opinion - and I know why you feel that way since they are threatened.

I've read from several sources that the dwarf seahorse is hardier than larger seahorses - that they are just harder to take care of because of the food. But I don't have experience with both types to know for sure.

I'll keep you posted on them. I am actually keeping a blog on my experiences with them so other hobbyists can learn from the lessons I learn and successfully keep them.

 

[cynster]

Update!

So this morning I witnessed the breeding behavior - but this morning was different. Two males were sparring over 3 or 4 females and I couldn't believe how fearless the little green one was. The larger male was towering over the little guy, but he did not care. They nipped at each other and wrestled. I was shocked at how violent the larger male was with even the females, nipping at them and wrangling them.

Very exciting morning - I took a picture, but it didn't turn out.

 

[AmberSunrise]

Thats awesome! I hope you have great success with them.

Are you set up for if they do breed and you get babies? I just set up my SH tank last month and finished my cycle and I honestly hope I dont have to deal with babies.

I took the seahorse training course from seahorse.com to learn how to take care of mine and the raising the baby part did not interest me whatsoever LOL

I will be ordering mine from Ocean Riders but I did buy my first pipefish yesterday from my LFS she is doing great so far and I cant wait to get her some friends soon.

She ate some small pieces of frozen when I fed my yashi goby but the store gave me a bag of decap'd brine so I am trying my hand at hatching those tonight to see how that goes.

Keep us updated!!

 

[AmberSunrise]

Oh and I wanted to ask you what is that large brown branching coral you have is that artificial? It looks so awesome.

 

[cynster]

Another reason I chose the dwarf seahorse is that their fry is incredibly hardy, can live with their parents, hitch at birth, eat the same food, and have a survival rate in the tank of 60% - compared to in the wild where it is something like 2% - As long as you don't have tank-mates that will eat them - if you are keeping healthy adults, I don't think there is anything stopping you from having healthy babies too.

I haven't had any babies yet, but I will definitely update with my experiences with them. I've done a ton of research and I really did pick the right seahorse for me. I love raising baby animals and I wouldn't feel confident with seahorses that don't hitch at birth and require constant rotation.

The coral is a dead black sea fan from my LFS - I may be replacing it because I've heard eventually they will rot. It looks -fantastic- in my tank, so I've been a little slow about replacing it lol

 

[AmberSunrise]

Oh ok I have a live red one but I think the ponies I am getting might be to big for it we shall see. I do have lots of hitching for them.

I am not having good luck with any of the macro that I ordered its all dying.

 

[cynster]

So far my macro is ok but it's only been a few days and I'm not optimistic. My Kenya Tree in the display tank looks -awful- and I think it's dying, but my LFS said to just wait on it - that it may be going through an adjusting phase or something.

Like I said I have a brown thumb xD I will be surprised if it lasts.

One macro I have that has been super easy to keep is that curly grass looking stuff (looks like an unwound ball of yarn smooshed together)- I am not sure what it is, but my seahorses hitch in it sometimes and it gives them a little more privacy too.

 

[little_fish]

That is normal for newly acquired macros, as long as the roots dont die, it should grow back and be fine. but you do often lose the leaves and such when they are shipped.

 

[AmberSunrise]

That is normal for newly acquired macros, as long as the roots dont die, it should grow back and be fine. but you do often lose the leaves and such when they are shipped.

Well thats good to know I spent 50 bucks at reef cleaners and it all looks terrible. He is replacing my flame angel because it totally turned clear and disintegrated. My cactus calupera is looking pretty crappy too but it has long runners so i hope it comes back.

 

[little_fish]

ya, just give them a bit of time, most should turn around and perk up. It wont hurt to run your water a little dirty in that time so they have plenty of nutrients to rebuild from.

 

[cynster]

Update: I believe one of my males is pregnant or will be soon - and this time it's for realz

Since I have had my seahorses, at one point or another I have felt at least one was starting to get pregnant, when it was either that they were fat, possibly had gas bubbles, or were showing off to the females.

I've been watching the courting behaviors of a particular male for at least a few weeks, and he is visibly swollen, more so than usual (maybe he's just getting better at it :P) and also being somewhat reclusive, where normally he is flaunting and swimming all around.

So I'm going to keep watching him and see if he advances to the next phase of courting or if I had missed it and he has babies, which is entirely possible as I am away most of the day.

All of the other males have copied his behavior and started courting the females, even ones that I think may be a little young for it. At least they are much smaller and look younger with much smaller pouches. There has been male sparring which is interesting to watch and it's amazing how competitive and social these creatures are. One of my seahorses that caught tail rot earlier is catching it again (and I am helping him as much as I can every step of the way and he is improving). One of the other seahorses hitched next to him while he was resting and seemed to be providing some emotional support (although I'm probably reading way too much into it) but she seemed at least curious as to why he wasn't bouncing around like the others. I think he'll make it though. He's had a scare before, and i think it weakened his immune system, but I am keeping a careful eye on him and have been doing daily water changes (other than when medicating as directed). He certainly has a will to survive, and I can't get over how strong he is, that he has made it so long with two tail rot attacks. This time I am medicating more even if he looks like he improves. I stopped the medication early last time because he was completely recovered but apparently the fungus survived, so I am doing the entire medication procedure as directed on the bottle to wipe it out completely and rid him of this stressful disease.

 

[little_fish]

I hope he is pregnant! I would be very exciting to close the life cycle on those guys.

And i do believe that she is providing some sort of emotional support, i know my seahorses were always very close and when mine werent doing well both seemed to reflect it. I also wish you best of luck in kicking the tail rot, i know that an infection i could never get my seahorses to kick eventually resulted in the end of them.

 

[cynster]

Thank you little_fish :) He's really strong and I think he'll make it.

How interesting about your seahorses - They do seem close to me too - it would be so fantastic if it was true that they care for each other on that level. I'd really love to do an intelligence test on these guys :)

EDIT: Ommmgggg he has definitely paired! I am taking pictures! I saw them dancing and linking tails. I really want to get a picture of them doing it again! and he is -so- swollen. -crosses fingers-

 

[cynster]

Pictures!

 

[reeftanker84]

so cool i want my 10 gallon to be a sea horse tank,i just need a few more things added to hitch to,so far water quality is good with nitrates less then 20

 

[little_fish]

Tanker, make sure you understand the commitment these guys require. They DO NOT eat frozen, you must hatch and enrich brine shrimp for them. What logan was telling you want total bull.