Dwarf seahorses...

[AlmightyJoshaeus]

Hello all! I am considering keeping and breeding dwarf seahorses (the two usually go hand in hand) in the future in a pair of five gallons - one for a copepod-rich refugium and the other for the actual seahorses. However, I have a lot of questions about this inasmuch as dwarf seahorses are NOT usually considered ideal beginner fish;

 

1 - Hydroids...do they really come in on brine shrimp eggs?

2 - A related question...when you decapsulate brine shrimp (partially to rid them of any hypothetical hydroids that shouldn't exist on dried eggs), how do you store them? Can you use one of those silica packets they use with moisture sensisitive medications or the like?

3 - Roughly how much BBS is needed for the dwarf seahorses per gallon? Would an eight of a teaspoon per five gallons work?

4 - I understand that BBS needs to be enriched for sea horses. I understand that this requires hatching the brine shrimp, moving them to a similar container with the enrichment fluid, and feeding them to the seahorses 24 hours later. Is that correct? (Also, am I correct that the enrichment fluid needs to be replaced after every BBS batch?)

5 - Can microworms be used for dwarf seahorses as long as they are enriched? If I used them they would be a supplement to the BBS and any copepods coming from the fuge.

6 - Should've asked this earlier...how can this less than DIY savy fishkeeper build a refugium without resorting to drilling holes in the glass?

 

Thankx for your replies!

[Clown79]

I can't help much in the way of brine shrimp or dwarf seahorses.

 

But this is some good info

 

http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/c1/c2/shell-free-e-z-egg-c202.html

 

http://fusedjaw.com/food-and-nutrition/decapsulating-brine-shrimp-eggs/

 

I wouldn't think a silica packet would be good to use but I may be wrong.

 

As for the refugium. You can use a hang on filter like the aquaclear for them. There are a lot of diy plans out there, theres even a section on here. Depending on what you put in it, you may need a fuge light.

[AlmightyJoshaeus]

Could I simply put a tank divider in a 10 gallon and keep the copepods on one side and the seahorses on the other?

[vlangel]

Hello all! I am considering keeping and breeding dwarf seahorses (the two usually go hand in hand) in the future in a pair of five gallons - one for a copepod-rich refugium and the other for the actual seahorses. However, I have a lot of questions about this inasmuch as dwarf seahorses are NOT usually considered ideal beginner fish;

 

1 - Hydroids...do they really come in on brine shrimp eggs?

2 - A related question...when you decapsulate brine shrimp (partially to rid them of any hypothetical hydroids that shouldn't exist on dried eggs), how do you store them? Can you use one of those silica packets they use with moisture sensisitive medications or the like?

3 - Roughly how much BBS is needed for the dwarf seahorses per gallon? Would an eight of a teaspoon per five gallons work?

4 - I understand that BBS needs to be enriched for sea horses. I understand that this requires hatching the brine shrimp, moving them to a similar container with the enrichment fluid, and feeding them to the seahorses 24 hours later. Is that correct? (Also, am I correct that the enrichment fluid needs to be replaced after every BBS batch?)

5 - Can microworms be used for dwarf seahorses as long as they are enriched? If I used them they would be a supplement to the BBS and any copepods coming from the fuge.

6 - Should've asked this earlier...how can this less than DIY savy fishkeeper build a refugium without resorting to drilling holes in the glass?

 

Thankx for your replies!

I am not an expert on dwarf seahorses since I keep the larger erectus, but I read a lot of info on them and some things are the same. Anyway, I will answer what I can.

1. Yes I believe I have read that hydroids can come on live rock, macro algae and brine shrimp cysts. Also amphipods are dangerous to dwarf seahorses.

2. I bought already decapsulated eggs and I keep them in the fridge.

3. Dwarf seahorses are not active hunters, they are ambush predators so they need densities thick enough that the dwarfs get enough food while being hitched while the bbs floats by.

4. Yes, after the bbs has been enriched for 24 hours the bbs must be rinsed and fed. If you have more than is needed to be fed then they can be rinsed and refrigerated in clean salt water and the used enrichment is discarded since the chance of bacterial growth is likely and bacteria is the enemy of all seahorses.

5. I doubt they would eat microworms but I can't say for sure.

6. I would not keep the copepods in the same aquarium as the dwarf seahorses. To culture copepods and to get a good yield you need to feed them heavily and their tank will not be sterile enough for the little ponies. I would keep their tanks totally separate if I were doing it.