Dwarf Seahorse Reef (Fluval spec v)

[Sun_Queen]

It's been a long time since I've posted here but I'd like to document this little project of mine. Just as some fun background; I joined this forum back when I first got into the fish tank hobby and it has led to me working at a LFS the last 4 years! I got out of keeping saltwater for a little while because it lost some of the fun when it became a job.

However recently I discovered the wonders of brine shrimp hatching dishes and I have decided to finally try my hand at keeping the saltwater animal I have always wanted but been too wary to try; DWARF SEAHORSES (it is a bit daunting to commit to live feedings everyday but I am willing to give it a go)

 

Currently the plans for the tank are to have some soft corals and macro-algae along with the dwarf seahorses. I have a harlequin shrimp in here as well though I am not sure if this will be too much bioload once the seahorses are added. I do plan on 2x weekly 50% water changes so hopefully that helps.

(harlequin shrimp chilling with his food)

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(pic from before adding other corals, you can see the algae I am dealing with on the rocks- nothing crazy just from fishless cycling where my numbers ended up spiking very high)

 

I don't have a lot of pictures yet since the coral really hasn't opened yet and we are still dealing with a touch of post-cycling algae but I'll definitely add more once I get the macros in to complete the picture haha

 

Equipment:

• intank media basket
• kessil a80 light
• reefbreeders ato 
• upgraded return pump (~90gph)
• Fluval spec V

 

Stocking

Coral (added 8/5)

• aoi zoa
• jungle juice zoa
• fire and ice zoa
• scrambled eggs zoa
• clove polyps
• green star polyps
• purple gorg

Macro-algae (this comes in some time tomorrow)

• Caulerpa ashmeadii
• Botryocladia
• Hypnea Pannosa

Inverts

• spiny star astrea 
• harlequin shrimp + food

Fish

• Dwarf seahorses (future)
• Fringed pipefish x5 (added 8/11)

 

 

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions! I am always open to input and I have learned a ton from reading on here over the years!

[Tired]

Looks like a nice start. How are you planning to treat the macros to make sure there are no hydroids? 

[Sun_Queen]

2 minutes ago, Tired said:

Looks like a nice start. How are you planning to treat the macros to make sure there are no hydroids? 

So far I've been dipping everything that goes in the tank with hydrogen peroxide + very careful inspection. Obviously there is always some risk adding stuff that can't be treated with fenbendazole to a dwarf seahorse tank but I decided to take the chance.

 

The macros obviously can't be treated with h2o2 so I plan on treating it all with fenbendazole in a 5 gallon bucket for a couple days then rinsing it well before putting it in the tank. 

[debbeach13]

Welcome back. There are some great threads on dwarf seahorses here. More people have been keeping them with success then years ago. It still take a lot of commitment. Good luck with your tank.

[Sun_Queen]

Yup I'm very excited. A coworker has kept them before and we are both setting up tanks for them at the same time so I have someone to help out lol

 

Here are some coral pics from this morning, everything is opening up super nicely considering I just added them last night 

[debbeach13]

44 minutes ago, Sun_Queen said:

A coworker has kept them before and we are both setting up tanks for them at the same time so I have someone to help out lol

That is awesome. Corals are looking good.

[Sun_Queen]

Got home from working on tanks at work all day just to get home and do the same thing lol

 

I added a few friends I found while doing maintenance on a frag tank at work: several stomatella snails and a couple micro brittle stars. One of the stomatella snails was white which I have never seen before (the one in the center here)

 

 

I also got my macro algae in. I will have to wait till tomorrow to do the fenbendazole dip but they are looking good already, no outward signs of any pests 

[Matteo]

love your Harlequin! I have a mating pair currently munching on a chocolate chip starfish 

[Sun_Queen]

So I did a 24 hr dip on the algae to kill off any hitchhiking hydras and got it all put in the tank. Im super happy with how it looks! I think the algae really completes the scape and makes it look whole which is exactly what I wanted!

I'm sure I'll have to trim it a lot to keep it contained but hey that's part of the fun 😅

 

Also I can't stop taking pictures of my harlequin shrimp

[Matteo]

Harlequins are the best

[Sun_Queen]

1 hour ago, Matteo said:

Harlequins are the best

yeah I like them a lot! I've never had one in a personal tank until now but I always love watching them at the store

[Sun_Queen]

Just a few updates both fun and frustrating!

 

First off the annoying bits... the red macroalgae has been shedding bubbles all over the tank. There are some that seem stable now and the stems themselves look healthy so I think its just from the moving shock and should start growing back soon. Right now they are just looking a bit sparse. 

[Fts as of 8/11]

 

On to more fun news. Since right now I am waiting to order dwarf seahorses until my coworkers tank is ready too I decided to get some dwarf pipefish. 

 

I ordered 4 and got sent 5 (once the dwarf seahorses come my coworker will take a couple to go in her tank as well)

[Getting acclimated, 4 are more yellow and one is black]

 

I believe them to be Anarchopterus criniger and should max out under 4 inches. Here is the nicest looking one that has lots of white on it 

 

All 5 are already eating live baby brine shrimp and seem happy!

 

[Tired]

Yeah, my red bubble algae did the same thing. Give it a few days to chill out and it'll stop. 

 

The pipefish are adorable! Have you ever seen bluestripe pipefish? I wouldn't suggest them for a tank that size because they're actually very active, but they're great. They're actually suitable for regular reef tanks, because they're strong enough swimmers to handle a decent bit of flow. In a tank with lots of pods, they're even self-feeding. I had one for awhile in my old tank, and they're great. 

 

Have you considered setting up a fuge to try to grow pods for them? 

[Sun_Queen]

3 minutes ago, Tired said:

Yeah, my red bubble algae did the same thing. Give it a few days to chill out and it'll stop. 

 

The pipefish are adorable! Have you ever seen bluestripe pipefish? I wouldn't suggest them for a tank that size because they're actually very active, but they're great. They're actually suitable for regular reef tanks, because they're strong enough swimmers to handle a decent bit of flow. In a tank with lots of pods, they're even self-feeding. I had one for awhile in my old tank, and they're great. 

 

Have you considered setting up a fuge to try to grow pods for them? 

good to know its not just me with the algae lol

 

I've seen them but never in person! I love the pipefish they are so funny! I wonder if they will breed in this tank, I can't even imagine how tiny the babies would be!

 

I am considering setting up a copepod culture more than a fuge type system. I know I am going to be going through a lot of live foods so every little bit helps

[Sun_Queen]

All of my little pipefish are eating well still. Right now I am feeding them 2x a day and I keep the pumps off for about 20mins whenever I feed. They are very aggressive hunters, much better than I expected for sure

 

My coral doesn't seem overly happy so I did a big water change and probably need to make sure I am keeping up with at least 2 water changes a week

 

[Joevember]

I love the stocking you have in this tank! I thought about getting a fluval 5 before I settled on a IM nuvo 20, but it looks like your setup is perfect for what you have in there.

Everything is so cute in there, I love it! 😄

[Tired]

Check your parameters before water changes. Too few nutrients will mess your corals up just as bad, if not more than, too many nutrients.

[Sun_Queen]

1 hour ago, Joevember said:

I love the stocking you have in this tank! I thought about getting a fluval 5 before I settled on a IM nuvo 20, but it looks like your setup is perfect for what you have in there.

Everything is so cute in there, I love it! 😄

 

thank you 😄

38 minutes ago, Tired said:

Check your parameters before water changes. Too few nutrients will mess your corals up just as bad, if not more than, too many nutrients.

 

I will but I doubt nutrients will ever be low in there considering the amount it gets fed lol. but yes I agree both extremes should be avoided

[Poison Dart Frog]

Love this tank. It's so drastically different from my Spec V. I hope this works out good for you. Also, your setup looks SO much better than most of the dwarf seahorse setups I've seen. 

[Sun_Queen]

18 hours ago, Poison Dart Frog said:

Love this tank. It's so drastically different from my Spec V. I hope this works out good for you. Also, your setup looks SO much better than most of the dwarf seahorse setups I've seen. 

Thank you! 

 

There are a few good reasons people normally go very simplistic in dwarf seahorse tanks. Mostly worry about hydra infestations and flow. I may still end up switching to macroalgae only but I personally felt the aesthetic benefits of real macros vs fake plants were worth the hydra risk haha

[Sun_Queen]

So I haven't updated in a bit but a lot is going on! As per usual both good and bad lol

Sadly, some of the coral was doing pretty bad so I went ahead and removed them, I think there just isn't enough flow for most corals to be happy.

 

On the bright side the macro algaes are doing super well and growing like mad!

 

Also I got my dwarf seahorses!!!! They are doing super well and one already dropped babies! Right now I have 35 adults (half are going to my coworkers tank kn a couple weeks) and about 13! babies!

[debbeach13]

Sorry about the corals. Exciting news about the sea horses.

[Leo_ian]

Any updates? i plan on doing one too! if only i can get them into my country...

[hinnenkm]

Beautiful little tank! If you upgrade the pump, you should be able to get enough flow for the softies that you can keep with the dwarfs 🙂 I had them years ago and I always get the itch to get them again, but feeding them is demanding... looking forward to seeing updates!