dwarf seahorses

[serty]

i have some questions about dwarfs.how hard are they to keep?i went to seahorsefams.com and they have a package that i like but im not exactly sure about it.Its everything but the tank,the thing is it comes with the dwarf seahorses the same time as the other stuff.doesnt the tank need to cycle?The things id like to know are:how hard are they,what kind of tank,light filtration?Any info you have would be great.
seahorsefarms.com is the site

[JennM]

Did somebody say seahorses?

Yes the tank should cycle. Dwarfs are one of the few things I don't suggest be kept with live rock, except perhaps a bit of rubble. I've seen bristleworms come and pluck the little ponies right off their holdfast This is the ONLY healthy fish I've seen bristleworms bother, and it freaked me out how the little pony just sat there and got eaten

To feed Hippocampus zostrae you need to hatch live brine, all the time. They can eat adult brine too, but the horses reproduce prolifically if you have a "herd" of them, and the babies eat artemia nauplii. Babies can be kept in with the parents.

Sponge filters are best for these tiny charges, if you have another tank, you can cycle sponge filters in your main tank, and transfer the sponges to the horse tank. Exchange sponges when necessary, swap a new cycled sponge for the old dirty one, and bleach, dechlorinate, air dry and re-cycle sponges as with use of live brine, you will inevitiably get hydroids. I kept keyhole limpets in with mine, they eat hydroids. Hydroids will also sting and eat your ponies.

They are labour-intensive, but they are most amusing.

HTH

Jenn

[serty]

so what exactly would i need to get started.is it normal cycling time. i read that you should use sand.not live though.how hard are they compared to like a normal salt tank.what about an undergravel filter and one of those mini palm clear filters.if i get a 5 gallon tank is that a good size?can i just put brine eggs in the tank or do i have to have a seperate thing?thanks

[JennM]

Mother Nature determines how long to cycle. If you cycle a sponge filter in your main display, say for a week, you should be able to have an "instant" cycled seahorse tank. They are hard to care for because of their tiny size and live food needs. I have managed to get H. zostrae to eat Kent Zooplex and Cyclop-eeze but they prefer live artemia, and are one of the few fishes that can thrive nicely on good old brine, without any enhancement, but they do better if they get enriched. The problem with power filters is they suck these horses up - have you seen one to see how tiny they are?

You cannot hatch brine in your display, the filter sucks it up and it will foul the water. You can make a hatching cone, or use a glass jar and an airstone. I used to culture live brine on my back step in old salt buckets filled with old nasty tank water. My cultured crashed last summer from neglect after self-sustaining for 2 years. We got too much rain and the salinity dropped. It ran summer and winter, in winter it would freeze and the brine would go dormant then when it warmed up, they'd spring back to life. Pretty amazing really. When I needed some live brine I would go and swoosh my net around in the culture, rinse under the faucet and feed to whomever... seahorses, reef, whatever needed a treat.

Jenn

[Alice]

If you can't find BS eggs locally, try www.brineshrimpdirect

Dwarf sea horses are extremely interesting creatures; I'm just glad they are available captive raised now. It used to be that the ones you'd see in these inexpensive "just add water" packages were heavily harvested from the wild.

[serty]

thanks,i thought if they were captive raised they could be fed frozen mysid shrimp.Also what about an under gravel? wont that do the job?i have a main saltwater tank i could take some water from ,i dont have a sponge filter on it though.that would be cool cause it wouldnt have to cycle.and what about that colored sand they sell. that would be really cool.how many in a 5 gal?