I was browsing through my Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine and found an article on keeping Dwarf Seahorses.The article says that you can keep a small group of them in a 2.5 or a 5 gallon tank. This is perfect for me because I want a saltwater tank but I don't want a huge one that requires tons of work. Plus having such a small tank would be inexpensive. I know that you need to constantly supply live food such as brine shrimp. Has anyone ever kept them? Any information would be appreciated.
Dwarf Seahorses
- Thread starter bandito41
- Start date
"but I don't want a huge one that requires tons of work" From the many hrs of research I've done all seahorse tanks require constant attention, dwarfs being the most difficult to keep.
Seahorses do not have a digestive system like most animals. Food pretty much passes right through them. I've read reports of owners not keeping up on a CONSTANT feeding regimen and witness their horses parish from starvation. It can happen in just a couple of days if they were in poor condition to begin with.
"Plus having such a small tank would be inexpensive." Ha! have you even looked at the prices of seahorses?
I'm not trying to come down on you. But as with any aquarium fish you So00oo need to do some research.
Start here- http://www.seahorse.org/
Let me put it this way. As you probably know I keep close to 40 tanks, and have yet to try seahorses because of how much WORK they are.
Seahorses do not have a digestive system like most animals. Food pretty much passes right through them. I've read reports of owners not keeping up on a CONSTANT feeding regimen and witness their horses parish from starvation. It can happen in just a couple of days if they were in poor condition to begin with.
"Plus having such a small tank would be inexpensive." Ha! have you even looked at the prices of seahorses?
I'm not trying to come down on you. But as with any aquarium fish you So00oo need to do some research.
Start here- http://www.seahorse.org/
Let me put it this way. As you probably know I keep close to 40 tanks, and have yet to try seahorses because of how much WORK they are.
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I agree with Pure. I did a lot of reasearch on these guys, and yes, they are a lot of work, and require care and great water parameters. There's a really nice book available on them that might help you make a decision, too.
I also discovered that they're pretty expensive. For the small setup I was looking at, it would have been about $500 to stock the tank! I still hope to do them one day, but not in the near future.
I also discovered that they're pretty expensive. For the small setup I was looking at, it would have been about $500 to stock the tank! I still hope to do them one day, but not in the near future.
They're certainly doable. If your heart is set on these neat little guys, go for it. A lady in my local reef club breeds them, which is really cool. These days you can acquire them aquacultured, which is definitely the best way to go. Like mandarins, seahorses have a stigma that they're impossible to keep, need to be kept in the wild, etc.
A good place to start is getting in touch with people who keep seahorses. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone around here who keeps them currently. I know Pandora at Pandora's aquarium keeps/has kept them. I've emailed her before with some questions and she was very nice and helpful.
Here's a link...
http://www.fishpalace.org/H_barbouri.html
Since their feeding is similar to mandarins, I've read up on seahorses too and have personally come to the conclusion they aren't as hard to keep as they used to be, especially with them being tank raised these days. I'd start with a ten gallon and really try to find a specimen you know for a fact has been tank raised.
They are definitely not the easiest fish in the sea and a proper setup will run you a few extra bucks and some added thought, but that's no reason not to give it a go if you want to try em out.
A good place to start is getting in touch with people who keep seahorses. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone around here who keeps them currently. I know Pandora at Pandora's aquarium keeps/has kept them. I've emailed her before with some questions and she was very nice and helpful.
Here's a link...
http://www.fishpalace.org/H_barbouri.html
Since their feeding is similar to mandarins, I've read up on seahorses too and have personally come to the conclusion they aren't as hard to keep as they used to be, especially with them being tank raised these days. I'd start with a ten gallon and really try to find a specimen you know for a fact has been tank raised.
They are definitely not the easiest fish in the sea and a proper setup will run you a few extra bucks and some added thought, but that's no reason not to give it a go if you want to try em out.
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As a matter of fact I have looked at the prices of the dwarf seahorses. I found that I could get a male and a female for $17.50 at this site. http://www.seahorseworld.com/prices.htm
That doesn't seem so expensive to me. Considering I spent $30 on a pleco.
"I'm not trying to come down on you. But as with any aquarium fish you So00oo need to do some research."
I "So00oo" have done my research. I have read about them in my magazine and on the web at various sited. From what I have read they are not as hard to keep or expensive as what you have said. I did not mean to imply that they would require no work. I meant to say that it would be relatively easier than a larger aquarium. I know that they require a CONSTANT feeding regimen. I could provide this.
That doesn't seem so expensive to me. Considering I spent $30 on a pleco.
"I'm not trying to come down on you. But as with any aquarium fish you So00oo need to do some research."
I "So00oo" have done my research. I have read about them in my magazine and on the web at various sited. From what I have read they are not as hard to keep or expensive as what you have said. I did not mean to imply that they would require no work. I meant to say that it would be relatively easier than a larger aquarium. I know that they require a CONSTANT feeding regimen. I could provide this.
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I must admit that is the cheapest I have ever seen any seahorse for sale. however Like Lotus said you do not want wild caught ones..for the stated reasons.
Bandito, if you are still under the impression that smaller SW tanks take less work then you DO still have a lot of research left to do.
Since they are smaller they require more attention to checking water perms, and more frequent water changes, and thus more mixing of salt for water changes. Even more so if you plan on keeping seahorses.
You did find a cheap source for wild caught ones..but you can also very easily go through several fish before you get them to live. You can expect to pay around 80-100 bucks each for a captive raised seahorse from any reputable dealer. Even then you can have mixed results with them living through shipping.
Like lord said they can be kept, and many people have success with them. If you are up for it, go for it. I just don't want you getting into it with the misconceived notion that it isn't going to be a lot of work, or cheap for that matter.
Bandito, if you are still under the impression that smaller SW tanks take less work then you DO still have a lot of research left to do.
Since they are smaller they require more attention to checking water perms, and more frequent water changes, and thus more mixing of salt for water changes. Even more so if you plan on keeping seahorses.
You did find a cheap source for wild caught ones..but you can also very easily go through several fish before you get them to live. You can expect to pay around 80-100 bucks each for a captive raised seahorse from any reputable dealer. Even then you can have mixed results with them living through shipping.
Like lord said they can be kept, and many people have success with them. If you are up for it, go for it. I just don't want you getting into it with the misconceived notion that it isn't going to be a lot of work, or cheap for that matter.
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Once again I do not think that smaller SW tanks take less work. I know they require more attention. By work I mean that there is less to clean, and water changes would be smaller, but more frequent. I did not know those fish were wild caught. I will try to find the prices of some tank raised ones. What I meant by cheap was that the tank, substrate, and decorations would be cheaper. I was not planning on getting these anyways I just wanted to see if anyone had experience with them. I wanted to find information so when and if I decide to try some, I will be prepared.
Getting away from the cost/maintenance/filtration issues the main issue here is going to be one of feeding. Get those dwarf seahorses and you can forget about vacations for as long as they live as they are going to require near continual culture and feeding of an adequate live food - you think you can leave these with your mum for a week while you take a quick trip to Mexico...? Forget it - you'll get back , your live food cultures will have crashed, the water will be all over the place, and they'll probbly not have fed for 3 days and be at deaths door.
The only way I would touch these is with a big attached refgium - culturing live foods, even easy one like brine shrimp, for a few years at a time , is too difficult for me.
The only way I would touch these is with a big attached refgium - culturing live foods, even easy one like brine shrimp, for a few years at a time , is too difficult for me.
Ok, since there has been confusion. I will say this again. A small tank would be "LESS" expensive than a larger one, not inexpensive, just less expensive. If I decide one day to get them I will make sure my family knows how to take care of them, so if I go somewhere the seahorses won't die. I doubt I will get any now, but maybe in a year or two.
