10g dwarf seahorse tank
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URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=51788
Printed Date: November 27 2024 at 8:39am
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Topic: 10g dwarf seahorse tank
Posted By: MadReefer
Subject: 10g dwarf seahorse tank
Date Posted: October 06 2011 at 10:49pm
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My son was born last week I had plans to get rid of all my tanks in preparation for this life changing event. But I couldn't do it. I figured a 10 gallon tank wouldn't cost too much time or money. I put some sand, a few rocks, some coral, algae, snails, crabs, and water into a ten gallon tank I already had, all this was from the tanks I'm taking down. I used one maxi-jet 600 to move some water around. One small heater was added to keep the temp up. I kept the standard hood with a few CF bulbs in it. And it's been running like this for a month or two now and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it.
I've always wanted seahorses. So I did a little research and found that dwarf seahorses should work fine in this tank. I would just need to turn down the heater a bit and remove a few corals that might cause a problem. Also I removed an emerald crab that was eating every piece of algae that I added. I then modified the pump so the flow wouldn't blow the tiny seahorses into rocks and such, or suck them into the intake. I put a sponge over the intake and a tube with ten small holes in it on the outflow. I did a water change and lowered the S.G. to 1.023. I added more algae and the seahorses arrived with a few pieces of sea grass. I really hope the sea grass will grow. The seahorses are finding food and eating already. I will be growing some baby brine to add also.
Here are some pics.
   
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Replies:
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: October 06 2011 at 10:51pm
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I'm thinking about changing the tank to one of these: http://www.finnex.net/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=187&category_id=34&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=61 - http://www.finnex.net/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=187&category_id=34&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=61
What do you think?
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Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: October 06 2011 at 10:53pm
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They are so cool:-) I however would hate to have to have live brine to feed constantly. ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: October 06 2011 at 11:00pm
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I read that they will take frozen food. I fed a tiny bit and it looked like one might have eaten a little frozen. Anyway, that is one reason I might keep them in the ten gallon tank they are in now rather than buy a new four gallon tank, more room for food to grow naturally. I just like the look of those Finnex tanks, and it would fit nicely on my desk. |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: October 06 2011 at 11:50pm
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As far as I know dwarfs will only eat live food but I could be wrong. ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: October 07 2011 at 10:06pm
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I checked again and I found many people who say they have dwarfs that eat frozen and seahorse.org says they can be trained. I don't have a problem feeding them fresh hatched brine anyway. My problem still seems to be flow. I watched one swimming around today and it was caught in one of the tiny streams of the output and tumbled around a lot. Now it looks like it can't swim very well. |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: October 07 2011 at 10:20pm
| I feel so bad. It already died. It was the stronger looking one up to the point it was caught in that current. I think I need to buy a smaller tank with the smaller filter that is only 30 gph. I hope at least others can learn from my mistake. I feel stupid. |
Posted By: Aquaristnewbie
Date Posted: October 07 2011 at 10:30pm
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Thats horrible. Sorry. I would help if I could. I dont think they are lower flow but I have a couple of marineland penguin filters with sponges you could borrow if they are less flow. a 550 and a 660. I think they are the same as a maxi 600 but not positive. Let mw know. ------------- 150 gallon Reef Millcreek Utah |
Posted By: hydro phoenix
Date Posted: October 08 2011 at 10:18am
Madreefer. go to fish 4u in holladay. They have REAlly small power heads that are $10 and the flow is adjustable. I have one already that I just use for when there is a small algae bloom in an area that doesn't get flow. There so small. PM me if you want more details. your Horses will live! we will all do everything we can to help you succeed ------------- recent absurdity..Unicorns have rabies |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: October 08 2011 at 10:39am
I switched to a smaller powerhead that I got a Fish4U a while back for something else. It is a Rio+ 180. It's only 25% less flow then the Maxi-jet 600 but it has the valve before my spray bar tube. It looks like the water is still moving around in all corners of the tank and now the remaining seahorse is swimming around more. I wish I would have done this sooner. Just thinking, now I can add more holes to the tube so that it creates more even spray and it will not create too much flow. And I will still get the rolling affect in the water to keep stuff suspended. Thanks for the replies.
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Posted By: sabeypets
Date Posted: October 09 2011 at 10:05pm
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When I had Dwarf Seahorses I used a small HOB filter with a sponge on the intake. I started with 5 pair and at one point I had about 40. They ate frozen but done better on live baby brine daily. Now days with algae paste its not that hard to culture tigger pods or other bugs in a 5 gal bucket for them. ------------- Shaun American Fork "Would you leave a dead cat in your kitchen till tommorow?" Builderofdreams |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: October 11 2011 at 1:41pm
| Because of the very slow flow, I removed the remaining SPS and the rock it was attached to. I've had some peppermint shrimp in my sump in the tanks I'm taking down and I moved those three to the 10g. I hope they can breed and make another food option for the seahorses. They had no eggs when I moved them but I haven't been feeding them so I hope that changes now. I think I will culture some type of pod but I don't have that ready yet so for now it will be fresh hatched baby brine and baby brine with Selco. I also have some frozen rotifers I've been adding as well as mysis. I bought some brine eggs without shells just to make it easier. Other food options I see swimming in the tank already are mysids, amphipods, copepods, and isopods. Thanks for all the suggestions. Anyone have any other ideas? |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: October 15 2011 at 9:59pm
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I added 5 more seahorses and two short nose pipefish. They look like they are doing very well. I think they are eating well and getting fat. I've been really happy with my purchases from http://www.ccritters.com/ - http://www.ccritters.com/ .
I'm getting some cyano and I haven't done a water change for a while so I'll be doing one tomorrow.
The shrimp have eggs now.
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Posted By: sabeypets
Date Posted: October 20 2011 at 8:51pm
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That is the same place I got mine from. They were great to deal with. You will want to keep on top of those water changes with seahorses. I changed a gal a week in a five gal tank. ------------- Shaun American Fork "Would you leave a dead cat in your kitchen till tommorow?" Builderofdreams |
Posted By: Deluxe247
Date Posted: October 21 2011 at 7:23am
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If you're still interested in a smaller tank, check out the Eco Pico by ecoxotic for a cool "Zen" look.
%20 - http://www.ecoxotic.com/led-aquariums/desktop-aquariums/eco-pico.html ------------- 90G Mixed Reef |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: November 29 2011 at 5:45pm
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I don't know what I was thinking. This has been the most work of any tank I've ever done. And it's too big for the dwarfs, I can't hardly find them in there. I think I lost a couple more but not sure since most the time I can only find one or two, but then I'll find 4. The macro algae are growing fast and I have to remove it often. Weekly water changes. Growing food. And all that.
The biggest problem is that the tank doesn't seem to stay clean. I've never worked so hard and been so disappointed by the results. I always thought it would be too much flow but maybe I should add a power filter I have laying around that is rated for a 40 gallon tank.
I don't think it will solve many problems but I'm replacing the light with LEDs I'm going to build. I think it will make the colors look better and it sounded like fun.
The pipe fish seem to be doing well and I think I have a male and female.
Also, I always worry I'm going to throw away some livestock while I clean out some algae.
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