$10 Dwarf Seahorse Tank

Bloody.Knuckles · Jun 11, 2016

No, I am not insane nor do I think I can set one up for $10, lol.
However, I got an old 8 gallon Pemco w/hood off of Craigslist for $10 and will be restoring it and retrofitting it for a DSH pair.

Comments, suggestions, and complaints are welcome and this will double as a build thread.

Wilsoni · Jun 11, 2016

Holy gosh that's a rad vintage tank. I would make it look as old school as possible... Make sure to clean it out well with vinegar.

Wilsoni · Jun 11, 2016

I've seen dwarf seahorse tanks with a sponge filter alone but I believe the tanks were a bit smaller

Wilsoni · Jun 11, 2016

What are your filtration plans?

Wilsoni · Jun 11, 2016

You could probably get away with more than just a pair of dwarf sea horse in there. Have you seen how tiny they truly are?

Bloody.Knuckles · Jun 11, 2016

Wilsoni said:
Holy gosh that's a rad vintage tank. I would make it look as old school as possible... Make sure to clean it out well with vinegar.

Yes, it needs some cleaning and resealing in spots. Since it popped up randomly, I hope it's good to add water by next weekend; side project.

Bloody.Knuckles · Jun 11, 2016

Wilsoni said:
You could probably get away with more than just a pair of dwarf sea horse in there. Have you seen how tiny they truly are?

I'm sure that I will keep some offspring. I just don't want to dive in too fast with this since it's a side piece tank.

Wilsoni · Jun 11, 2016

Regardless I'm pretty excited to follow the progress of it. I'm way into quirky little projects. I've always wanted to create a tank for dwarfs and adhere several different sized magnification lens to the glass it's self to help get a better view of them.

Wilsoni · Jun 11, 2016

Can you take a few more shots of the tank and post them? I'd like to see the underside of the canopy and the space in the rear. Even the specific dimensions would be nice to know. I'd be happy to offer any pointers that I can

Wilsoni · Jun 11, 2016

A little retrofit LED strip would be perfect and I would totally incorporate it into the original hood if I were you.

Bloody.Knuckles · Jun 11, 2016

Wilsoni said:
Can you take a few more shots of the tank and post them? I'd like to see the underside of the canopy and the space in the rear. Even the specific dimensions would be nice to know. I'd be happy to offer any pointers that I can

Sure. I'm in the process of cleaning it, so I'll take more pics later. It's about 2 ft wide, 1 ft tall, and 6 inches deep. The canopy is a 2 piece and the lighting fixture is missing so I plan on retrofitting it with LEDs.

Wilsoni · Jun 11, 2016

Awesome! I'll be watching for your update... Question, did that edible arrangement come with the tank?

Bloody.Knuckles · Jun 11, 2016

Wilsoni said:
Awesome! I'll be watching for your update... Question, did that edible arrangement come with the tank?

No, lol. I'm sure that thing cost way more than the tank.

Baby Ray · Jun 12, 2016

What are your feeding plans?
What are planning for decorations, like things for them to hitch to?

Bloody.Knuckles · Jun 12, 2016

Baby Ray said:
What are your feeding plans?
What are planning for decorations, like things for them to hitch to?

Feeding will probably be brine shrimp twice or thrice daily, but I am not throwing in seahorses for a while. It's a side piece tank and a bit of a resto, so that part has to be addressed first along with what equipment I want to cram in there. After all that is water tight, then I will think of the style of aquascaping to use. Sorry for the non-answer answer, lol.

Baby Ray · Jun 12, 2016

Bloody.Knuckles said:
Feeding will probably be brine shrimp twice or thrice daily, but I am not throwing in seahorses for a while. It's a side piece tank and a bit of a resto, so that part has to be addressed first along with what equipment I want to cram in there. After all that is water tight, then I will think of the style of aquascaping to use. Sorry for the non-answer answer, lol.

Make sure to enrich the baby brine shrimp. Most dwarf seahorses can not survive off of non-enriched baby brine shrimp. It is also best if the baby brine shrimp are 2 or 3 days old.
There are some corals that can be in dwarf seahorse tanks. A lot of people use plastic plants but I do not like them at all. They get covered in algae and in my opinion, they don't look very good/real. A lot of people also use macro algae because a lot of them are thin enough for the horses to hitch to and they are good nutrients reducers.
Good luck with your tank (I have always wanted them)

Hope this helps

Baby Ray · Jun 12, 2016

Baby Ray said:
Make sure to enrich the baby brine shrimp. Most dwarf seahorses can not survive off of non-enriched baby brine shrimp. It is also best if the baby brine shrimp are 2 or 3 days old.
There are some corals that can be in dwarf seahorse tanks. A lot of people use plastic plants but I do not like them at all. They get covered in algae and in my opinion, they don't look very good/real. A lot of people also use macro algae because a lot of them are thin enough for the horses to hitch to and they are good nutrients reducers.
Good luck with your tank (I have always wanted them)
Hope this helps

Is '"thrice" a word?