Dwarf seahorses- first time I used to tisbe and tiger pods. It has been a disaster. I put them in Sunday. I have lost two seahorses. I'm just beside myself. If anyone could tell me how to remove the pods it would be greatly appreciate it. I have been trying to draw them out with a turkey baster. They are multiplying and it's taking forever. I hope I did this right. My first thread.
Help with tiger pods!
- Thread starter Marylin
- Start date
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Brew12
Electrical Gru
I don't know much of anything about Seahorses but I am surprised Tigger pods would be causing a problem.
Maybe @Greybeard or @cameronh can help.
rayjay
Well-Known Member
I never put tiggers in with my dwarfs but I DID put them in one of my regular seahorse tanks with H. reidi.
The problem I ended up with was tiggers jumping onto the seahorses and stressing them.
I ended up removing the seahorses and bleaching the tank.
As for tisbe, I only use them for the fry tanks.
The problem I ended up with was tiggers jumping onto the seahorses and stressing them.
I ended up removing the seahorses and bleaching the tank.
As for tisbe, I only use them for the fry tanks.
Thank you for your reply. I was told the same thing just now by a guy who owns a fish store. Funny I bought them Sunday put them in. Got up this morning 2 ponies down. Makes 4 I have lost. I put them in with tisbe pods. I read yesterday they eat tisbes and some thing else. I took it to be baby brines. I think they are starving to death. I have some mysis shrimp on the way but I don't know if it will make it..had to order it last night. I have been working so hard to save them. Breaks my heart.
Brew12
Electrical Gru
Let's see if we can get @Greybeard again. Pretty sure he knows seahorses.
Greybeard
2500 Club Member
I'm happy to help, but haven't kept seahorses in a decade...
Dwarf (Zosterae) horses require live foods... smaller copepods are ideal... tisbe or tiger pods would be a bit large, in their adult state. These weren't available back when I was keeping horses, but no, I'd not consider them an appropriate food source for dwarf horses. Most folks feed their dwarf herds exclusively on brine shrimp, newly hatched, to two days old, enriched with selcon, micro algae, etc.
Hydroids are the primary bogie man for dwarf seahorse keepers. You're basically building an environment that is ideal for hydroids... it's a constant struggle to keep them OUT of a dwarf tank.
http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/dwarfguide/dwarfguide.shtml
Dwarf (Zosterae) horses require live foods... smaller copepods are ideal... tisbe or tiger pods would be a bit large, in their adult state. These weren't available back when I was keeping horses, but no, I'd not consider them an appropriate food source for dwarf horses. Most folks feed their dwarf herds exclusively on brine shrimp, newly hatched, to two days old, enriched with selcon, micro algae, etc.
Hydroids are the primary bogie man for dwarf seahorse keepers. You're basically building an environment that is ideal for hydroids... it's a constant struggle to keep them OUT of a dwarf tank.
http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/dwarfguide/dwarfguide.shtml
Thank you so much Graybeard for your time and post. I think they are starving to death. The fish store owner laughed at me when I said I thought the tiger pods were eating the food. I lost 2 more last night. I'm down to 4. I treat the tank with fenbendazole. I bought everything...methylene blue, formaldehyde and all kinds of antibiotics but I don't know what is really going on. I think the tiger pods are eating the shrimp.
rayjay
Well-Known Member
First of all, the MAJORITY of store owners and staff do NOT know sufficient about seahorses to be able to properly advise their customers although they think they do.
For best chances of survival, dwarfs need feedings of live artemia (brine shrimp) nauplii.
Freshly hatched, they have high fatty acid profile but it doesn't contain the needed DHA, and, the Instar I stage has a tough carpace making it more difficult to digest properly. For those reasons, it's best to hatch the cysts, grow out for a day until they reach Instar II stage where the digestive tract is now complete and they can feed so you enrich them for twelve hours with a high DHA enrichment like Dan's Feed from seahorsesource.com. Being a powder, it stores SO MUCH longer than emulsions like Selcon/Selco. It's actually even better to rinse after that first enrichment period that gut loads the nauplii and place in NEW water with NEW enrichment for a further twelve hours at which time the nutrition has now become assimilated into the flesh of the nauplii making them even more nutritious.
Also, it's my belief that any uneaten brine nauplii need to be removed BEFORE you add the next enriched batch because the quickly loose that nutrition they fed on and if you don't remove them, the seahorses are going to be eating some depleted of nutrition nauplii in addition to some that are freshly enriched.
I personally don't recommend using micro algae for enrichment because there is no one or two types that will give you a profile that is needed so it needs to be a commercial blend designed specifically for that purpose, and again, be high in DHA.
Appropriately sized pods can be a great additional nutrient source. Some dwarf keepers add mysid shrimp to the dwarf tanks for the dwarfs to feed on the mysid nauplii.
I culture Tisbe pods and use them for standard seahorse fry in their first stages, and dwarfs might also partake of them. However Tisbe pods are small and it takes an inordinate amount to be of sufficient value to them so it's only recommended as an additional nutrient source.
The larger Tigger pods as I mentioned, would be somewhat stressful and not recommended.
As you are experiencing deaths SO SOON after purchasing and placing in your system it would mean that either tank conditions were not acceptable at that time, or, the care and conditions they were held in before you got them was severely lacking.
When you cycled your tank, did you challenge the biological filtration with added ammonia to see if it cleared overnight? If there is ammonia present, gills will be burned and fatalities can start very quickly.
Did the dwarfs come from a dwarf specific tank/system with no contact with any other fish?
How did you acclimate the dwarfs to your system? Was your specific gravity close to that of the water they came with? Temperature and pH acclimated?
For best chances of survival, dwarfs need feedings of live artemia (brine shrimp) nauplii.
Freshly hatched, they have high fatty acid profile but it doesn't contain the needed DHA, and, the Instar I stage has a tough carpace making it more difficult to digest properly. For those reasons, it's best to hatch the cysts, grow out for a day until they reach Instar II stage where the digestive tract is now complete and they can feed so you enrich them for twelve hours with a high DHA enrichment like Dan's Feed from seahorsesource.com. Being a powder, it stores SO MUCH longer than emulsions like Selcon/Selco. It's actually even better to rinse after that first enrichment period that gut loads the nauplii and place in NEW water with NEW enrichment for a further twelve hours at which time the nutrition has now become assimilated into the flesh of the nauplii making them even more nutritious.
Also, it's my belief that any uneaten brine nauplii need to be removed BEFORE you add the next enriched batch because the quickly loose that nutrition they fed on and if you don't remove them, the seahorses are going to be eating some depleted of nutrition nauplii in addition to some that are freshly enriched.
I personally don't recommend using micro algae for enrichment because there is no one or two types that will give you a profile that is needed so it needs to be a commercial blend designed specifically for that purpose, and again, be high in DHA.
Appropriately sized pods can be a great additional nutrient source. Some dwarf keepers add mysid shrimp to the dwarf tanks for the dwarfs to feed on the mysid nauplii.
I culture Tisbe pods and use them for standard seahorse fry in their first stages, and dwarfs might also partake of them. However Tisbe pods are small and it takes an inordinate amount to be of sufficient value to them so it's only recommended as an additional nutrient source.
The larger Tigger pods as I mentioned, would be somewhat stressful and not recommended.
As you are experiencing deaths SO SOON after purchasing and placing in your system it would mean that either tank conditions were not acceptable at that time, or, the care and conditions they were held in before you got them was severely lacking.
When you cycled your tank, did you challenge the biological filtration with added ammonia to see if it cleared overnight? If there is ammonia present, gills will be burned and fatalities can start very quickly.
Did the dwarfs come from a dwarf specific tank/system with no contact with any other fish?
How did you acclimate the dwarfs to your system? Was your specific gravity close to that of the water they came with? Temperature and pH acclimated?
Brew12
Electrical Gru
Marylin, looks like you have some people who know their stuff here to help now. Seahorses are something I know nothing about so I'm going to stop following this thread. Feel free to PM me if you need anything!
Thanks for your reply rayjay. I have been so confused on the whole fresh and enrich glad you explained. I give them fresh brine shrimp about 3× a day. I do not remove the old but I will start if any survive. I just watched one have a jerking fit then swim around the tank. Landed on bottom for a bit then swim back to hitch. When she hitched I thought I saw something on her back so I grabbed the fenbendazol. I treated the tank, so far she seems ok. I have not changed anything. I have a a sponge filter, bare bottom, small tree decor, and medium coral hitch. Its a 5 gallon tank. I acclimated them by dropping a cup of the tank water into there bag then next time remove cup add a cup.. I think it was every 10 minutes for 3×. I might be wrong. I got it off one of the sites. I'm sorry I didn't think to check the ph, temp or sg. That is a no on the biological filtration and ammonia.....lol. Wow, you really know a lot. I have collected a lot of information. I have already put tiger pods in the tank. I have lost 4. I have 4 left. In working very hard to keep them. I haven't been feeding them right so that could be the problem also. I'm way behind on Artemia. I ordered mysis shrimp and some more copepods but I don't know when they will be here. I really appreciate all your information.
Hey rayjay forgot to ask, do you have any ideas on how to circulate brine shrimp around the tank? I have a light but they only stay where it is. The filter does some but not all the tank. I think you know what I'm talking about. I think my ponies are having a hard time finding there food? Thanks
rayjay
Well-Known Member
First off, I know some just from having been in the seahorse hobby since sometime in 2002. I wish I knew more than I do though as much of my knowledge is just from personal experience with the rest being from some research but probably more from information from Dan Underwood of seahorsesource.com who does an inordinate amount of researching. I find it hard now to learn things at my age as the mind is slowly deteriorating and memory is kaput.
I don't use filters in dwarf tanks but instead, use open ended air lines for circulation of water and surface gas exchange that comes with the turmoil at the surface.
I use a little rock for biological filtering, but do VERY frequent and large water changes for which frequency and size of changes affected by numbers of seahorses at any given time.
Dwarf seahorses appear to be quite lazy, preferring to stay hitched where they are comfortable and wait for the food to pass them by. Some are more adventurous than others and may do a bit of hunting but you can't depend on it so water motion has to keep the food continually distributed throughout the tank.
Moving the light source much further away from the tank will alleviate somewhat the congregation of nauplii close to the light source. I just use ambient lighting on dwarf tanks.
Unfortunately, social media has been the destroyer of good forums so seahorse.org has almost no traffic anymore. However, if you want to take the time to read posting that has occurred in the past you can sign up to the org and have to wait until someone authorizes your account, and then go to the dwarf forum which will just have the stickies shown as there are no current postings. Go to the bottom of the page and where it probably says 30 days in a box, click on it and change it to show all. Then the previous postings will appear.
Also, you could check out Tami's site to see if there is much about dwarfs on her pages. https://fusedjaw.com/
I don't use filters in dwarf tanks but instead, use open ended air lines for circulation of water and surface gas exchange that comes with the turmoil at the surface.
I use a little rock for biological filtering, but do VERY frequent and large water changes for which frequency and size of changes affected by numbers of seahorses at any given time.
Dwarf seahorses appear to be quite lazy, preferring to stay hitched where they are comfortable and wait for the food to pass them by. Some are more adventurous than others and may do a bit of hunting but you can't depend on it so water motion has to keep the food continually distributed throughout the tank.
Moving the light source much further away from the tank will alleviate somewhat the congregation of nauplii close to the light source. I just use ambient lighting on dwarf tanks.
Unfortunately, social media has been the destroyer of good forums so seahorse.org has almost no traffic anymore. However, if you want to take the time to read posting that has occurred in the past you can sign up to the org and have to wait until someone authorizes your account, and then go to the dwarf forum which will just have the stickies shown as there are no current postings. Go to the bottom of the page and where it probably says 30 days in a box, click on it and change it to show all. Then the previous postings will appear.
Also, you could check out Tami's site to see if there is much about dwarfs on her pages. https://fusedjaw.com/
Thanks so much. I feel the age creeping up too....lol. I will check the sites out. I had 2 more to die last night. Just have 2 left. I really love dwarf seahorses but it's a lot of work apparently I can't get it right. So I'm thinking about a coral or anemone tank, not sure if I spelt that right. I don't think I would be able to use my 5g because I used the fenbendazol in it. I don't know if that's any easier. I will have to research that also. Thank you for all your time and information.
rayjay
Well-Known Member
It's frustrating when so many stores that sell dwarfs and other seahorses DON'T properly inform customers of what they need to know before getting into the hobby. Too many of them have little or no knowledge on the subject themselves.
As for medicating a display tank, that is generally considered a no no at any time. Treatment should always be done in a hospital tank IMO.
As for medicating a display tank, that is generally considered a no no at any time. Treatment should always be done in a hospital tank IMO.
