Its time!
- Thread starter Lkemja
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Well they're at least pairing up! You should be seeing mating behavior and babies soon. They're looking great!
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Lkemja
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Thank you.i hope so. Hoping to get another erectus in next couple weeks
rayjay
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Is the future erectus to be in with one you already have and hopefully it's not in with the dwarfs but in a separate tank at least 30g capacity.
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Erectus get to big for a 15 gallon. As adults they need 30 for a pair.
rayjay
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When speaking with a "lot" of people, you should have made that a "lot of experienced seahorse keepers" as no experienced keeper would have given you that advice.
The needs of dwarfs are very different than the needs of standard seahorses and conditions for best chances of success with standards comes by starting with 30g per pair minimum.
For that matter, a 15g would not be my recommendation for dwarfs as for long term survival they need a heavy feeding density of ENRICHED brine shrimp nauplii and to get that density in a 15g tank would be a chore in itself.
I have no problem in keeping up to around 50 dwarfs in a 5g tank.
The needs of dwarfs are very different than the needs of standard seahorses and conditions for best chances of success with standards comes by starting with 30g per pair minimum.
For that matter, a 15g would not be my recommendation for dwarfs as for long term survival they need a heavy feeding density of ENRICHED brine shrimp nauplii and to get that density in a 15g tank would be a chore in itself.
I have no problem in keeping up to around 50 dwarfs in a 5g tank.
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Lkemja
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Know several fish store owners that we purchase from all the time, they all said it would be ok as lomg as I dont have other fish and not crowded. I feed the the dwarfs cyclops and the erectus brime shrimp.if they start to breed,my sin is starting a 100g salt water tank im addition to his 3 fresh water tanks. Trust me if they would have told me not to put the erectus in there I wouldn't have.
rayjay
Well-Known Member
I'm sorry, but MOST LFSs have NO idea of the real needs of seahorses and that is why there are so many long term failures. In my 18 yrs of keeping/breeding I've come across VERY FEW stores that had ANYONE including owners that were sufficiently knowledgeable even though most think they are.
Erectus will do better with frozen mysis than brine shrimp unless the brine shrimp are live adults properly enriched. (erectus lifespan 5-10 yrs) Raising erectus fry can be challenging and requires advance planning.
The dwarfs should also have enriched live brine shrimp nauplii for best chances of their full lifespan. (1 1/2- 2 1/2 yrs)
Raising dwarf fry is done merely by leaving them in the display tank.
Erectus will do better with frozen mysis than brine shrimp unless the brine shrimp are live adults properly enriched. (erectus lifespan 5-10 yrs) Raising erectus fry can be challenging and requires advance planning.
The dwarfs should also have enriched live brine shrimp nauplii for best chances of their full lifespan. (1 1/2- 2 1/2 yrs)
Raising dwarf fry is done merely by leaving them in the display tank.
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Lkemja
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Ok. So maybe I'll get a bigger tank for my erectus.i did get the baby brime shrimp but they were not eating cause they were too big. I even tried chopping it up but still didn't work. Thats when I went ND spoke to one of the owners and he suggested the cyclops. They do love it. They are eating it.
rayjay
Well-Known Member
LIVE brine shrimp for dwarfs. They may not eat enough of the cyclops to survive long term so almost everyone I've come across other than Henn hatch and enrich brine shrimp from cysts for their primary food.
rayjay
Well-Known Member
It's fine to feed them cyclops as long as they are eating it. Make sure to remove all uneaten food though or you can end up with degrading water quality leading to bacterial infections.
When buying brine shrimp cysts, be sure to get ones that are properly stored and not sitting on a shelf or hung on a hook for display. At the least they should be refrigerated.
For making a simple hatcher and enricher see this: http://www.angelfire.com/ab/rayjay/Hatcher.html
Forgot to mention also that when they first hatch into Instar I nauplii, they don't have a completed digestive tract so you have to hold them for a day until they reach Instar II when they can feed. It takes at least 12 hours to gut load them but if you do a second 12 hour with new water and new enrichment they now will have assimilated the nutrition into their flesh. Also, newly hatched, while having and egg sack (that doesn't have the needed DHA) have a tough carapace and is more difficult for the dwarfs to properly digest them due to the seahorses rudimentary digestive tract.
When buying brine shrimp cysts, be sure to get ones that are properly stored and not sitting on a shelf or hung on a hook for display. At the least they should be refrigerated.
For making a simple hatcher and enricher see this: http://www.angelfire.com/ab/rayjay/Hatcher.html
Forgot to mention also that when they first hatch into Instar I nauplii, they don't have a completed digestive tract so you have to hold them for a day until they reach Instar II when they can feed. It takes at least 12 hours to gut load them but if you do a second 12 hour with new water and new enrichment they now will have assimilated the nutrition into their flesh. Also, newly hatched, while having and egg sack (that doesn't have the needed DHA) have a tough carapace and is more difficult for the dwarfs to properly digest them due to the seahorses rudimentary digestive tract.
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I get my brine shrimp eggs from brine shrimp direct, they have several different types and they're fresh
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In fact I just got my order from them yesterday! I order the bigger bottles and keep in the freezer, smaller bottle stays in fridge and gets refilled.
They're in Utah
They're in Utah
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Lkemja
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Thank you!
rayjay
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25 yrs ago I always bought the cheapest. Someone on Reef Central one day convinced me to buy the best, and I've never changed since. It was especially better for me as the higher yields translated into better sales as I was selling adult brine shrimp to stores around me.
