Guaging interest in ordering Dwarf Seahorses

[yveterinarian]

As some of you are aware, there is a real lack of variety to be had in seahorses in Canada. There is only one breeder that I know of that currently ships to Canada and only one store that I know of in Ontario that brings them in.  A few years ago my friend Ray ordered some dwarf seahorses to come into Canada and several keepers purchased some.  I know Ray no longer has any left and I can't find any ads for dwarfs for sale in Canada so I'm not sure what happened to the rest of the order he brought in.

I would really like to get some dwarfs in so that I can begin raising them as well as my Erectus but a minimum order is 100 seahorses.  I certainly don't need 100 seahorses so I was wondering if anyone else would be interested in going in with me for purchasing these beautiful creatures?

Dwarfs can be kept in small tanks with the largest system being ten gallons.  Many keep them in 5 gallon tanks and you can comfortably keep a minimum of 5 pairs in a 5 gallon tank.  Their maximum size a adulthood is 1.5 inches and they do best when kept in groups.  Dwarfs however, eat only live enriched brine shrimp so if interested, you must be comfortable with hatching brine shrimp. I can help pint you in the right direction for successful hatching if needed.

I am not looking to order any until July because I am going to Disney for a couple of weeks and don't feel it is fair to have my tank sitters dealing with brine shrimp hatching. This will give time for you to research and decide if you would like to join me in the order.

I am not sure of the cost yet because I don't know the shipping costs but Ray told me when he did the order it ended up being approximately $30-$40 each after shipping, CITES, vet check, etc.  The company who will be shipping them looks after all of the permits and vet checks then invoices us.  I will be emailing Beth at sometime soon to pin down the costs and decide if this is something I wish to proceed with.

If interested, please go to Seahorse.Org and check out the Dwarf seahorse section to get some ideas about keeping them to see if it is something you would like to do then let me know.

 

[TORX]

Wow, that would be a great nano tank. I would love it, only not able to keep up with the brine shrimp hatching. But going to read up on it anyways and see if it is something possible.

 

[yveterinarian]

Currently I am hatching the brine shrimp in inverted pop bottles with an airline in each.  It doesn't take much time or effort, just continuity. I have 4 hatchers on the go at the moment for my fry because they now need some that are a few days old but for the dwarf seahorses they need young ones so three hatchers would be sufficient - one with new eggs, one with newly hatched after 24 hours and one for enriching the hatched ones after they have been hatched for a day (this makes them 24 hours old but they were started 48 hours previously). Brine shrimp can't eat until they are 24 hours old, hence the 3rd bottle.

I thought it would be a lot of work doing the brine but it really isn't and the hatcheries are cheap!

I agree, it would make a great nano tank and something I have always wanted to do.  Now that I am more versed in saltwater parameters, water changes etc, I feel it would be a great step to take my hobby to the next level.

 

[TORX]

Any pics of your hatchery? My wife is the one that I need to convince once the fish room is done. I would love 2 in my nano tank.

 

[yveterinarian]

I'll take one tomorrow and post it for you. 

 

[sunnykita]

Hi Yvette, I'll do some reading on them, I'd certainly consider it, it sounds as though the brine shrimp hatching isn't as difficult as it seemed to be. I'd have to consider what type of tank to put them in and where and costs as well, but definitely would consider it.

 

[yveterinarian]

This is my hatchery setup.  The bottle on the left is for the new eggs hatching.  They stay in there for 24 hours then I add some hydrogen peroxide (to help kill hydroids and bacteria that could kill the dwarfs) and let it bubble for 5 minutes. The second bottle is for the eggs after rinsing the hydrogen peroxide off and adding new saltwater.  This bottle is left for 24 hours for the new brine to grow and develop a stomach and mouth.  The third bottle is for the 24 hour old brine shrimp and I add enrichment to this bottle to gutload the brine shrimp for consumption.  They need to be left to gutload for approx. 2-4 hours then can be fed to the dwarf seahorses.  The fourth bottle is for the gutloaded shrimp after 24 hours so that I can feed larger shrimp to my babies.  This is the bottle that wouldn't be needed for the dwarfs.
Each bottle has an airline to keep the water and eggs in motion.  I use a 4 way splitter that you can see on the right top of the picture on the windowsill.  The last thing they need is light so I leave this one on 24h/day.
Each morning I rinse the brine through a brine shrimp net, wash out the bottle (bleach and prime it), put in fresh saltwater (I use regular dechlorinated water as RO/DI would be too expensive) and add the shrimp back in.  I do this for each bottle and add food to the proper bottle twice a day and I'm done.  It takes me about 15 minutes of work each morning and I now have it down pat and organized into a great routine.  I have each base labelled so that I just move the bottle along to the next base and I don't forget what stage the shrimp are at.  I also de-capsulate the eggs before using them.  This step takes about 5-7 minutes and I do enough for a week and store the eggs in the fridge to use daily.
The hatchery is made with a pop bottle that I cut approximately 2/3 of the way down, put the lid on and invert it and put it in the bottom of the bottle to use as a stand.  I have a couple of extras sot that it makes transferring the brine easier and quicker.
Ray posted that when he had his dwarfs he would hatch out once a week and store the gutloaded brine in the fridge to use daily.  I hatch every day just because for me it's easier to stick with a routine. It was recommended that I try hatching the brine shrimp before I tried to raise any baby seahorses just to make sure I could so I recommend anyone wanting to try keeping dwarfs do the same so that you would know what's involved.  Your fish would love the extra snack while you practice!
Dwarves are very tiny and you would need several in your tank to be able to see them.  Personally, I think, they are fabulous and can't wait to try to get some.

 

[nyuu]

As some of you are aware, there is a real lack of variety to be had in seahorses in Canada. There is only one breeder that I know of that currently ships to Canada and only one store that I know of in Ontario that brings them in. A few years ago my friend Ray ordered some dwarf seahorses to come into Canada and several keepers purchased some. I know Ray no longer has any left and I can't find any ads for dwarfs for sale in Canada so I'm not sure what happened to the rest of the order he brought in.

I would really like to get some dwarfs in so that I can begin raising them as well as my Erectus but a minimum order is 100 seahorses. I certainly don't need 100 seahorses so I was wondering if anyone else would be interested in going in with me for purchasing these beautiful creatures?

Dwarfs can be kept in small tanks with the largest system being ten gallons. Many keep them in 5 gallon tanks and you can comfortably keep a minimum of 5 pairs in a 5 gallon tank. Their maximum size a adulthood is 1.5 inches and they do best when kept in groups. Dwarfs however, eat only live enriched brine shrimp so if interested, you must be comfortable with hatching brine shrimp. I can help pint you in the right direction for successful hatching if needed.

I am not looking to order any until July because I am going to Disney for a couple of weeks and don't feel it is fair to have my tank sitters dealing with brine shrimp hatching. This will give time for you to research and decide if you would like to join me in the order.

I am not sure of the cost yet because I don't know the shipping costs but Ray told me when he did the order it ended up being approximately $30-$40 each after shipping, CITES, vet check, etc. The company who will be shipping them looks after all of the permits and vet checks then invoices us. I will be emailing Beth at sometime soon to pin down the costs and decide if this is something I wish to proceed with.

If interested, please go to Seahorse.Org and check out the Dwarf seahorse section to get some ideas about keeping them to see if it is something you would like to do then let me know.

As some of you are aware, there is a real lack of variety to be had in seahorses in Canada. There is only one breeder that I know of that currently ships to Canada and only one store that I know of in Ontario that brings them in. A few years ago my friend Ray ordered some dwarf seahorses to come into Canada and several keepers purchased some. I know Ray no longer has any left and I can't find any ads for dwarfs for sale in Canada so I'm not sure what happened to the rest of the order he brought in.

I would really like to get some dwarfs in so that I can begin raising them as well as my Erectus but a minimum order is 100 seahorses. I certainly don't need 100 seahorses so I was wondering if anyone else would be interested in going in with me for purchasing these beautiful creatures?

Dwarfs can be kept in small tanks with the largest system being ten gallons. Many keep them in 5 gallon tanks and you can comfortably keep a minimum of 5 pairs in a 5 gallon tank. Their maximum size a adulthood is 1.5 inches and they do best when kept in groups. Dwarfs however, eat only live enriched brine shrimp so if interested, you must be comfortable with hatching brine shrimp. I can help pint you in the right direction for successful hatching if needed.

I am not looking to order any until July because I am going to Disney for a couple of weeks and don't feel it is fair to have my tank sitters dealing with brine shrimp hatching. This will give time for you to research and decide if you would like to join me in the order.

I am not sure of the cost yet because I don't know the shipping costs but Ray told me when he did the order it ended up being approximately $30-$40 each after shipping, CITES, vet check, etc. The company who will be shipping them looks after all of the permits and vet checks then invoices us. I will be emailing Beth at sometime soon to pin down the costs and decide if this is something I wish to proceed with.

If interested, please go to Seahorse.Org and check out the Dwarf seahorse section to get some ideas about keeping them to see if it is something you would like to do then let me know.