Dwarf Tank

F

fperkins

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Livestock due tomorrow, but folks have asked for pictures.

Built as a surprise for my wife ...

3G JBJ Pico, Aquatop LEDC-21 lighting ( for now; not sure I like them yet, cheap and do look "not bad" --- http://tinyurl.com/75rzgj2)

Filter TBD ... trying to make a Duetto 50 (dialed down) work , running an air driven floss / carbon until I find something else.

Rigid airline tubing (horizontal hitch rail across the center of the tank), plastic grass (cut a fake plant up and super-glued the strands to white diffuser plate), and fake coral (keeps the bacteria down over using live rock and corals).
 
Cramer's Critters .... Plantation Key area so she has access to Gulf and Ocean side.

No idea which side these are from.

Showed up today (shipped 25th).

So far so good.
 
1st baby showed up today ....... odd there is only 1, but there seem to be at least 2 males carrying.

pretty cool ...
 
Daughter took the better camera to St Louis for the week. She is due back tonight.

Will try to get some pics and post tomorrow.


Dana (Cramer's Critters) shipped them with the fern like plant. The plant and the ponies we very bright green. Now they have all turned brown ..... bummer.

But they are still interesting to watch !!!
 
Dozen new baby ponies today (the white line in the center of the bottom photo is a 4 hour old baby).

Point 'n shoot images .... not great.
 
Awesome! Great pics and congrats on the babies. What is your brine hatching routine? I've always wanted dwarfs but their live food needs has kept me away.
 
http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/Large-Hatchery-Cone-with-Stand-p243.html

We have two of these.

Start one cone in the evening. Start 2nd in the morning of the following day. (a few days before you have horses in the house).

Remove the air tube from the first sometime PM of 2nd day (brine shrimp hatch in 18 - 24 hours).

The newly hatched bbs will be very orange, and will settle to the bottom of the cone.
Open the valve on the bottom of the cone after 10 15 minutes and drain them into a cup or whatever.
Filter the BS through a BS filter (we use a 53 micron from BSD as well) and wash them with fresh saltwater.

Feed some to the horses ...... have to Goldilocks this one ... not too many, not too few, just right

Add green water to the remainder and store in the refrigerator ( this from a suggestion from Dan Underwood of Seahorse Source ... he says they can't live on only newly hatched, he recommends gut loaded 2 - 3 day old be offered as well).

We filter the remaining water in the cone, rinse the capture, and feed it to the reefs ... the big fish and corals seem to like the leftovers.

Then we clean the cone and start it again.

The following morning we do the same for cone 2.

We feed 3- 4 times per day, alternating / combining fresh and gut loaded BS (and ocassionally rotifers) in hopes we are giving them what they need.

I'm trying to design a simplified version of this -- http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-07/nftt/index.php --- I like his, but it's too complicated and large for my 3 G pico. Have a design in mind I hope will try after vacation next week. Will let everyone know if I find something that works. An auto-feeded for these would not upset me much.
 
Thanks for the details. Sounds like once everything is setup the up keep isn't too bad. I might have to give them a go someday.

That geosapper looks like an awesome concept. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
 
Geosapper. .that maybe too big for the 3g, but that looks like a really cool way to raise fry if it works. Are there anywhere you can order those things or just try to replicate it oneself? I would only worry that the newly hatched brine didn't get rinsed out, but otherwise it would work.
 
That is awesome Frank! Thanks for sharing and keep us updated on the progress of them all.
 
Tank is aging in pretty well. We have about 1/2 dozen babies ... which is kind of low, but these were wild-caught and it will take them a bit longer than SeaHorse Source's captive bred to settle in.

Am working my way through different types of filters trying to find one that keeps the tank clear, moves "just enough" water, and does not pull the SHs against the intake as they don't survive it well ( lost 2 when we were out of town to the filter ).

Sponge filters are pretty much useless. HOB, even those designed for small tanks, pull too much water. Even adjustable internal are just too much. May need to drill the other 3 G Pico and figure out an overflow with sump.

Would rather not move them to a new tank, so that will be last resort.


Will try to post pictures soon.
 
How are things gong with the dwarves? Did you sort out the filter? I know when I was thinking of dwarves I had a really big sponge on the intake of my HOB filter, but I never got dwarves. I big sponge prefilters, gets dirty fast, and dilutes the power of the suction a bit more. Hopefully little ponies can not be pushed or pulled around alot by it.
 
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