IOAOI Nano Tank - Hope

  • Thread starter Thread starter kitti-fish
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I'm sorry to hear all the bad news. So i recently tried a dwarf seahorse tank and i have some pointers of what didn't work. The hygger light worked good for awhile for macros and gorgonian, i just recently switched lights on the tank (kept it as a pico after the seahorses didn't make it) for a aquaknight a029 that hangs over the 3 gallon and a pico jar i like it much better. The daily or every other day of hatching baby brine shrimp wasn't much fun, my schedule didn't help though but you might find it easier. The sand looks amazing and against others advice i used sand, it was harder to do the cleaning the dwarf seahorse required. The live rock i used came from a tank with no issues and no visible pests, i still ended up with bristle worms and hydriod Medusas. Disappointing for sure, so dry rock and no sand would be your best options. There's a bunch of medications you should have on hand for your dwarfs. Another good person to talk to would be @cowfishpro. She has a YouTube channel about them and other seahorses (sadly she isn't raising them anymore) but definitely check those videos out if you haven't already. I also got my dwarf ponys wild caught from foxysaltwatertropicals, i didn't realize this till after i ordered so that's on me and could have contributed to why mine didn't make it. Dwarf ponies are hard to keep in my experience and if i had to do it again i would try a different kind like H. Fuscus or similar, they need a larger aquarium but are easier to keep and less work in the long run from what I've read. I really did enjoy having the dwarfs but it was quite a lot of work, if you decide to go through with getting some I'd love to see the progress and i hope that you are more successful than i was so I'll be following this thread.
 
I’ll look into those. Just grabbed something cheap from Amazon for the time being but will eventually upgrade down the line. Gravity seems the way to go with such a small tank.
Are you looking at the bottle that clips on the back of the tank?
 
I’ll look into those. Just grabbed something cheap from Amazon for the time being but will eventually upgrade down the line. Gravity seems the way to go with such a small tank.
Are you looking at the bottle that clips on the back of the tank?
Yes that’s the only one I could find
 
I'm sorry to hear all the bad news. So i recently tried a dwarf seahorse tank and i have some pointers of what didn't work. The hygger light worked good for awhile for macros and gorgonian, i just recently switched lights on the tank (kept it as a pico after the seahorses didn't make it) for a aquaknight a029 that hangs over the 3 gallon and a pico jar i like it much better. The daily or every other day of hatching baby brine shrimp wasn't much fun, my schedule didn't help though but you might find it easier. The sand looks amazing and against others advice i used sand, it was harder to do the cleaning the dwarf seahorse required. The live rock i used came from a tank with no issues and no visible pests, i still ended up with bristle worms and hydriod Medusas. Disappointing for sure, so dry rock and no sand would be your best options. There's a bunch of medications you should have on hand for your dwarfs. Another good person to talk to would be @cowfishpro. She has a YouTube channel about them and other seahorses (sadly she isn't raising them anymore) but definitely check those videos out if you haven't already. I also got my dwarf ponys wild caught from foxysaltwatertropicals, i didn't realize this till after i ordered so that's on me and could have contributed to why mine didn't make it. Dwarf ponies are hard to keep in my experience and if i had to do it again i would try a different kind like H. Fuscus or similar, they need a larger aquarium but are easier to keep and less work in the long run from what I've read. I really did enjoy having the dwarfs but it was quite a lot of work, if you decide to go through with getting some I'd love to see the progress and i hope that you are more successful than i was so I'll be following this thread.
Thanks for the heads up! I know they are notoriously difficult animals to keep but I don’t mind the challenge. It will be months down the line till I can even bring some home and I’m trying to purchase them not online. If I do change my mind, it will because big life changes. I did want to do large seahorses but my current large tank houses my clowns and I do not have more room for another 45+ tank (and my husband won’t allow it if I begged him 😆). For now, macro algea and CUC will be inhabiting this tank. I know everyone says bare tank bare everything but I’m willing to try my hand and some difficult animals.
 
@kitti-fish have you looked at Alyssa's Seahorse Savvy website? I'm pretty sure all her dwarf seahorses are captive bred, and she's got great macros and other critters too, all seahorse safe:

https://seahorsesavvy.com/collections/dwarf-seahorses-and-supplies
I’ll check it out! It’ll be awhile till I get seahorses (maybe 6 months down the line?) I need to make sure everything acclimates that I put in it. I have some macros in my main tank. Dealing with some melting so I need to fine tune everything with the nano to make sure nothing continues to melt!
 
Skimmer arrived! After the first used arrival I was a little scared to get a used one again but this time it was a brand new skimmer perfectly packaged. I’m not actually skimming just letting it run so it will pour back into the tank if it overflowes. First thoughts? Adorable and tiny! Very quiet so far and fits perfectly in the chamber (duh same company). I’ll see how it fairs as the months go by. Only think this tank is missing is that light and the ato!

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20261014_211354_16175191-BE1C-4594-9ED8-84ACA02AABC6.png
 
Also some mini little things. Updated the rockscape. Pretty much used up all my sump rock so I’ll need to consider what to use for my sump since it’s so empty 🤣 more rock. Also some chew proof wire covers so kitten doesn’t get ideas

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Naughty!

20261014_212405_EF95771C-83FD-4A37-9480-BD7BB7E51D80.png
 

WHAT PART OF LIVING WITH A REEF TOOK YOU BY SURPRISE?

  • How much space the supplies and equipment take up

    Votes: 10 40.0%
  • Salt creep, spills, and cleanup outside the tank

    Votes: 3 12.0%
  • Planning trips or finding someone to care for the reef

    Votes: 7 28.0%
  • How attached I’d get to individual animals

    Votes: 2 8.0%
  • Making decisions when there’s no clear right answer

    Votes: 6 24.0%
  • How much the reef affects everyday household life

    Votes: 6 24.0%
  • Nothing in particular, I felt well prepared

    Votes: 1 4.0%
  • Other (Post in the comments)

    Votes: 1 4.0%
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