Dwarf Seahorse Tank

[Brilliant_Barbs_21]

Hello everybody! I have some questions about dwarf seahorse tanks. If you have had any experience with seahorses and raising their fry, please read below!
1. What are good spots for hitching? I've seen live plants and seaweed are great, but I'm not sure.
2. Will I need live rock if I have a sponge filter?
3. What invertebrates work well as a clean up crew, but won't harm the fry?
4. I've seen baby brine shrimp as their food, but I want to give them a mix of live foods! What other live foods can I feed them?
5. Finally, I have a conversion question. Right now I have a freshwater breeding tank (10 gal), where I plan on putting the seahorses. Right now there is some corydora catfish, which will be moved to my under stocked 20 gallon freshwater. So what equipment will I be able to reuse? I'm changing the HOB filter to a sponge filter. And the substrate is sand. Can I just empty it, and fill it up with water and salt, and then cycle it? Or do I need to get all new substrate? (Instant Ocean is the brand I plan on using)
Thanks,
-Kyle

 

[herp_mommy]

1) I prefer red gracilaria for dwarf hitching posts.
2) You don't need live rock, and in fact shouldn't add any, a number of hitchhikers could kill the dwarves.
3) close to nothing. You'll need to clean the tank manually.
4) You will need to feed them several live foods several times a day. Artemia, cyclops, and copepods are all good options.
5) Nothing. Beneficial bacteria for freshwater and saltwater are different, you'll have to start all over. I would suggest new substrate too, and a smaller tank. 2gal for every dozen is my preference.

These guys are very hard to take care of. I'm keeping discus (very hard) and I've tried dwarves at least two times. They breed and grow, and then one day they all start to deteriorate. They're a lot more delicate than the larger species, and if they start to starve they will use up their muscle mass, at that point it's a death sentence. Good luck if you do take a chance with these guys, they're very smart and have great personalities.