Dear geek:
Let’s take a look at your questions one by one, sir.
I was wondering what to do with the copeods?
You just acclimate the copepods and introduce them to your Pixie tank so they can establish a thriving pod population for your dwarf seahorses to graze on between meals. For more information, just look up the online care sheet for copepods.
Does the pixie special bring one baby bonzai or several?
I believe it includes one baby bonsai plant. You will need to provide additional macroalgae to simulate the seagrass beds that are the natural habitat for the seahorses. As you know, sir, I prefer Caulerpa and Gracilaria for this. The Caulerpa consists of various long-bladed and plumed or feathery varieties such as Caulerpa sertularioides, Caulerpa mexicana, Caulerpa ashmedii, Caulerpa serrulata and Caulerpa prolifera. The center of the tank is aquascaped with more macros — mostly red and gold species of Gracilaria (Hawaiian Ogo), plus a seahorse tree centerpiece and yet more Caulerpa. A tank heavily planted with macros such as these is a lovely sight and mimics the dwarf seahorse’s natural seagrass habitat well.
Is water hardiness, alkinity, and buffering capacity important or even related pixies?
As with any marine aquarium, it is important to maintain a stable pH between 8.2-8.4 for your Pixies, and the total alkalinity and buffering capacity of your aquarium must therefore be adequate to keep the pH stable. However, I find that if I practice diligent aquarium maintenance and maintain good water quality with regular partial water changes, the pH normally pretty much takes care of itself in my Pixie tanks. Of course, you must test the pH in your Pixies setup regularly as with any marine aquarium, but unless I am having trouble maintaining pH, in my experience, it usually isn’t necessary to monitor the total alkalinity or calcium in a dwarf seahorse tank.
And um any tips that you may have for pixies will be appreciated.
Other than the reams of information and suggestions from myself and other hobbyists I have already provided for you off list and referred you to on this discussion forum, I really don’t have any other additional tips or pointers to offer. But if you’ll take the time to read through the dozens of pages of material on Pixies/dwarf seahorses (H. zosterae) I have already sent you, that information is loaded with helpful suggestions and useful tips on keeping these miniature marvels. For additional details on the care and keeping of Pixies, I suggest you pick up a copy of Alisa Abbott’s book (Complete Guide to Dwarf Seahorses in the Aquarium, TFH Publications). It should tell you everything else you need to know about these tiny seahorses. Ocean Rider carries this book and it is also available from Amazon.com and the other major booksellers.
Best of luck with your ongoing research into the care and keeping of Pixies, seahorsegeek!
Happy Trails!
Pete Giwojna
Ocean Rider, Inc. is an Organic Hawaiian-Based Seahorse Aqua-Farm & Aquarium that Follows Strict Good Farming Practices in Raising Seahorses and Other Aquatic Life.
