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 Topic: seahorses
Posted: October 27 2003 at 7:59pm |
I have been wanting to do seahorses for a while now, does this seem like an okay setup?
Tall hexagon~10gal tank, heater, DSB, a few pieces live rock, caulerpa, a mini penguin filter, and all I have now is a cheap incandescant light.
Should I get another light, and if so what light and where? The top of the tank is only a foot wide. I am going to use my sand and water from my mature reef tank, so how long should I wait before I put in the seahorse?
Does anyone know of a lfs that sells captive raised seahorses, or a place online that isnt too much money (looking to pay under 50 for one).
-Thanks, Cody
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Carl
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Posted: October 27 2003 at 8:03pm |
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Cody, there are a couple of stores around that sell them. Have you read up on them?
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: October 27 2003 at 8:09pm |
 cpearce.... wrote:
so how long should I wait before I put in the seahorse?
Does anyone know of a lfs that sells captive raised seahorses, or a place online that isnt too much money (looking to pay under 50 for one). |
I would wait 4 months. Make sure you have tons of algae and tons of copepods and gammarus shrimp. These animals are certainly not for begginers and having the proper tank is crucial.
Also, $50 for a tank raised seahorse????? Wow that sounds outrageous to me. I wouln't pay anywhere near that much. I'm sure others here will give you info on places to buy them.
Adam
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Posted: October 27 2003 at 8:46pm |
I did a search earlier on seahorses on the wmas website and found a thread that had some good sites that I went and looked at. I also saw that the websites sold their cheapest seahorse (mustangs) for $50 plus $50 to ship. I have been to a few fish stores that sell seahorses, but haven't seen any that are captive raised. I read that they need high quality water and lots of extra care. I can do the high quality water, but what would be the extra care that a seahorse needs over a normal marine fish?
-Cody
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Jake Pehrson
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Posted: October 27 2003 at 10:30pm |
cpearce.... wrote:
but what would be the extra care that a seahorse needs over a normal marine fish?
-Cody
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Feeding (Feeding live food, proper nutrition, etc.)
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Suzy
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Posted: October 28 2003 at 6:54am |
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Hey, I've been looking into this ,too! We've got a 20 gallon all set up and waiting to find the right group. I want dwarfs....
Look at the links to find the Breeders Registry site. It had lots of info.
If I've got my research correct, seahorses don't need high light. They do like like macroalgaes to hold on to, though so you want a light that will help you grow them. I've got a small under the counter fixture with low light NO bulbs, but the tank is right next to the window. Got tons of algae right now, just not the kind I want!!
They also prefer low water flow. We have the smallest powerhead I could find.
They live in cooler water than our reefs, which won't be an issue in the winter.
While you're waiting for your herd, we have a ton of crawly creepy things in the sand of our empty tank
If you see tank raised dwarf seahorses, will you let me know? Kris at Fish4You said he is setting up an account with OceanRider.com and he said he would call me but that was weeks ago! I might just break down and get them from there myself soon. If I do, I'll let you know.
One thing to consider before you start: Seahorses don't have a long lifespan anyway. We can't tell how old they are when we get them. We had a yellow for almost a year, but I just cried when she died. She ate frozen brine food out of my hand and acted excited to see me when I came home. Just like my dog! But she didn't wag her tail!!
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Carl
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Posted: October 28 2003 at 7:32am |
Came accross this link that seems to be a decent resource. Check out http://seahorse.fisheries.ubc.ca
It says on the site that their lifespans are estimated at 1 - 4 years.
As Suzy said, http://www.breeders-registry.gen.ca.us may also be a good reference for you. Just do a search for seahorses.
Good luck.
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Posted: October 28 2003 at 11:39am |
Would a 13 watt pc be enough lights to grow the macroalgae? I have read that captive raised usually readily take frozen brine, but do I need to add any vitamins to go along with it, or other food to their diet? My power filter was the smallest I could find at 100 gph(mini penguin), is this good? Thanks for the info. and links, I also hope that someone like fish4u gets some captive raised seahorses in. I was there last weekend and know that they have a whole bunch of live caught ones. If anyone comes across a lfs that sells captive raised, let me know  .
-Cody
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Suzy
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Posted: October 28 2003 at 1:55pm |
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Did Fish4You have the dwarf black ones?
Your filter is great if it has slow h2o motion....
I'm not sure about the light.....Ask Adam. He knows algae.We could make that a topic!
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: October 28 2003 at 7:02pm |
I don't wish to offend, but by all the questions being asked, it appears that it would be wise to acquire a lot more information and time in the hobby before attempting to keep seahorses. They can be delicate and unless I had a couple years of keeping a regular reef tank, I would not try them, because I would probably kill them. my 2 cents To answer some of your questions: 1) Seahorses can live in dim light, but their food grows in bright light. In order to grow enough algae for the bugs to eat that will become seahorse food, a lot of light is needed. I understand they are not often found below 10 feet. 2)The easiest macroalgae to grow is Caulerpa, which can flourish under almost any kind of light if other conditions are right. Seahorses don't need macroalgae, but it seems a good natural object to hang onto since in the wild they hang on to all kinds of different algae depending on what area they come from. 3) The cheapest and best lights for growing algae are outdoor power compact fixtures made by Lights of America and available at Home Depot. (remove the plastic lens for more light energy) 4) Vitamins are not necessary. Yet we supplement our coral and often neglect major skeleton builders like seahorses. Calcium helps build bones and seahorses have plenty of bony structure to build. 5) make a 2-3 inch round cage around the strainer of the powerhead. Seahorses have very little power to get away from a suction. 6) In order to have enough live food growing to supplement a good eater or totally feed a picky eater, I wouldn't use less than 25 gallons per seahorse. 7)it's someone elses turn to comment 
Edited by Mark Peterson
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Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Carl
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Posted: October 28 2003 at 7:12pm |
I agree with Mark. How long have you been dealing with reef tanks Cody? I have only been in the hobbyu for a year, so I didn't feel like I could judge... but you might want to reconsider.
Whatever you decide, good luck.
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jfinch
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Posted: October 28 2003 at 8:54pm |
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I think Cody's doing the right thing. He's asking questions and hopefully learning something. Cody, ask everywhere... the LFS, here, other online forums, ect. Then give it a try. I'd hazard guess that you'll have as much luck as anyone else. Just my $0.02
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Posted: October 28 2003 at 11:08pm |
I have had many freshwater tanks for over 10 years and a saltwater tank for a year and a half, with my 90 gallon reef for over 10 months. Just out of curiosity, which question seemed like a novice one? I have done lots of research and read the answers to my questions already. Even though they seem basic I just want to confirm that they are right. I can guarantee that if I started a seahorse tank right now that it would not be a death trap. Thanks for the compliment Jon, thats what I have been trying to do. Its just been a long learning process with lots of people telling me that I can't start a seahorse tank because I don't know anything about seahorses. Well of course I don't know anything about seahorses because I have never had one, even though I have read a lot about them.
-Cody
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Suzy
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Posted: October 29 2003 at 9:19am |
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Allright, guys! We gotta talk...I know our club is very much into not raping the ocean by encouraging fish stores to not sell exotic animals that will not survive in captivity. But this guy is asking about tank raised animals. I've heard the seahorse is becoming endangered because of the hobbyist trade, but even more due to asian countries thinking if you crush their dead bodies they become aphrodisiacs! So what if we can learn to "farm" them in captivity? Can't we be an asset?
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Carl
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Posted: October 29 2003 at 9:44am |
Suzy, personally, I don't think that it was meant as an outright discouragement of Cody. To me, it seemed that the type of questions posed would be some that I would ask. Personally, even though I have read alot and asked questions and have hade a successful setup for awhile, I do not know enough about certain animals to properly care for them. Therefore, I abstain even though I may really, really want one. At least for now. Sometimes it is better to err on the side of caution and have humility in one's knowledge than to rush into something and "take a stab at it".
Cody, ultimately, you are the only one who really knows what you know. If you are there and only fine tuning, I am sure that the best of luck will be wished by all! You may become a great resource for this community and hopefully, all of those interested in these animals can aquire one of your tank-raised pets. Please don't take this forum offensively!
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: October 29 2003 at 5:23pm |
We have a married couple that had their tanks on the reef tour. They keep this beautiful Seahorse in this unique tank.  Go to the Reef Tour pictures link on the utahreefs home page to see Gary and Danielle, their tank and seahorse. I hope you will come to the meeting next week and meet them and meet Suzy too. They are very interested in Seahorses and could be valuable resources to help you get started. Thanks for showing the courage come back and to tell us how much experience you do have.
Edited by Mark Peterson
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