3,000 Brind/Day?!?!

[Cierra1985]

I was googling seahorse and came across a website that was talking about wild seahorses, the continues on to say that they eat 3,000 Brine Shrimp/Day. First off, from what I understand, they don't eat brine in nature so they must be talking about tank raised. Secondly, that's alot of food! Seriously, how much food should I be giving my seahorse? If she had to eat that much food, I would have to take her out of the main tank and pretty much just throw her in a tank of Brine. Does anyone know about how much I should be feeding my Tiger Tail? I feed her 2x/day, abuot 10-15 Mysis plus the pods she eats from the rocks. Suggestions? Thanks!

 

[ReefNutPA]

The amount you are feeding sounds perfect to me. Don't change a thing.

Tom

 

[krazeekiddie]

Hi! Sounds good, but may I also mention a tiny variation here & there for your horsie?? Mysis are high in fatty acids & I have heard (though not really sure) that their livers do need a day without the high fatty acids. (I have heard people doing 1 day without a feeding to aide in this) As well as feeding a low in nutrition/fatty acid food such as non-enriched adult brine, or the frozen. (If your horse takes to frozen)

This gives the liver a day to cleanse! We do this with out horses! However, I am not a doctor, so if it is 100% true, who knows! But variation with my other fish in their diets I also feel is key to their health & success! Good Luck!!!

 

[tabwyo]

You can't think of food in our terms when it comes to seahorses. Seahorses have a rudimentary digestive tract. As in they don't get as much out of the food they eat as animals with a more advance gastric system. They need to eat a larger volume of food to get the nutrients they require vs other animals. 3000 a day seems typical. I mean a teaspoon of brine cysts can yield 10,000 or more. This isn't too tall of an order for even a moderately dedicated person.

You could also mix in Cyclops or other finely minced foods in with the BS culture and slowly ween your critters to a food you don't need to hatch all the time. Except for dwarf though. They require live food.

 

[David123]

sorry mate, but a teaspoon of cysts typicaly contain about 250,000 bbs.

BS are about as nutritious as the words you are reading.

Fry will consume bbs in the order of 3,000 a day, adults would starve to death, they need far more substantial food.

 

[Cierra1985]

Thanks for the reply. From what I understand, brine should only be used if there is absolutly no other option or for mind enrichment to stimulate natural hunting techniques. I would assume 3,000 brine would be needed just to meet nutritional requirments because they are not very digestable.

I have heard about the one day fast, just wasn't sure of the reasoning. The liver thing makes since though, I think, hehe. I had planned on doing the weekly fast after she gains some weight. She was tank raised but spent a week at my local fish store where they had her in a baren 50g aquarium with other fish and were feding her brine. Needless to say, she is skinny, but looks 100% more perky and rich now.

Thanks again!

 

[tabwyo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11732744#post11732744 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by David123
sorry mate, but a teaspoon of cysts typicaly contain about 250,000 bbs.

That's why I tacked on the "or more" to the 10,000. There are too many variables to give a very optimal count.

 

[FishboyBT]

Remember that brine lose most of their nutrition after the first 24 hours....Maybe they jhave so little the extreme amount is needed to match the 20 mysis.

 

[FishboyBT]

so little nutrition**sorry