Are they boy's or girl's?

[funkejj]

Just like the title says we think we have two girls but we just want some help confirming that. We have had them for a month and are around 18 weeks old ish. Please take a look and let us know what you think.

 

[rayjay]

It looks like they are sexually immature still so while they look like females now, a pouch could form to show that it's male as they gain that maturity.

 

[funkejj]

Appreciate it. What I have read this far said we should have seen the pouch by now if we were going to see one. They were captive bread locally. We will keep looking. One is more of a straight body compared to the other that is what had us wondering.

 

[timinnl]

Where is locally? Look for a P shape for the female and a D shape for the male.

 

[pop0tart]

Seahorses are enjoyed by both male and female children. I can't tell if these are owned by a boy or a girl from the pics you provided.

 

[funkejj]

Where is locally?

Captive bread and raised in St. Louis Missouri.

 

[timinnl]

Captive bread and raised in St. Louis Missouri.

Thanks. Did you meet the breeder? What size are they?

 

[funkejj]

I did not meet the breeder. I picked them up at a shop in STL as we live 3 hours away. The are between 2.5 and 3 inches.

 

[TamiW]

They are looking a little thin to me, especially the one on the right in the first picture. I would watch closely and make sure they're eating. At that size you'll need to be feeding them 3-4 times a day. You may be in for a bit of an uphill battle; seahorses that size can be touch and go. It is really best to wait to sell seahorses until they are sexually mature, somewhere between 3"-4" in H. erectus, which I think these guys are, but it's hard to tell for sure.

 

[DanU]

They don't look like they are big enough to be sexually mature. The time it takes for them to become sexually mature varies based on care, food conversion ratios, stocking densities, etc. This can be a short as 3 months or as long as 8 months. Generally, they begin to fill out as they reach sexual maturity. These don't look like they are there yet. I would want to give them a bit longer before making the call.

Dan

 

[TamiW]

Whoops, clarification, I meant to say they aren't sexually mature. I agree with what Dan said.

I've just been full of typos as of late.

 

[rgreene]

best of luck on a pair

 

[MrsHavoc]

Well any news. How long did it take to make the call on sew

 

[kallan]

I love your mustangs! I am sure you know that seahorses are not the easiest of species to keep in captivity. I am in the early stages of setting up a separate macroalgae tank and have been researching seahorses and am going to take a certification course (10 lessons) with Ocean Rider (seahorse.com).

Are you switching this reef over to seahorses? I've heard that intense lighting can harm their eyes and the temperature runs a bit high in a reef setup for them to thrive long term...introduces bacteria and pathogens. They can be stung by corals, etc. if enough hitching posts are not provided. I know my reeftank would blow them all over the place and the tremendous amounts of food required would pollute my tank and the sps would not do as well. Good luck and keep us updated.