Baby erectus seahorses...proper foods and weaning onto frozen?
- Thread starter tjdouglas
- Start date
Well the ability to raise reidi does no good when now I'm unable to get them to produce fry any more.
I have reidi, kuda and erectus and NONE of them are producing. It's very frustrating, ten years in the hobby and I can't solve this problem.
Also, it should be noted that it took me until the tenth attempt to be successful with the reidi fry. It didn't come easy and I tried quite a few methods in that run.
I have reidi, kuda and erectus and NONE of them are producing. It's very frustrating, ten years in the hobby and I can't solve this problem.
Also, it should be noted that it took me until the tenth attempt to be successful with the reidi fry. It didn't come easy and I tried quite a few methods in that run.
Dear Rayjay, I am still very impressed that you managed to do it at all! Whenever I had any Reidi fry they were all dead within a week.
Do you think that maybe the lower temps we run our seahorse tanks is a factor that might reduce the possibility of successful breeding in Reidis, Erectus and other "tropical" horses? My seahorses (reidi and erectus) flirt and dance a lot in the mornings but rarely seem to successfully breed.
I read once that H. Reidis breed the most successfully at about 80 degrees F. Since we worry about bacterial/viral outbreaks at that temp we, tend to run our tanks several degrees cooler. Do you think this lower temp might be a factor reducing the rate of successful breeding?
Do you think that maybe the lower temps we run our seahorse tanks is a factor that might reduce the possibility of successful breeding in Reidis, Erectus and other "tropical" horses? My seahorses (reidi and erectus) flirt and dance a lot in the mornings but rarely seem to successfully breed.
I read once that H. Reidis breed the most successfully at about 80 degrees F. Since we worry about bacterial/viral outbreaks at that temp we, tend to run our tanks several degrees cooler. Do you think this lower temp might be a factor reducing the rate of successful breeding?
Link to Public Aquarium Seahorse Husbandry
Link to Public Aquarium Seahorse Husbandry
You may have already seen this, but this is a link to information on seahorse rearing and husbandry compiled from a number of public aquariums. Several different seahorse species are discussed as well as seadragons, and the temps commonly used by different public institutions when breeding these different species is also included. (For example H. Reidi seem to be commonly bred between 24-28C or 76-82F...a bit warm compared to recommended home aquaria temps). The document can be downloaded as a PDF file and contains a lot of interesting info. The document also included images of various nursery and grow-out setups utilized by different public aquariums.
Anyway, if you do not already have this document you might find it a good read! :reading:
http://www.hippocampusinfo.org/Library/SeahorseAquaculture/tabid/272/Default.aspx
Link to Public Aquarium Seahorse Husbandry
You may have already seen this, but this is a link to information on seahorse rearing and husbandry compiled from a number of public aquariums. Several different seahorse species are discussed as well as seadragons, and the temps commonly used by different public institutions when breeding these different species is also included. (For example H. Reidi seem to be commonly bred between 24-28C or 76-82F...a bit warm compared to recommended home aquaria temps). The document can be downloaded as a PDF file and contains a lot of interesting info. The document also included images of various nursery and grow-out setups utilized by different public aquariums.
Anyway, if you do not already have this document you might find it a good read! :reading:
http://www.hippocampusinfo.org/Library/SeahorseAquaculture/tabid/272/Default.aspx
The big problem with that information is that the public aquaria have MUCH larger water volumes than what we deal with as hobbyists, AND, have much more sophisicated equipment to work with.
I have tried twice to affect reproduction with first erectus and then more recently with reidi and both times it wasn't long before I began to loose seahorses to bacterial infections, a month or two after gradually rising temperatures to 76°-77°F.
The latter attempt with reidi, I was even dosing daily with Sanolife.
So yes, I do think there is a possibility that lower temperatures may inhibit somewhat, but I'm not prepared to try again unless I can find an economical way to combat the bacteria problem at the elevated temperatures.
I have tried twice to affect reproduction with first erectus and then more recently with reidi and both times it wasn't long before I began to loose seahorses to bacterial infections, a month or two after gradually rising temperatures to 76°-77°F.
The latter attempt with reidi, I was even dosing daily with Sanolife.
So yes, I do think there is a possibility that lower temperatures may inhibit somewhat, but I'm not prepared to try again unless I can find an economical way to combat the bacteria problem at the elevated temperatures.
TamiW
Seahorse Wrangler
You can start cyclopeeze, but I wouldn't. It makes an awful mess and really degrades water quality. Once they're all eating enriched adult brine shrimp, you can start feeding frozen mysis, but you might have to chop it. I'd actually run to the store and stock up on hikari if they still have the winter size - they're really tiny in the winter, which is perfect for babies starting out.
At the age they are now, you can probably start offering the adult brine shrimp, and some will take it. It will take a week or two to get most of them switched over, and probably a month for all of them (the runty ones can take a while). Once they're eating enriched adult brine shrimp you should see a huge growth spurt.
TamiW
Seahorse Wrangler
Agree with RayJay, you definitely want them to be bigger than that. I just did a big write up on stores selling seahorses too young/small (and similar problems): http://www.fusedjaw.com/aquariumcare/a-modern-guide-to-buying-seahorses/
Dear Tami,
Thanks so much for the advice. I can try enriched adult live brine, though they still look a bit small to be eating that IMHO. But I can try it and see! Definitely some are bigger than others so maybe the bigger ones will take it.
And thanks for letting me know about Hikari mysis being smaller in the winter. I did not think about it (though I have noticed that Hikari usually seems smaller than the other brands). I can go stock up today!
Thanks so much for the advice. I can try enriched adult live brine, though they still look a bit small to be eating that IMHO. But I can try it and see! Definitely some are bigger than others so maybe the bigger ones will take it.
And thanks for letting me know about Hikari mysis being smaller in the winter. I did not think about it (though I have noticed that Hikari usually seems smaller than the other brands). I can go stock up today!
TamiW
Seahorse Wrangler
At least where I get it, live brine shrimp tends to come in a variety of sizes. Some times batches will contain mostly half size brine shrimp, sometimes full size. But the rule of thumb I find for erectus is that they start eating adult brine shrimp when they're about the size of their heads. Not their snouts, their whole head. They're greedy, greedy bastards and it starts early.
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