blue stripes
- Thread starter ocello
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billybobed
New member
I've got 2 pairs in 2 tanks. They're fun...rather playful throughout the day. I keep a refugeum (sp?) stocked with live pods that they eat on and feed frozen cyclopeeze at night that they eat. I feed my horses frozen mysis, they sometimes try to eat on em, but obviously a bit to big for them.
billybobed
New member
Online, I've had the pairs for about 8 months and 4 months.
That helps me a lot. With my experience with seahorses, I feel confident I can handle the pipes. I do need to modify my fuge though. The hardest part may be finding the pipes again (time to start searching online!). My biggest fear was that I get some, and then be distraught that they would waste away in mere weeks.
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
just so you have your eyes fully open, if your SH are CB, mixing them with WC pipes (there are no CB pipes in the US commercially) may result in the CB SH getting sick, as besides being super prone to bacterial infections, many Syngnathids carry species-specific pathogens that the carrier is immune to, but not other Syngs. this is all compounded by the CB SH not really having any immunity to "WC" pathogens.
a lengthy QT for the pipes is in order if you attempt mixing. during that time, you can get the pipes trained to frozen if they aren't already eating it.
also, if you get more than one bluestripe pipe, you must be certain you have a M-F pair, as two M's will fight to the death.
a lengthy QT for the pipes is in order if you attempt mixing. during that time, you can get the pipes trained to frozen if they aren't already eating it.
also, if you get more than one bluestripe pipe, you must be certain you have a M-F pair, as two M's will fight to the death.
billybobed
New member
Agreed on the quarantine.
Also agree on the paring. My advise would be to get them as a pair when you do chose to get them. I got mine (and many other of my goodies) from Blue Zoo Aquatics. Have had great luck with them, and they usually have bluestripes in (I check pretty regularly as I'm looking for a few other types that aren't in too often). They're pretty selective in only sending seemingly healthy animals, as I've had them call me a few times to reschedule or change orders as they weren't comfortable with a specific animal shipping if it wasn't eating well yet, etc. If you order as a pair, they're good about getting you a m/f pair together. That said I do still prefer to buy from LFS when I can, as I can look at them prior to buying.
Fun to watch though, I have a fairly rocky/cavey setup, watching them swerve and sway through it all now as I type this....
Also agree on the paring. My advise would be to get them as a pair when you do chose to get them. I got mine (and many other of my goodies) from Blue Zoo Aquatics. Have had great luck with them, and they usually have bluestripes in (I check pretty regularly as I'm looking for a few other types that aren't in too often). They're pretty selective in only sending seemingly healthy animals, as I've had them call me a few times to reschedule or change orders as they weren't comfortable with a specific animal shipping if it wasn't eating well yet, etc. If you order as a pair, they're good about getting you a m/f pair together. That said I do still prefer to buy from LFS when I can, as I can look at them prior to buying.
Fun to watch though, I have a fairly rocky/cavey setup, watching them swerve and sway through it all now as I type this....
mollymonticello
Member
I had two of them I got in July 07. One died recently, something was wrong with his trigger, it seemed swollen, but he was still eating. The other one is still doing great. I quarantined them for two months, if I remember right, in a bare bottom tank and trained them to eat frozen that way. I have a chiller on my tank, which IMO helps combat Vibrio infections, since I have 5 CB Erectus seahorses as well.
rssjsb
New member
I've kept these fish for a while now. A few observations:
1. Singles are easy to pair once you know how to tell the difference between males and females and can be sure you've got a mixed pair. They can reportedly be kept in trios, but I've had unaccompanied females kill each other. Don't know what would happen to two females if the male in a trio died (see no. 2 below).
2. Males tend to be fragile. I've had a female for years, but stopped trying to keep males after I lost the third one, all within a few months. The good news is that the females are pretty easy.
3. IME, they don't like bright lights. Mine comes out more after lights out.
4. I've never had a problem getting them to eat frozen food. They like very small mysis, cyclopeeze, prawn roe, and love tiggerpods. They can also live quite easily on pods if you've got a well-established tank with a functioning refugium.
Hope this helps.
1. Singles are easy to pair once you know how to tell the difference between males and females and can be sure you've got a mixed pair. They can reportedly be kept in trios, but I've had unaccompanied females kill each other. Don't know what would happen to two females if the male in a trio died (see no. 2 below).
2. Males tend to be fragile. I've had a female for years, but stopped trying to keep males after I lost the third one, all within a few months. The good news is that the females are pretty easy.
3. IME, they don't like bright lights. Mine comes out more after lights out.
4. I've never had a problem getting them to eat frozen food. They like very small mysis, cyclopeeze, prawn roe, and love tiggerpods. They can also live quite easily on pods if you've got a well-established tank with a functioning refugium.
Hope this helps.
TamiW
Seahorse Wrangler
How big were the males in relation to the females? I noticed that the females with KICK THE EVERLIVING SH*T out of males that are significantly smaller than them. Once I found a male that was the same size as my females were fine with them. Of course, I could have had some unusually aggressive girls.
rssjsb
New member
Same size or maybe a little bigger. It wasn't aggression. The pairs got along fine, and were spawning. The males just never made it past about six months.
Actually, though, I once observed what you're talking about. I tried to make a pair with what I was sure was a male-female mix. The one that I thought was a male was smaller, and didn't make it two days before the female killed it. I always assumed that I had mis-sexed them, but maybe it's just the size difference. Either way, it was traumatic.
Actually, though, I once observed what you're talking about. I tried to make a pair with what I was sure was a male-female mix. The one that I thought was a male was smaller, and didn't make it two days before the female killed it. I always assumed that I had mis-sexed them, but maybe it's just the size difference. Either way, it was traumatic.
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