"Born on the Fourth of July!"

[George_G]

Hi, Everyone,

It's been a long time since I've posted here. Last year I was struggling with H. kuda -- had some modest success -- raised some to 7 months old before losing them all, including mom and pop. Raising Seahorses is just incredibly frustrating! Not to mention heart wrenching when you lose them. But at least I'm learning, and getting better at it.

My next success was was with Southern H. erectus from Todd Gardner's stock at Long Island Aquarium (formerly Atlantis). I am absolutely thrilled to have 11 week olds doing incredibly well. During those weeks I missed a couple of broods that went down the overflows in the 210 DT the adults are in.

Fast forward to a week ago -- managed to get papa out and into a 1 gal bowl to have his babies. So I now have one week olds, also doing well.

And now, today... My beautiful LOCAL Northern H. erectus presented me with another batch of babies! I caught the male at Oak Beach on the south shore of L.I. last August -- actually I caught a pair, but lost the female a few months ago (she was so tame and beautiful -- hate when they just drop dead for no apparent reason). Steve Abrams, manager of Flax Pond Lab at Stony Brook University kindly gave me another female in May. Now here are the babies! Wow, are they tiny! Smaller than Southern erectus. And definitely pelagic vs benthic. Why the heck aren't these separate species?

Although catching and keeping our local guys is what got me hooked on Seahorse (an understatement! I am gaga over these creatures! I got rid of tanks full of freshwater fish to specialize in them), this is my first brood of our local Northern erectus -- I hope I can be successful with them.

Please see:
http://grippocam.viewnetcam.com:5000

user name: seahorse
pw: erectus

(you may need to install Panasonic active-x control only the 1st time accessing) -- (also, if you have a different ID and PW, that will work, too)

Regards,
George

 

[mtc1966]

sweet . good luck with them

 

[TamiW]

Very nice! I'll have a new browser window open to watch these guys!

I love northern erectus, I wish they were more readily available in the hobby. Good luck with them, and if you get any to adulthood, I'd be interested.

Edit: what material are you using on the u-shaped kreisel?

 

[George_G]

-snip-
what material are you using on the u-shaped kreisel?

Hi, Tami,

Love your site, by the way. I've learned a great deal from the articles there.

I bought the kreisel from a guy on MOFIB -- here is the link to his thread, it has detailed pics and a list of materials he uses to make them. The blue u-shaped material is a thin, flexible plastic.

http://www.marinebreeder.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=232&t=9214&p=86635&hilit=kreisel#p86635

George
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[TamiW]

Aw thanks, glad you find the site useful!

Thank you for sharing the link - I'm already trying to figure out what I need to build one myself. I have a thin, clear flexible plastic I'm going to use instead (I live near a plastic shop, so always stop by for scrap). I love the design. Does it cause any issues with dead space in the void outside the u? I'm thinking in particular of the area in the bottom corner opposite the overflow.

 

[mtc1966]

they look bigger already . is there a link to fishgrrl's site?
edit found it in her profile doing some reading now

 

[George_G]

Aw thanks, glad you find the site useful!

Thank you for sharing the link - I'm already trying to figure out what I need to build one myself. I have a thin, clear flexible plastic I'm going to use instead (I live near a plastic shop, so always stop by for scrap). I love the design. Does it cause any issues with dead space in the void outside the u? I'm thinking in particular of the area in the bottom corner opposite the overflow.

Sorry for the delayed response. No issues that I can discern from that dead space. The babes in that tank are still doing super well -- need to move them to a bigger tank possibly today.

FYI, I am not using the kreisel tank as it was designed -- mine is not connected to either a larger tank or a sump. Instead, I'm using it as a recirculating system. A tiny water pump (AQUATOP NP-80) in the left chamber, behind the 500 micron screen, pumps water into the spray bar.

Now, in practice, pointing the spray bar down as the designer instructs to do, doesn't work for Seahorse fry (they get log jammed behind the bar), so, instead, I direct it across the surface of the main chamber.

George
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[George_G]

Update

Update

Well... the local guys (vs the Southern erectus fry), born on 7/4, died like flies. BUT... there are still a dozen or so doing ok, and actually *growing.* They're 11 days old and almost as big as the southern erectus next door to them that are 18 days old!!! Amazing!

At any rate... my question for the experienced breeders here is: Is a first brood from a young male particularly small and vulnerable vs later spawns? I've been told by an experienced marine breeder (but not of Seahorses) that the first two spawns are weak and not worth trying to rear. Opinions on this, please.

(Also, BTW, my cam is presently pointed at my 12 week olds, not the tiny ones.)

George
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[TamiW]

Thanks for the info on the spray bar, that will be really helpful. I'm still in the process of building one for myself; I've decided instead of using a critter keeper to make my own tank out of acrylic, and since I've never used acrylic, it's going to take a while (I've gotten as far as glueing and routing some test pieces).

My experience has been that the first brood, sometimes even the first few broods, is smaller than later broods, but the fry are paradoxically larger. I've noticed this in reidi, and comes. I can't say if I noticed any size difference in erectus.

What are you feeding the northern erectus fry? If it's not copepods, the foods might be wrong. Either too big in the case of baby brine shrimp, or doesn't move right, in the case of rotifers.