Breeding Dynamics

[RichConley]

Ok, so we've got a tank with 2 ORA H. Reidi females that (the girlfriend) won at IMAC. Yesterday, we bought a seahorse tank from someone that was advertised as having 2 H. Reidi males. Sounds perfect. They look to be H. Erectus. Crapola.

So heres the question. I'm probably going to sell off two of them, and replace them so I have 4 of the same species. I would assume that I want 2 males, 2 females (all to be kept together, most likely the H. Reidi) Is the 2 and 2 dynamic correct? Should I be looking for more males than females? (I know breeding colonies of fraternal mouthbrooders, this is usually the case.)

I'm just worried about the males constantly being full and being stressed out by it.

 

[luvabunny]

There is a huge difference in the raising of babies between erectus and reidi. That might be more of a challenge than having 2 actual pairs, and something you may want to consider before making your decision on what stays and what goes.

 

[Samala]

Judging from the literature and posts here and elsewhere, reidi do seem to be much more difficult to raise. If you're wanting two pairs for the purposes of mating and/or potentially raising fry, erectus, as April suggested, would probably be easier on you. I managed to raise a few rescued erectus fry to adulthood knowing practically nothing a few years ago. I dont think I could have hoped for success like that with reidi.

Because they tend to pair bond, through one brood or through several, and are loosely monogamous, I would think having equal ratios would be a good thing. More males sometimes leads to bouts of aggression between them as they court females. I cant recall anyone posting about this being serious, but it can happen.

All that said, if you arent interested in raising fry, I dont think there's anything wrong with keeping an all-female, or perhaps an all-male tank. Someone please jump in here (Pledo?) if I'm wrong on that. I'm under the impression that they are loosely social animals, but that they do not necessarily have to pal around with opposite genders in order to be 'happy'.

>Sarah

 

[RichConley]

Raising fry is not a HUGE concern to me. I'm pretty good at raising fry from other things, so I'm sure seahorses would be no different.

I was more concerned about sex ratios. As of right now, the Reidi are better looking fish, and they're known healthy, whereas the erectus are from someone else's tank, so they'll probably be the ones to go.

The main difficulty with Reidi vs Erectus is the pelagic stage in Reidi, correct? That just means theyre like clownfish fry for a couple days.


So the males are the aggressor here? In most of the other male brooding species I've dealt with (bangai cardinals, certain cichlids) the female is the aggressor. Interesting.

 

[TamiW]

The male is the aggressor, which is even more interesting considering how they raise the eggs. 2 and 2 is the way to go, but you may not have much breeding if they get in each others way. Many people find that if more than a pair is kept in a tank, it disrupts breeding.

There are some differences for raising seahorse fry compared to clowns. Reidi don't always do well on rotifers as their first food, but brine shrimp is too big. So you're stuck using copepods.

Then you have to keep them off the surface of the water; or they'll take on air and get stuck at the surface. All part of the fun though!

 

[Lumpus]

Check out www.seahorses.org to find out about the specifics of raising the two different species.

 

[Samala]

Tami beat me to it. Their affinity for sucking air, which is often lethal, makes them a bit unlike clowns unfortunately. And the copepod production is difficult and unreliable in many situations. But it can of course be done. If you've had good luck raising other fishes then do try your hand. Some people have a natural knack at raising fry.

>Sarah