Buying Seahorses/Ocean Rider

[KeepOnReefin]

Why is ocean rider more expensive than everywhere else..for example, my lfs, liveaquaria, etc. .... because they sell the happiest horses?

 

[cmsargent]

Yes and no
Lots of the seahorses you see in you LFS and big chaines like liveaquaria are wild seahorses. Or they're net raised, tank-raised, etc...labels that mean the horses came from the wild or were raised in pens in the ocean. These horses will have lots of problems with parasites and diseases.

True captive-breed seahorses are more expensive. That being said OR is more expensive than other breeders and IMHO have poorer quality horses. I think they can get away with charging more because of the way they market themselves...as having stains of horses that will keep a certain color or patterning (ie sunburst, pinto, etc.) This may or may not actually be true. Seahorses can tend to a certain color but they will also change colors depending upon their surroundings, tank mates, health, or just because they want too.

If your looking to buy seahorses 1) don't buy those tank raised ones from your LFS and 2) look into seahorsesource.com, dracomarine, or a reputable hobbiest breeder.

 

[MSAreef]

I had a tank full of OR horses (I have since given it away due to time constraints). Yes, they are expensive. However, all my horses were healthy and bred frequently. I only had one horse (a yellow Sunburst) that kept it's bright color. The others changed frequently and to be honest, it was hard to tell which one was a Sunburst and which was a Mustang. Good marketing.

 

[tomandkris]

I'm sure you will get varying feed back on OceanRider horses. Some love them other's well.....

As Cm pointed out they market the horses as certain colors and charge an exorbent price. While some people will pay extra I don't think it's wise to spend thta much on a Sh that is more likely than not going to change color at whim. As for health I personally do not think they are any healthier than the other professional SH breeders.

 

[mrme]

Ocean Rider Is extremely over priced !!
Yes they offer high quality horses. BUT FOR $700 A POP !?!
I don't think so. Their "mustangs" or hippocampus errectus are very nice and reasonably priced however.
Check out http://seahorsesource.com/
for great quality captive bred seahorses.

 

[sixfins]

I think part of it is the enormous cost of living in Hi. If I lived there maybe I could see paying those prices to avoid shipping, but for those of us on the mainland they are rediculously overpriced. And to top it off their shipping rates are higher than just about anybody else.