Fab.com/Serene Seahorses going to kill a bunch of seahorses

TamiW

TamiW

Seahorse Wrangler
This is a warning to anyone that sees the seahorse aquariums up on fab.com. They're way way way too small at 8 gallons. They're by a company called serene seahorses, and they're advocating keeping a pair of erectus in this tiny tank. If you buy directly from them, they will send you the H. erectus too.

http://fab.com/sale/9142
http://www.sereneseahorses.com/white-kit


I've tweeted to fab.com and posted to their facebook.. I was hoping I could get others to do the same.
https://twitter.com/fab
http://www.facebook.com/fab.com

I've also been in touch with Serene Seahorses, and they are absolutely insistant on giving out wrong information. They claim that their seahorses will "thrive" in this aquarium. I'm expecting to see a bunch of people showing up in the next few weeks wondering why their seahorses died.
 
I followed their instructions and emailed them...

I was made aware today that your website is now selling an 8 gallon seahorse aquarium, which comes with a 8 gallon aquarium, light, filtration, and two Erectus seahorses (Hippocampus Erectus).

Personally, I have never purchased from this website, nor have I ever heard of it until today. I heard of this website from a friend when she told me that you have begun selling an 8 gallon aquarium for seahorses. My point in e-mailing you is to request that you discontinue recommending this aquarium for seahorses, and stop selling seahorses in this package deal.

I personally keep 3 Erectus seahorses, and I can surely tell you that 8 gallons is far too small for these amazing creatures. If you ask me, in ideal conditions, these fish live happier in captivity than they do in the ocean. Unfortunately, in this small aquarium, I feel that they do not live this kind of life. Quite frankly, this tank is not tall enough for these large fish to stretch their bodies out and make a swim, it is only large enough for them to get from one side of the aquarium to another. The recommended size for Erectus seahorses is at least 30 gallons. In a 30 gallon aquarium, these fish can live happier; which includes having adequate swimming room and possibly have the ability to spawn. Unfortunately, in the 8 gallon aquarium you are supplying on your website, this just isn't possible.

Seahorse keepers are a special group of fish keepers, as our gentle creatures are so susceptible. They are susceptible to being abused, disease, and not being able to eat. People who care for seahorses surely show an ability not shown by all fish keepers, and I hope I can speak for all seahorse keepers when I say that our abilities don't involve going online to buy a $450 dollar, 8 gallon aquarium with a couple of seahorses. It is things like this that make all people involved with the marine aquarium hobby look like the kind of people who are completely destroying our natural ecosystems, while it is actually these kinds of things that destroy natural ecosystems.
Click to expand...

Probably didn't do much good but something is better than nothing.
 
Hi everyone,

Thank you all for sharing your feedback with us. We want to assure you that these seahorses are farm-raised. Serene Seahorse is a new company, but the tanks have been tested for the manufacturer, Innovative Marine, for some time.

If you'd like to share more feedback with us, please feel free to reach out to us at 877-463-4322 or support@fab.com

Thanks again for all of this information, we appreciate you taking the time to share this.

Best,
Fab Crackerjack Team
 
I have given your company and Serene Seahorse Systems tons of feedback and it has been ignored. The tank may have been tested out "for some time" but it is still inappropriate for seahorses.
 
This is a serious problem and should be fixed. We know much better than some merchant looking for money, they could at least take our suggestions! Unfortunately this has always been a problem in the hobby, inconsiderate companies trying to cheat beginners out f their money with inadequate supplies.
 
Here is my pm:

I have heard from a fellow reefer that you are selling 8 gallon tanks meant for keeping specimens of Hippocampus Erectus, as you know a large species of seahorse. As an experienced aquarist I see many flaws in your system that could mean death for the seahorses kept if not realized and fixed. First of all, the species being kept is H. erectus, which by no means at all can be kept successfully in an 8 gallon tank. The absolute minimum of gallons for keeping even one seahorse of this species is 30 gallons! I find it entirely unreasonable and inhumane to put any seahorse in a tank smaller than that! Much less a pair! Seahorses are very fragile and sensitive animals thatshould never be kept by beginners. They require expensive and specialized live foods, lower water temperatures, and are very vulnerable to parasites and diseases. Meanwhile you list them as beginner animals with a so called beginner kit. If you choose to continue selling this product you will in the process kill thousands of expensive seahorses that someone put effort into breeding. If you truly are passionate about the aquarium hobby, not just making money, I would recommend that you either produce a legitimate system for keeping these animals or just leave it to knowledgeable hobbyists to keep them.

Thank you for your consideration,
nepenthes99
 
I also emailed them, they responded that they disagree with my views then proceeded to spout the product specifications at me in (my guess) an attempt to sell me the product. I will also sign the petition.
 
Done. Not sure that it matters though. All its doing is giving them free pr.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
 
Signed the petition, shared on another seahorse keeper website.

They also offered up their CEO's e-mail, and I emailed him. Probably won't do any good, but might as well.
 
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I also signed and commented on the petition. This is just like some of those stupid mail-order jellyfish aquariums; totally unsuitable and doomed to failure.
 
Today it's pretty clear the owner of Serene Seahorse Systems has no actual experience with seahorses or saltwater aquariums. After much badgering, they put the instructions for caring online.
http://www.sereneseahorses.com/care

Two problems:
recommending feeding brine shrimp.
suggesting doing 25% weekly water changes with freshwater only. So somewhere around 10 weeks, depending on your evaporation rate, you will have a freshwater aquarium!

I have encouraged her to learn more and try to adjust her kit to use a bigger aquarium and instructions to give correct information. I doubt it will have any impact though. :(
 
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