good species to start with

[bugbdon]

hey everyone,
i'm thinking of using an old tank for seahorses......what would be a good species to start with.

it's a 29 gallon tank and i'll put it in my laundry room, which is cold!! i have a 20 gallon in there now with just live rock and a small heater and it stays at about 76 F year round.

thoughts?

 

[TWallace]

Erectus.

 

[bugbdon]

i just stopped by my lfs....they have a tank full of 3",yellow seahorses. i've been doing some reading and didn't recognize the scientific name they gave me....it sounded japanese...but the name they said wasn't kuda.

anyways....they are eating frozen mysis and they were tank bred.

if i can get a picture could someone give me an I.D ?...... and maybe an opinion on if i should pick up a pair

oh and they were a good price...i think.... at 40 bucks/ seahorse

 

[rayjay]

First off, 76° is still warm for seahorses, but you could go without a heater and probably be just fine.
Lower priced seahorses at $40 would indicate that they are net pen raised, not true captive bred, which are much more expensive.
Net pen horses are subject to the same problems wild caught are, other than they have been trained to eat frozen mysis.
Unfortunately there are many shops out there that refer to theses as tank bred or raised, or captive bred.
Accurate ID from pictures can be problematic at times because so many seahorses have very similar features.
Check again with the store on the proper name for the horses and then check out the ID guide from project seahorse for verification.
http://seahorse.fisheries.ubc.ca/pdfs/IDguide/Seahorse_ID_Guide_2004.pdf

 

[bugbdon]

will do...thanks

 

[ann83]

If you can get a good profile shot of the seahorses (from the side, especially showing the side of the head), we should be able to I.D. for you.

I would bet that the name that the LFS gave you was either "reidi" (reed-eye) or kelloggi .

I do agree with the assesment that a $40 seahorse is probably going to be problematic. Unless the LFS is getting their seahorses from a private local breeder or ORA, there is no way to be sure what their history is, and its probably not good. If they're not ORA or a private local breeder, then skip it, and go with a reputable breeder like www.seahorsesource.com

 

[mollymonticello]

I agree with rayjay and ann.

I'd be willing to bet a big chunk of change that any $40 seahorse you find at your LFS or online is going to be net pen raised and best avoided.

Check out

http://www.seahorse.com/index.php?o...temid=218&func=view&id=2812&view=flat&catid=2

True CB from a breeder here in the U.S. like Seahorsesource.com are the way to go!

 

[bugbdon]

ok i'll head over today and see if i can get a pic and find out more

 

[bugbdon]

ok i talked to the owner and they were kellogi. i think i'm gonna skip them cuz he didn't know exactly where they came from. all he said was they were tank raised and they were eating mysis very well....and none died.

i also had a hard time sexing them....they all looked to be females to me. i didn't see one with a definite "pouch"

though i must say they were beautiful.

i'd rather have a good first experience with seahorses....so i'll just wait

 

[rayjay]

That seems strange, he doesn't exactly know where they came from but he knows they are tank raised.
Maybe the wholesaler is stringing him along with false info.

 

[bugbdon]

they all are about the same size...and eating mysis....... so who knows really. i'm not familiar with sea horses but they didn't look that plump to me. maybe because they were small?

is "plumpness" something to look for in seahorses?

 

[Bluespot22]

Yes "plumpness" is important.They could have a parasite or could not be being fed enough. If he can't tell you where they are from, chances are they are wild caught. I have yet to hear of CB kellogis. Go with seahorsesource.com, they are awesome and I have never heard of a negative review with them.

 

[bugbdon]

sounds like a plan.....thanks for all the help everyone

 

[mollymonticello]

Wholesalers call them "Tank Raised" or "Tank Bred" even if they are net pen raised. I do know that some Kelloggis spend some time in "grow out tanks" and that might be why they think they can justify that term. I don't agree with it. If they are using NSW that is unfiltered, these seahorses need to be treated like WC.

Kelloggis are one of the more difficult species to keep, anyway, even if they were true CB. The only reason they mass produce those instead of other species is because they grow large (and are endemic to the countries in Asia where they are pen raised), and larger seahorses make more $ in the TCM trade.