Hippocampus erectus
- Thread starter phljess
- Start date
mcox33
New member
Hey Phil make sure you can raise your own brine shrimp before you get them. Most of the time they will only eat live food and live brine is very hard to get in the cold months (they get to cold) and in the summer it gets to hot to ship them. So until you can hatch brine shrimp and raise them to the adult stage, it is my opinion you should leave them in the ocean.
There is nothing harder than watching them starve to death no matter what you do.
There is nothing harder than watching them starve to death no matter what you do.
RCaquatics
Moved On
I used to breed and raise H. erectus, reidii, bargibanti(pygmy), and kuda(Brazillian giants). Anyway H. erectus are very easy to care for if you provide the right enviroment. A pair requires at least a 20gallon tall aquarim. With light water flow, low standard fluorescent lighting, live or dead gorgonians and decorative anchor spots (hitching posts 
). I personally wouldn't use Live Rock, because Seahorses are sensitive to bristleworm sting,Aipistaia,Hydriods, ect. This can weaken the emmune systems of the seahorse, and the can be pron to sencondary infections and parasites. So if you use rock very little and probably lace rock would do best... it will turn live over time. Also keep temp. at 74-76 seahorse are not adapt to the 78-84 degree temp that reef inhabitants like. This will shroten there longevity considerable and reduce birthrates. Also try to make sure you get tank raised seahorses. Which is pretty easy now-a-days, these are typically healthier more adapt to atificial conditions and most of them already eat FROZEN MYSIS shrimp. Which should be supplemented with gut loaded live brine shrimp. Seahorse are alot of fun and fasinating to care for. IMO.
). I personally wouldn't use Live Rock, because Seahorses are sensitive to bristleworm sting,Aipistaia,Hydriods, ect. This can weaken the emmune systems of the seahorse, and the can be pron to sencondary infections and parasites. So if you use rock very little and probably lace rock would do best... it will turn live over time. Also keep temp. at 74-76 seahorse are not adapt to the 78-84 degree temp that reef inhabitants like. This will shroten there longevity considerable and reduce birthrates. Also try to make sure you get tank raised seahorses. Which is pretty easy now-a-days, these are typically healthier more adapt to atificial conditions and most of them already eat FROZEN MYSIS shrimp. Which should be supplemented with gut loaded live brine shrimp. Seahorse are alot of fun and fasinating to care for. IMO.
Brock Fluharty
New member
Brine shrimp alone is a very nurtient dead food for seahorses. Alive or dead. If you get them captive bred, then they will eat frozen mysis. I must disagree, I think that live rock is very beneficial in a seahorse tank, providing plenty of amphipods for them to graze on. Just juice any aptaisias that you can find. Make SURE thatyou keep the tank temp at around 70*F. I kept my seahorses (H. capensis) at 67*F and the male got vibrio, and died while he was pregnant. This species was a cold water species, but almost all seahorses will benefit greatly by lowered temperatures because it slows down and can kill bacteria like vibrio and infections.
RCaquatics,
I'm curious as to where to obtained your bargibantis, as there have been no known keepers of them, let alone breeders. Have any pics? I'ma bit skeptical as to species. They were more than likely dwarfs. A pic would help, but bargibantis rarely reach an inch in length, and are very simbiotic of certain gorgonians. They live in the West Pacific, Coral Sea, Australia, Southern Japan, Indonesia and Bali. You more than likely had the DWARF but not PYGMY H. zosterae.
RCaquatics,
I'm curious as to where to obtained your bargibantis, as there have been no known keepers of them, let alone breeders. Have any pics? I'ma bit skeptical as to species. They were more than likely dwarfs. A pic would help, but bargibantis rarely reach an inch in length, and are very simbiotic of certain gorgonians. They live in the West Pacific, Coral Sea, Australia, Southern Japan, Indonesia and Bali. You more than likely had the DWARF but not PYGMY H. zosterae.
Brock Fluharty
New member
Also, tank raised is not a very good idea. Captive bred is the only way to go. Tank raised is either where they are caught as fry and raised to adulthood, or where the father is caught pregnant and gives birth in a tank. Either way, parasites and disease are likely. With captive bred (www.seahorsesource.com) this risk is very little. Plus the captive bred horses will live longer in your tanks, as opposed to WC ones where they may be very old.
RCaquatics
Moved On
PM sent to Brock.
