I cant decide which SH's for my first

F

Fishfreak218

New member
I have been reading about Seahorses for almost a year... and i am looking into getting some soon.. but i cant decide which ones to get... between (all CB) H. Barbouri, H. Kuda, or H. Erectus ...... some info on my tank:
its a 30g. Oceanic Cube with 130w PC Actinic and 150w 10k MH.....i will be getting a 1/6 HP chiler soon b.c. the tank runs about 87degrees..i have LPS right now but i wil be taking it out.. also i have Mushrooms, and Zoanthids, and Green Star Polyps, i also plan to get a few more soft corals such as Xenia, Toadstool Mushroom and Colt Coral.... anyway the tank has been up and running for 6 months, all fish will be taken out....and i plan to pick up my Seahorses from DanU......also.. i have Feather Caulerpa, Caulerpa Prolifera, Cheato, Halmidea, and 3 other unidentified Macroalgeas.. i plan to add more.. soon... anyway i also have Scarlet Reef Hermits and a Serpant Star(should i remove??) i was thinking about running the tank at 72 degrees.. and i plan to add more hitches, such as fake sponges, fake sps, and macroalgea.. i have 35lbs. of Liverock and a 1.5" sandbed...I have heard Barbs can be a little bit more picky.. but how??? with/ food?? w/ water quality?? both??? I am leaning toward H. Barbouri..what is your guys' opinions????
also DanU, just wondering... can your SH's be mixed with other SH species if both the species are from you?? just wondering..
thanks in advance
-josh
 
As long as your horses are healty, you'll be happy with any of those. I have read many times that Erectus have easier fry but I have no direct experience raising fry yet. So take comfort that in whatever decision you make you'll like it.

72 would be a great temp for many horses. It is clear you have done the appropriate research, now it is time to experience the real deal. You should not that feeding is important, at least two times / day.

Good luck, Kevin
 
thank you.. i know that.. i plan to feed Live in the morning so they can "hunt" the whole day.. and then i plan to feed them frozen when i get him from school... also... should i remove my Serpant Starfish?? his middle body is about the size of a quarter.. if i measured arm to arm he would probably be about 7" in diameter... also DanU i was just wondering if i could mix 2 diff. species from you?? What is your Opinion DanU.. i have no desire to breed and raise fry (i wouldnt have the time or space.) .. do you think i should go with Kuda, Erectus, or Barbs??? I also have 2 Bloodshrimp which i am considering taking out b.c. they get a little roudy during feeding and i dont want to scare them.... opinions?? thanks in advance
-josh
 
I find the stars do not bother my seahorses (I have two stars). They do not attack them if that is your worry.

However, they are quick to locate food and in this sense they compete with your horses. Horses eat slow, they eat faster. My solution has been to make sure there is enough food for everyone. I even feed pieces of shrimp to the stars to keep them happy and fat.

It is not all bad. Having a clean up crew you can count on to finish each meal in a couple of hours is a good think I think. Since I am keeping my horses in a reef tank (not normally recommended it seems), I have the advantage of my cleanup critters eating anything the horses leave behind. Coupled with 150 lbs of LR and a light bioload, I am free to feed extra to the fish at each meal if I want to. You may not have that luxury in a 30g Cube (30g Cubes are such nice tanks I think).

This has been my experience anyway. Good luck, Kevin.
 
I have three reidi (I think-starting to look like kuda!!!) in a 30-ish gallon tank (its a hex)

The tank looks kinda grubby-cause I overfeed, and I need more LR, and I need better lights.

if you can keep up on water changes, there isn't that much of a problem though. and when you get your horses, training them to eat out of a feeding dish while in a QT tank is great-really cuts down on the waste, since ya can get it back out (I use a turkey baster for feedings!)
 
Josh,

I'd be hesitant to feed live in the morning and frozen at night. Many horses, once they have the option of eating live, will refuse frozen foods. I'd suspect if you feed them live each morning over time they'll refuse the frozen at night and hold out for more live.

It might be better to use frozen as their staple diet and supplement live once or twice a week if you have that desire. I'm sure others will offer their opinions as well.

Tom
 
FROZEN IS CHEAPER!

it is cool though to watch then stalk live prey eh...

I think most people do as you suggest Tom, they feed frozen and treat with live once a week.

Good luck Josh, you are going to do just fine. One of thei tricks as you will find out if you don't know already is discipline. Getting yourself on a regular schedule of feeding and maintenance. You sound like you are ready.

FYI I got my seahorses from DANU too. Kevin
 
Josh, sorry I missed this thread!

Mixing species is a heavily debated and controversal issue among hobbyists. Interestingly enough, every commercial breeder I have been able to research either has stated to me or publicly states they have no issues with mixing species of their own stock. I have done some mixing in the past without issues. I have had several customers who have mixed species and thus far, haven't had any reports of problems. I should caution you though, that there is not enough scientific data to be conclusive on this issue.

Selecting which species is a personal choice. H. kuda are typically a very active species and spend a lot of time swimming around the tank. Their colors are typically in the yellow to orange tones with spots. They would be my personal choice for a display tank because of their activity. H. erectus can develop some interesting colors. We find while in our care they are usually in the yellow tones, but this normally changes once they settle into their new homes. They are a more robust looking specimen. They are not as active as the H. kuda. H. barbouri are much different in appearance than both of the above. They have a more prickly, spiny appearance in the light tones with the stripes on the snouts. Overall, they have a more delicate appearance.

I agree with Tom on the feeding live and frozen. I would not feed live everyday. I do believe augmenting with live periodically is good thing.


Hope this helps!

Dan
 
josh, go to coral seas aquariums, i got my pair for $95 bux (cause of club discount), they are tank reared so they eat frozen already. nice sized and very healthy. i love mine and will post a pic or 2 later today after i get they finish coloring up
 
ya but DanU is pretty close to me, so i would be able to drive their and pick out which ones i want.. anyway im waiting for the Picocontest (on n-r.com) to be over then ill be upgrading from my 2.5g to a 12g. and putting all SH un-safe coral and fish in the 12g. so this might be like 4 months away.. I was looking at some WC Barbs last night at the LFS and they were REALLY pretty! anyway i think ill go there with an openmind and see what i like.... until then, read, read, and more reading
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6537523#post6537523 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Imareefer
josh, go to coral seas aquariums, i got my pair for $95 bux (cause of club discount), they are tank reared so they eat frozen already. nice sized and very healthy. i love mine and will post a pic or 2 later today after i get they finish coloring up
Click to expand...

Do they have a website?? Tried searching with no luck

Thanks
 
If you are talking about Coral Seas Aquariums, no. They are a local shop. If you are talking about SeahorseSource, click the red house with the www.

Dan
 
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