Kuda?

[Reverend Reefer]

im just shopping around now for SH and im just wondering what's the deal with nomenclature?

when i ask a couple LFS what type of seahorses they have, they simply call them Kuda Seahorses, and they assure me they are tank raised and eating frozen foods. they're selling them in the order of around 35$ or so (Canadian).

recently, i found a local shop that is selling seahorses, and they specify, "Hippocampus Reidi, H. Erectus, and H. Angustus" which they state are, again, tank-raised, and eating frozen foods. they're selling these in the order of 120$!!

so my questions are:

1) Is this a holiday scam for the more expensive ones? OR
2) Are the cheaper 'Kuda' seahorses actually a cheaper breed (is 'kuda' even a scientific nomenclature?)? OR
3) Is it likely that the cheaper ones aren't actually tank-raised?

also, can anyone recommend a really good book or resource for seahorses? thanks again in advance!

 

[ann83]

1.) Not likely. If the seahorses are actually captive bred, then between the cost of captive breeding and import fees, and whatever the exchange rate difference is between Canada and the U.S., $120 is probably about right.
2. ) The cheaper "kuda" seahorses are likely imported from somewhere like vietnam where they have been pen raised in the oceans. They tend to have a number of health problems (more so even than wild caught) and are cheap to raise and cheap to purchase (but definitely not cheap to care for). They may not even be Hippocampus kuda, or may be kuda hybrids, but, Hippocampus kuda is a valid species.
3. ) Yes, see above.

There aren't really any good up-to-date books on seahorses. Rudie Kuiter's book is a good reference, but not really a great up-to-date care resource. Working Notes: A guide to seahorse diseases is a good, relatively up to date, reference for illness and treatment. Beyond that, the dedicated web sites and forums to seahorses are the best way to get up-to-date care information. There are some great care articles in the the library on seahorse.org, including a printable beginner's care guide.

 

[rayjay]

The cheap ones are most definitely raised either in net pens, or the newer more likely cement containers that are being used now in Vietnam. However, they are still raised in ocean water, despite being raised on land.
Because they are raised now in cement containers, they have been calling them tank raised/captive bred, which I guess in truth you could say that, but they are still raised using ocean water so have the same problems that wildcaught have other than they eat frozen mysis.
If you look closely at the ones for sale in AS in Oakville, there are some being sold there as kuda and are in fact H. Comes. A friend of mine in Mississauga just bought some about a week ago. He also previously purchased kuda from the same place.
There are Reidi and Angustus and Barbs at SeaU in Markham that are captive bred from an Australian breeder, and are the better bet in spite of the price difference.
I don't know what place is selling the Reidi, Angustus and Erectus, but I don't know of TRUE captive bred breeder suppling those three to Canada. As such, I would personally treat them as Asian raised in ocean water.
(I just drove from London to buy more from SeaU on Tuesday)

 

[Reverend Reefer]

The cheap ones are most definitely raised either in net pens, or the newer more likely cement containers that are being used now in Vietnam. However, they are still raised in ocean water, despite being raised on land.
Because they are raised now in cement containers, they have been calling them tank raised/captive bred, which I guess in truth you could say that, but they are still raised using ocean water so have the same problems that wildcaught have other than they eat frozen mysis.
If you look closely at the ones for sale in AS in Oakville, there are some being sold there as kuda and are in fact H. Comes. A friend of mine in Mississauga just bought some about a week ago. He also previously purchased kuda from the same place.
There are Reidi and Angustus and Barbs at SeaU in Markham that are captive bred from an Australian breeder, and are the better bet in spite of the price difference.
I don't know what place is selling the Reidi, Angustus and Erectus, but I don't know of TRUE captive bred breeder suppling those three to Canada. As such, I would personally treat them as Asian raised in ocean water.
(I just drove from London to buy more from SeaU on Tuesday)

i just saw the ones at SeaU! so u think they are priced properly? they looked really nice and healthy. i guess it makes sense, you get what you pay for. the ones at oakville als seemed really small, they were listed as kuda i think? i think they were selling for 80$?

i just got to thinking when they had kudas at NAFB in scarborough and they sold theirs for 35$ each. im thinking of getting the ones at SeaU now that i know the prices is worth it.... they had a tank with some yellow ones which said "SOLD" on the tank- they were probably yours! hopefully they have some left, just waiting on some xmas money from santa....

 

[rayjay]

I was there waiting for him to open on Tuesday and right off he had to separate 6 Barbs (the "prickly" yellow seahorses) as they were already sold. That didn't leave many of them and I bought two so even less after I left. I also bought a couple of Reidi's to increase the gene pool for the Reidi's I breed, and, a male Angustus to replace the one I lost from last December's shipment.