Local seahorses Breeding HELP!!!

[xclusive252]

Hello all. I was able to collect 2 pairs of seahorses from the long island shore this year. They are doing well in there new aquarium and are eating frozen food np 3 times a day. 1 of the males looks like he has babies in his pouch and I was wondering has anyone ever had success in raising the Fry. I have the ability to harvest baby brine and rotifers along with live phyto. I am looking for maybe some guidance. If I am successful I will donate to the site as long as the SH keep producing.

 

[rayjay]

Many people have varying methods that work for them which is the important part.
If you have what is termed NORTHERN erectus as opposed to the more commonly SOLD IN TRADE SOUTHERN erectus then the fry will be pelagic and need probably enriched rotifers to start, with small copepods a beneficial addition to the starting food. After a week to ten days you can switch to enriched artemia nauplii.
After that, it basically depends on how fast they grow, and each individual batch can differ, as to when to wean them onto frozen mysis.
If you have Southern erectus then the benthic fry can be started right off with enriched artemia nauplii.
I've never had Northern erectus fry, but the reidi fry I raised are VERY similar in their needs.
You don't have much time to prepare as even from egg transfer, the gestation period is most likely to AVERAGE around 17 days. Many times, the male releases what we call "warning fry or babies" the day before the major release. Usually release occurs early before lights come on or very shortly after.
Bacteria is the biggest killer so extreme cleanliness works best, even more so that with the adults.
Keep temperatures in the 68° to 74°F range to help retard bacteria influence.

 

[Jim B.]

Hello all. I was able to collect 2 pairs of seahorses from the long island shore this year. They are doing well in there new aquarium and are eating frozen food np 3 times a day. 1 of the males looks like he has babies in his pouch and I was wondering has anyone ever had success in raising the Fry. I have the ability to harvest baby brine and rotifers along with live phyto. I am looking for maybe some guidance. If I am successful I will donate to the site as long as the SH keep producing.

Your biggest challenge in the beginning, will be developing a method to keep them from floating to the top and dying. Isolate them immediately in an existing fry tank, that will have a flow designed to keep them in some kind of gentle rotating current. You're going to have to build it, they don't come ready made, yet. Search online, go with the best method, not the easiest and cheapest. If you want to raise fry successfully, it's gonna cost a bit of time and money. That's not even touching on the emotional part when you lose them. It can be heartbreaking at times. Otherwise, keep it real clean, but don't overdo it, you can kill them with kindness. If you like this advice, I'll be here if you need me. Best of luck

 

[Paul B]

I have raised Long Island seahorses a few times to adulthood. Here they are transferring the eggs to the female.



I did this in a partitioned part of my tank with many other fish.

The hardest part is getting them past the new born brine shrimp stage as they don't like or recognize dead foods. I had to raise the brine shrimp along with the seahorses and feed them as the shrimp grew. It was always a pain as I couldn't find appropriate live foods of the proper size so if I had a group of 20 baby seahorses, I would be lucky to get 3 to adulthood.

But that was probably 30 + years ago. I may have better luck now if I wanted to try, and I don't.

But local seahorses are fairly common here just no where near as common as pipefish which you can collect by the dozens.

 

[Paul B]

I put small pieces of cork on a short piece of thin sting almost the height of the water and a weight on the bottom. The horses need something to grab onto or they will float around and can't eat.