Need to sell red redi....

[isseym328]

Posting in this forum since most of you are advanced seahorse keepers. Reason for selling is because I'm taking down the tank. I believe this is a Redi but not 100 percent sure. Eats live ghost shrimp. I have had it for a good 8 months now and is super healthy. $200 for this beautiful seahorse. If anyone is interested please shoot me a pm. Thanks!

 

[moonroomstudios]

Does it only eat live food? Have you tried frozen mysis? I am considering making an offer if you still have the horse

 

[hydroid]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11191329#post11191329 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by moonroomstudios
Does it only eat live food? Have you tried frozen mysis? I am considering making an offer if you still have the horse

Do you understand the expense associated with feeding live foods? One poster said he spent $5000 over a 5 year period for live food. That's real world.

Also, you must have a very reliable source for that food. Many LFSs carry feeders, but run out on occasion. You have to be prepared to overnight food from an outside source when that happens. A horse shouldn't go without food for days while you try to get some in.

Its a beautiful horse and if you have the means to take care of it, by all means go for it ... just wanted to help you go in with eyes open.

 

[littlegym]

I will add to this also as I go through Lubbock lots. I have 3 WC ponies that only eat live food. I spend about $30 a week for ghost shrimp and hope enough survive to feed for a week. Then if not I have to overnight some more in.

Also even feeding glass marine shrimp cost $125 for 250. They live a little longer but its a price you pay to keep them healthy and well feed. Not to mention sometimes they get internal parasites from the live food feed so this may have to be treated. JMHE

 

[isseym328]

Hmm I must not be feeding my horse much compared to you guys. I buy about 4 dollars worth of ghost shrimp and that lasts me a whole week. 4 dollar gets me about 32 ghost shrimps. I feed about 2-3 shrimps a day and the horse has been healthy for a good half year with no problems.

 

[Rays]

I second hydroid and littlegym, went that route years ago, will never do it again. BTW, it IS a beautiful horse.

 

[TamiW]

He looks emaciated to me. Look at his keel. It should be filled in/plump instead if pinched. It sounds very likely that he's not getting enough to eat, or the ghost shrimp aren't providing enough sustenance.

Keel on healthy males:
http://www.meerwasser-lexikon.de/images/163.jpg
http://divegallery.com/seahorse_page5.htm
http://gallery.seahorse.org/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=391
This last one is a great example of a nice, plump seahorse. Notice how his body rings are filled. he might be bordering on fat. Sunken in spacing between the rings all over the body is a sign of malnutrition.

Your guy doesn't look like he's on death row, but it could lead there if he isn't fattened up a bit. My guess is that the quantity of food is fine, but the quality is bad, and after a year and a half, the signs are starting to show.

It could also be old age, if he's wild caught and you don't know how old he was at purchase. Also, is it 8 months or a year and a half?

 

[isseym328]

You know I never really see other seahorses so I don't know how skinny mine was. But you're right it does look skinny in the pic. I should feed a little more to get him to a healthy weight.

I've had it since the beginning of the year and in the post i said it's been healthy for half a year...not yr and half. =)

I would have no idea about his age as he was WC when I bought him...although the lfs sold him as "aqua cultured".

 

[TamiW]

Thanks for the clarification. My reading comprehension goes down quite a bit at after midnight. Maybe I should stop reading forums so late . . . nah . . . .

I would tried to get him eating frozen mysis, and if that doesn't work, feed the ghost shrimp mysis right before you feed to the seahorses.

 

[isseym328]

A reason why it looks so skinny now as well is because I haven't had time to really take care of my tank..hence trying to sell it. =) Price drop to $150 for the horse. Thanks!

 

[hydroid]

It also helps to feed twice a day, rather than twice as much at one feeding.

I've never tried to get a horse onto frozen, but I would buy the largest frozen mysis shrimp (PE MYSIS maybe) I could find and hand pick out the those that looked whole. He might at least recognize it as a shrimp and offer at it. I also heard of people wiggling the mysis at the end of forceps to make it seem alive.

Worth a try.

 

[isseym328]

Actually when I wiggle the dead ghost shrimps (before they turn all pink) the seahorse will eat it most of the time. For sure it recognizes the ghost shrimp and as long as it's moving around for whatever reason itl'l think it's alive. I just have to figure out how to get it to eat non moving shrimps. =)

 

[Bret61081]

At the store I work at, we had one Beautiful WC bright Orange Brazilian come in this past week, and had it in with some Yellow Tank raised that were eating frozen, and within an hour, the Orange one was eating PE Mysis. Needless to say it was only there about 4 hours and was gone!