New Seahorses

NoobtoSalt

NoobtoSalt

New member
Well I was supposed to get some anthias in my shipment but somehow there was a misunderstanding and I got two seahorses instead. I was told from the vendor that they are Hippocampus fisheri and wild caught. He was feeding them live brine and cyclopeeze. When I got them setup here I fed them frozen mysis and they took it. I plan on setting up a macro algae tank with them being the only livestock in the tank. How big do these get? What is the life expectancy?

2012-06-22_15-39-26_299.jpg


2012-06-22_15-39-42_59.jpg
 
Lifespan of most seahorses kept in proper conditions will be about 5 yrs. However, some might live even longer.
Most seahorses die earlier because conditions are not KEPT ideal.
If it is indeed H. fisheri:
From "A Guide to the Identification of Seahorses"
Description
Maximum recorded adult height: 8 cm2 (about 3")
Trunk rings: 11
Tail rings: 37"“38 (36"“39)
HL/SnL: 2.2 (2.2"“2.3)
Rings supporting dorsal fin: 2"“3 trunk rings and 1"“2 tail rings
Dorsal fin rays: 17"“18
Pectoral fin rays: 15 (13"“16)
Coronet: Slightly raised, with five tiny sharp points
Spines: Small but sharp; a few spines expanded and flattened
Other distinctive characters: Small, sharp, slightly hooked double eye and cheek spines; prominent,
sharp, hook-like spine in front of coronet; two spines behind coronet
 
Thanks for the reply. I've been reading more on then now that I've found a few sites on seahorses. Am I really better off having a taller tank then a wide tank?
 
if they only get to 3 inches i dont think a tall tank would be needed 16 inches is what i would shoot for .
RayJay is there a common name for these ? i never new there was such a small seahorse that didnt need live food .
noob good luck with them seems like a awesome mistake to me. keep us posted.
 
I've never heard of H. fisheri being for sale before, and as their confirmed habitation is Hawaii, I can't believe they would allow collection of them.
Suspected distribution includes Australia and France (New Caledonia).
Only common name listed is Fisher's seahorse.
I suspect then that tank conditions should be similar to those needed for other tropical seahorses and that is extremely clean tanks and temperature range of 68° to 74°F to lessen the effects of nasty bacterial that plague seahorses in tanks, especially when temperatures go above 75° as the bacteria seem to multiply exponentially with each rising degree.
NoobtoSalt, if you haven't already read through the links provided at the bottom of "My Thoughts on Seahorse Keeping", I'd suggest doing so before too long. The links there are written by experienced seahorse keepers and by Dan U, a commercial seahorse breeder.
Any further questions you may have after reading those links can be addressed on the forum here.
 
rayjay said:
I've never heard of H. fisheri being for sale before, and as their confirmed habitation is Hawaii, I can't believe they would allow collection of them.
Suspected distribution includes Australia and France (New Caledonia).
Only common name listed is Fisher's seahorse.
I suspect then that tank conditions should be similar to those needed for other tropical seahorses and that is extremely clean tanks and temperature range of 68° to 74°F to lessen the effects of nasty bacterial that plague seahorses in tanks, especially when temperatures go above 75° as the bacteria seem to multiply exponentially with each rising degree.
NoobtoSalt, if you haven't already read through the links provided at the bottom of "My Thoughts on Seahorse Keeping", I'd suggest doing so before too long. The links there are written by experienced seahorse keepers and by Dan U, a commercial seahorse breeder.
Any further questions you may have after reading those links can be addressed on the forum here.
Click to expand...

That explains why I couldn't find much info about people keeping them. I was on the computer most of the day yesterday looking for others that had them and found nothing. I've been able to get them to eat Cyclopeeze as well as frozen mysis already. I believe he had them for awhile before he sent them out to me.
 
What type of seahorse are these similar to? I'm reading through the material but I see nothing that states these particular ones.

Thanks again for the help!
 
I'm waiting to get validated by the admins on seahorse.org before I am able to post anything up there. Thanks for all of the tips. This particular one is tough to find any info on it other than the basics. Nothing for sale etc. Hope I know what I'm getting into.
 
timinnl said:
Are they in a Fluval Edge?
Click to expand...

Yes. I understand that it is suggested to be in a larger tank but I do not plan on having any other livestock in this tank other than the 2 seahorses. If for some reason they do not appear to be doing good in this tank I will get a larger one. This was an unexpected addition to my house and I found this tank used locally for a great price.
 
If the fluval is 14g or more, it should be OK for that pair.
The one thing I don't like about those tanks is the lack of large surface area for proper gas exchange, especially in homes that are shut up a lot for heating or air conditioning or both.
Keep an eye on the pH as low pH with alkalinity reading is at least to the minimum, then you will have to find a way to increase the gas exchange because the high CO2 levels depress that pH.
 
rayjay said:
If the fluval is 14g or more, it should be OK for that pair.
The one thing I don't like about those tanks is the lack of large surface area for proper gas exchange, especially in homes that are shut up a lot for heating or air conditioning or both.
Keep an eye on the pH as low pH with alkalinity reading is at least to the minimum, then you will have to find a way to increase the gas exchange because the high CO2 levels depress that pH.
Click to expand...

It's the 6 gallon version. I have been looking closer and closer at them and I definately have a male and female pair. It seemed as if they were mating today.
 
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