Pregnant Seahorse

[seahorsemom]

Hello. I think my seahorse is pregnant. i wasn't expecting this since i was sold a female and all of a sudden it's a male. anyways, it's belly is bigger than usual and i'm pretty sure we're pregnant. i read somewhere that the papa will more than likely die after giving birth. does anyone know if this is true? i'm researching this subject more online and will also join a seahorse forum. i dont know what to do and i dont know how far along he is. i was just about to relocate my tank and im afraid to move it now. any advice on ANYTHING???? Thanks!

I'll try to post some pics tomorrow. before and after shots.

 

[CCall]

No the male will not die from having babies.
What kind of seahorses do you have? You will need to get a 5-10 gallon tank ready for the fry to go into.
Seahorse.org has a great nursery forum. Alot of us belong to it and here with great advice.

 

[JennyL]

Hi seahorsemom,

It's very important to know what species you have in order to be able to help you with appropriate foods for the fry.

If you have a spare 3-5G tank, this will work well for the new fry. If not, you can use a simple 5G "NEW" clean plastic bucket.
Rinse it well with very hot water(no soap or cleaners).

You will need an open airline to provide Oxygen for them.
Assuming the water perameters are correct in the main tank, fill your nursery with clean water, being careful to match the SG,PH and temp as the main tank. Make sure the new water has been fully oxygenated also.

You will need to keep plenty of water on hand for dailey water changes to prevent any ammonia spikes which is very toxic to your new fry.

I have no idea where you read that the males will die after giving birth but this is utter nonsense. Seahorses are very prolific breeders and many times if conditions are right and the female is gravid, males may become pregnant the next day after having given birth.

Raising seahorse fry is a very difficult and time consuming job for anyone,even the most experienced of us so don't get discouraged if this brood does not make it.

If you could provide more information it would really help.

The above info is only a few basics to help you get started.