Seahorse ID please?

[Nikky.Werr]

Hello, last week I was collecting seagrasses and macroalgae for my planted tank. When I got home and placed everything in the tank, I found a seahorse amongst the seagrasses. It measures 1&1/2 inches and is really good at camouflaging. It's a very long drive to the collection site and I can't return him at the moment though thankfully he seems to be enjoying the brine shrimp I feed my mandarin. I wondered whether anyone could identify him so I can further study his species. I collected the macros and seagrasses in Ocoa Bay, Dominican Republic if that helps.
Several also's:
I never intended to keep a seahorse but it seems to do fine with my mandarin, is this all right?
It doesn't move around much (could it be sick/dying?)but I did inspect it visually and its eyes are clear and move around a lot, it doesn't have any lesions that I can see and I haven't witnessed any "coughing" though I have seen it "suck in" water even when I haven't fed anything.
Would it be prudent to return it to the wild when I do my next trip in a month? I was thinking not but opinions are welcome.

another also: it looks thin to me... is it? or are the bony structures supposed to stick out that much?

 

[redhorse]

WOW! That is one nice looking seahorse. I don't know the species but looks very healthy and it is male. So, it might be an adult and the breathing is normal. Hope someone with experience in local seahorses from your area chimes in.
Enjoy!

 

[vlangel]

My guess is it is a juvenile erectus because of where you collected it and also erectus juvenile seahorses often have cirri. You are best to enrich the live brine shrimp you are feeding it. Since it is young you may be able to introduce frozen Hikari mysis. Wild caught seahorses should be deformed and treated for pathogens if you plan to keep it. Also their needs are much more demanding than fish such as extra diligent maintenance and husbandry and tank temperatures in the low 70s. If that is not possible you are probably best to return it.

 

[rayjay]

IMO, any fish from the wild that has been introduced to a tank with other fish in it should NEVER be returned to the wild as you could inadvertently end up introducing pathogens to the area that the seahorses, (or even other livestock) are not able to deal with.
Deformed should probably read dewormed.

 

[Nikky.Werr]

I perform weekly 10% water changes to my tanks along with sump/refugium maintenance. I hope that is adequate enough. I usually add selcon to my frozen fish food, could I add selcon in the same manner to the baby brine shrimp? The tank that the seahorse is currently housed in is at 1.023 salinity and between 74-76° F which is a little cooler than the area where I collect (79-80°F) is that all right? I understand what RayJay is saying about introducing pathogens to the area though I wish I'd have spotted him and returned him while I was collecting. (Its not that I don't think seahorses are amazing and awesome and beautiful creatures. They are and I'd been looking forward to setting up a SH tank one day but in a premeditated manner with captive bred seahorses.) I've been reading more about deworming and gave him his first metronidazole dose, so two more weeks to go. Despite not being prepared for a seahorse I am doing everything in my power to help him thrive and I'm reading as much as o possibly can on fusedjaw and seahorse.org and other sites. I hope it proves adequate.

 

[vlangel]

Rayjay has a good point about introducing pathogens into the wild. I had not thought about that before.
And yes, I meant dewormed. Either it was a typo or my auto correct misfired.

 

[redhorse]

I would think that even juvie H. E's would be bigger than 1.5" that is almost the size of Dwarf (my fry at 6 or 7 weeks are almost that big)
Nice find!

 

[vlangel]

Here is my erectus juvies at 9 weeks. They are barely an 1"

 

[redhorse]

Awesome Job! They are so good looking. I will have to get a few current pics of mine to compare but mine are about 1.5 to 2" but without the width. Maybe that is the next phase. I was wanting to ask about your babies but didn't want to take over the thread. Keep up the great work!

 

[redhorse]

The majority are 2" with one small guy the size of an adult Zot. These young guys and gals are 9 weeks. (time flies when having fun)
Sorry for the blurriness but all my camera's and even I pad do this. (Must be operator error)


Going over the Seahorse Id book, the only ones it that area are H. Erectus, Reidi, and Zosterae.

Vlangel would be correct with her Id. Good Job!

 

[vlangel]

That of course is an old pic. I re- homed them at around 5 and 6 months. They were 3-4" by then. I was able to raise 15 of the original 22. It was so much work and tied me down so much that I have given away all my fry since. I may raise another batch this winter however.

 

[vlangel]

Your seahorses are beautiful. How many do you have currently?

 

[tmz]

Looks like a Hippocampus erectus to me.

 

[Nikky.Werr]

Thanks everyone for all your input. I gave the seahorse its second deworming dose yesterday and its responding to the baby brine shrimp I add to the tank daily. I'll start reading up on Hippocampus Erectus to get everything straightened up. Does anyone really think I may be able to train him to frozen? If so, are there any guidelines I can follow to do so?
Again, I'd like to thank you all; this forum and its members have always been very kind and helpful to me.

 

[tmz]

Absolutely, I've done it with many fry I've raised. Start with minced mysis and gradually increase the size.

 

[vlangel]

Hikari mysis is small and you can chop it even finer or shave it when it is still frozen. Introduce some with the live brine the first feeding of the day when the young seahorse is most hungry. I keep blowing it around with a turkey baster to keep it in suspension.
As an aside you should be enriching the live brine with Dan's Feed, (from Seahorse Source) if you aren't already to add nourishment to it. Live brine on its own has very little nourishment so it needs to be gut loaded to make it nutritious.