Seahorse & Pipefish Longevity

[herostar]

I'd like to start a discussion on life expectancy of these creatures in captive systems.

I've had several friends keep seahorses and pipefish in their tanks, but they never seem to last very long (< 1 year). One of my friends had a setup that seemed like an ideal environment, while others just put seahorses in full reef setups... I've never tried to keep seahorses or pipefish, as I didn't think they would do well with the sps tanks I've run.


It just seems like a waste for aquarists to try to keep these animals if they don't even come close to reaching their natural life expectancy...


Please tell about your experience keeping these types of marine creatures, and any tips/ lessons you have to help everyone out!

 

[namxas]

Large species SH can easily live for 3-8 years in captivity, providing they receive proper care. 5 years is about the middle of the road for them, give or take a year. Zots only live about 1.5 - 2 years.

The key to keeping them is to have a proper SH setup (not a reef, BTW), proper tankmates, cool temps (<74*F for tropicals), plenty of food, and good husbandry.

Also, starting out with quality CB stock from a reputable breeder or hobbyist/breeder is very important unless you're willing treat any WC or net-pen raised (AKA TR) prophylactically for parasites as well as training them to eat frozen mysis.

There is still too much outdated/bad info out there regarding SH keeping, which doesn't help. Also, SH shouldn't be an "afterthought" to an established system that isn't SH-friendly...this happens WAY too often.

HTH

 

[mrmikeasaurus]

i had 2 banded pipefish for almost a year... eating doing good .. no issues at all.. can home one day and they were both stuck to the overflow box... pars were perfect..super weird

 

[DanU]

H. reidi > 10 years in captivity. Came into captivity as adults.
H. erectus > 5 years
H. kuda - 5 years

To Greg's point, if you start looking and asking around, you will be hard pressed to find anyone who keeps seahorses greater than 18 months in a system that is 78 degrees or warmer. The very few that do, typically either feed primarily live feeds or have specialized high flow/low current setups. Take a peek at this link (http://www.angelfire.com/ab/rayjay/temperature.html) for a more detailed explanation.

Dan

 

[JDVstrom]

Large species SH can easily live for 3-8 years in captivity, providing they receive proper care. 5 years is about the middle of the road for them, give or take a year. Zots only live about 1.5 - 2 years.

The key to keeping them is to have a proper SH setup ([B]not[/B] a reef, BTW), proper tankmates, cool temps (<74*F for tropicals), plenty of food, and good husbandry.

Also, starting out with quality CB stock from a reputable breeder or hobbyist/breeder is very important unless you're willing treat any WC or net-pen raised (AKA TR) prophylactically for parasites as well as training them to eat frozen mysis.

There is still too much outdated/bad info out there regarding SH keeping, which doesn't help. Also, SH shouldn't be an "afterthought" to an established system that isn't SH-friendly...this happens WAY too often.

HTH

Hey all,
what is the proper SH setup??

JD

 

[rayjay]

If you go to the links at the bottom of "MY THOUGHTS ON SEAHORSE KEEPING" page, those links will give you most of the basics that will give you the best chances of success in keeping seahorses.
Note, there are no definite guarantees in this hobby because even doing everything as best recommended can still leave one with death from unknown causes, but it sure beats the odds of doing without taking them into consideration.
If you want to do something beyond what is recommended, get some success doing it the recommended way first, and then branch out as you gain some experience a year or so down the road.

 

[rssjsb]

I just lost my bluestripe pipe. I'm really bummed.

I had her for somewhere between 3 and 5 years with a variety of tankmates and corals. She ate well and seemed oblivious to other fish, who also completely ignored her.

RIP.

 

[MarkKlier]

Most my SH live about 5 years, pipes for about 2-3

 

[DanU]

Just had a customer order H. erectus to replace her seahorse of 13 years. Longest I have heard of anyone keeping the same seahorse.

Dan

 

[iamwhatiam52]

Take a peek at this link (http://www.angelfire.com/ab/rayjay/temperature.html) for a more detailed explanation.

Dan

WOW! Very interesting and enlightening link.

Anecdotal as some of it may be, it explains a lot.

To what extent do you think this may be true of pipefish?

 

[iamwhatiam52]

The poll shows 78% keeping seahorses over 2 years.

This must be among the experienced Sygnathid fanatics on this forum.
Same poll in the general discussion forum would have VERY different results.

Same poll from average customers at an LFS (if honestly answered) would need another option for 1 Month or less.

 

[mollymonticello]

If you are asking about average lifespan, the results will be higher than if you want to know how long most people keep them in captivity.

I just lost a pipefish that was 3 years old.

Captive seahorses eating frozen foods need to be kept at cooler temps, that is 74 F or lower. Absolutely, 100%, no excuses.

 

[namxas]

The poll shows 78% keeping seahorses over 2 years.

This must be among the experienced Sygnathid fanatics on this forum.
Same poll in the general discussion forum would have VERY different results.

Same poll from average customers at an LFS (if honestly answered) would need another option for 1 Month or less.

The problem with the SH from the LFS is that with very few exceptions, these SH are usually poor quality "pen-raised" SH that were originally raised for the TCM market, and thus, were slated to be dried and ground into powder.

These SH are often labeled as "tank-raised" (TR), but in SH circles, this is NOT the same as TRUE captive bred (CB) fish that have been born and raised in closed systems.

These "net pen" SH are cheap (typically $25-$30 retail), and need to be treated for parasites and often need to be weaned onto frozen food. The cost in dollars and time for doing this raises the "cost of ownership" to about the same (or more) as spending $60 - $90 (depending on species) for a true CB fish that has none of these issues.

SH fry aren't cheap to raise to maketable size, and depending on the source, sometimes there may be yield issues as well (ask anyone who has tried their hand at rearing fry).

Also, MOST LFS (even the really good ones) don't really know how to care for SH in the first place, and more often than not, perpetuate lots of the outdated or simply WRONG info about SH.

SH are without a doubt a "special needs" fish, but if those needs are met, they're just as hardy as most other fish, perhaps moreso.