Starting out

[BetterThanMcGee]

I am gearing up to breed seahorses, and I want to start out with a pair of H. erectus. I have been reading up on technical information like feeding, temperature/tank specs, and other stuff, but I cannot find the most basic setup information.

Right now I am thinking about setting up a 29 with maybe 10lbs of LR and a large "macro forest." I hope to put a t-5 fixture over the tank as well. I was reading up on how others have their systems set up, and I am unclear as to whether or not I need to separate the babies once they are born. If so, would it be best to plumb two tanks together so that the transition form one tank to the other is minimal? Advice here is appreciated.

I am also wondering about food, which I'm sure is a trite subject in this forum. Brine shrimp would be easy, but if dietary needs are better met by other methods I would not be hesitant to go a different route.

 

[lfduty]

You ask. If so, would it be best to plumb two tanks together so that the transition form one tank to the other is minimal?
I have mine plumb together and it works good for me I would show you photos but at this time its not up and going i was runing a test that just Crashed on me but yes to what you asked. And you want to feed the little ones Rodefirs and thin feed babie Mysis shrimp.
Good luck.

 

[ReefNutPA]

Sorry lfduty, I disagree completely.

The fry should be removed from the adult horse system and reared in a nursery - not connected to the main tank. The nursery will require daily cleaning either once or twice a day along with daily water changes.

Food for Erectus fry would be newly hatched bbs (not rotifers). As the fry age they can begin eating other foods such as enriched bs and other enriched shrimp larvae. At about 3 or 4 weeks of age you can begin introducing some frozen foods.

There is really way too much to post about raising fry. The nursery setups, treatments needed, foods, enrichments, etc......Your best bet is to search this website as well as seahorse.org and syngnathid.org for all the information you'll need so you can make your own decisions on what will work best for you. For example, for Erectus fry some use kreisel bowls in the nursery tanks for the first week or two...others do not.

There are many successfully rearing Erectus. It was very time consuming for me, but it is well worth it in the end.

Tom

 

[CeaHorseMaShell]

I agree with Tom. The tanks should be seperate. Plumbing them together will probably cause you more problems that it would help. As long as the tank levels and temp are good in both tanks, the transition should be fine. Rotifers are going to be a bit big for erectus fry. The main goal is to actually get them eating, then worry about nurishment. Tom pretty well covered the steps for food. And please go to syngnathid.org it will help. I hope to see some future post from you as you undergo raising fry. Best of Luck.

http://www.syngnathid.org/articles/raisingFry.html
http://www.syngnathid.org/articles/fryDiary.html
http://www.syngnathid.org/articles/fry.html
these should help.
Michele

 

[BruceW]

Michele

You meant to say that rotifers are too "small" for erectus fry. They are smaller then newly hatched brine shrimp. Other then that you have good advice from Tom and Michele.

Two things to think about are that one you need the nursery up and running before the fry are born. Two you need to fry proof the parent tank so the fry are not sucked up by the filter system.

Bruce

 

[X_flamingo_X]

Cyclopeeze, newly hatched brine shrimp, shaved mysis shrimp (when older), and the like are all possible foods. Erectus fry, like said, might be too big for them, rotifers are mainly used for reidi, etc.

I would make seperate tanks for the fry, make sure when you switch the fry to the nursery tank that you don't expose them to direct air. Most will breathe in air bubbles that get stuck in the body and kill them a few days later. When my Reidi first had babies I didn't know this (didn't look it up much because I wasn't on planning on breeding for a while, it was pregnant when I got it though). When I put them in a breeder net, had no spare tank, some had air bubbles in them and sat at the surface of the water wriggling, dying a few days later.

Just remember raising them can get a little overboard in everything you need to do. When they are born they're already independant of the adults and somewhat already looking for they're next meal. Most need feedings three times a day, and all that good stuff.

I can't tell you much more than that due to the fact that i'm not the "big seahorse breeder" here. I had mine shoot out ten babies once, and it was making me nervous with just TEN, let alone the hundreds they can bazooka out.

 

[BruceW]

Your basic tank set up sounds good. A 29 is a good size for a breeding pair of H. erectus. Be sure to leave some open areas to allow the seahorses to rise in the water column to do the egg transfer.

Here is some info on fry setups from a very expirienced breeder.

http://www.syngnathid.org/ubbthread...r=13213&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

And some additional photos

http://www.syngnathid.org/ubbthread...r=13217&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

Good Luck
Bruce