Training to use feeding station

[whatnot45]

My 3 erectuse seahorses (1 female and 2 males) cant for the life of them figure out the feeding station. I decided to start tapping the glass very hard, and gently pick them up and put them on the feeding station when its time to eat. Is this too drastic? is there any other way? i have tried coaxing them but they dont follow it. I use tweasers, and put it in front of their noses, and they look at it and thats it they just look at it.... they dont follow it... lol any suggestions?

 

[Wink]

I think you're doing it exactly right. It's what I did to train mine... use my hand to herd them to the station, and the tapping to tell them food is coming. Sounds good.

 

[Swanwillow]

I use a clear turkey baster-they see the mysis inside of it, and try to follow the mysis that are swimming around-ok, it looks like they are swimming.

then, squirt away, gently!!!! they snick them up, and they see the movement in my feeding station (its a clam shell)
now, when they are hungry, the go to the feeding dish and wait.

 

[luv2diy]

I just put the food down a tube into a clear dish attached to the side with a suction cup. i tried everything (like moving her, etc), but eventually she caught on and figured it out. now when i come near the tank she hops onto her hitch and starts staring into the dish. this took like 2 mos. so be patient.

 

[djc1026]

I use a feeding cone that is attached by suction cup. I widened a couple of the holes so that when the horses snick the shrimp through it usually knocks a few loose that they chase down or my goby gets. No food sucked up in the filtration, it all gets consumed primarily by my seahorses. Just another idea I thought I'd share.

Dave

 

[diverdan814]

djc1026,
Great Idea. Do you have a picture? Also can I ask how many horses you have in your 29?
Thanks for sharing.

 

[djc1026]

Sorry to hijack the thread, here's a pic with the cone in the upper left hand corner:

there are two female e. reidi or kuda, my LFS is not that good with ID, they sold them as yellow seahorses and claimed that's how they ordered them and that's how they came listed on the invoice. But that's a different story.

Dave

 

[Swanwillow]

your not hijacking the thread... thats a good idea. isn't that just a feeder for worms-freshwater discus and angelfish?

how long do you leave the food in there for? all day? and do you add any addatives to the food?

 

[DebsSisterFlo]

they sold them as yellow seahorses and claimed that's how they ordered them and that's how they came listed on the invoice

that's how all 3 of my lfs's do it too. You ask what species they are and they say hippocampus... sigh. it's not just you!

 

[whatnot45]

thanks for the help and i have 3 OR sunbursts in the tank

 

[diverdan814]

whatnot 45- how is the color of your sunburst, if I may ask?

 

[djc1026]

Swanwillow, you're exactly right, that's what it is. I just took a little jeweler's screwdriver and punched out a few of the tabs to make the slits bigger and then took the screwdriver and twisted it around make a few areas a little wider. The food isn't in there longer than 30 minutes usually before they eat it all. I typically feed enriched brine (I know, not the healthiest). Frozen mysis does work in it even though they are a little bigger. Every once in a while I'll let the brine soak with cyclopeze and then put it in there with a dropper.

Dave

 

[whatnot45]

Well I actually ordered mustangs, and when the box arrived i noticed that all of the seahorses were shades of yellow. I looked at the labels, and it said sunbursts. I only paid for mustangs lol. The colors were AWSOME! one was bright yellow, while one was bright oranges, and the other was a yellowish white color. they have since changed though to darker shades but are still really pretty.