Jlloyd123 Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 hey guys i was wondering if any one has had any luck with store bought seahorses? i am setting up a small tank for my wife since i cannot put these cute little guys in my tank. i currntly am cycling a 12 gallon nano cube that i got from hydro innovations for less than nothing, thanks steven. pretty much just live sand and live rock for now. i know i need some sort of plant life or coral that these guys can anchor to. i want to be able to feed frozen food being that making my own brine would be a pain in my butt. if any one has suggestions on where to get them or any other suggestions feel free to let me know. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamp Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 Laura at rockin' Reefs gets them in already eating mysis. I am thinking about getting a couple myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 We have a pair of Erectus purchased from Mama at Rockin Reefs. They ate like pigs the first day we had them. She will not sell you any ponies until they are eating. They are tank raised and very hearty. If you buy them from the lfs make sure they are tank raised and make sure they are eating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxiq Reef Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 Just make sure the tank they live in is at least 2.5x taller then they are with tails fully extended at an adult age Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derry Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I've also got a pair of female H. erectus, which I bought from Laura back in January. No problems here at all, but I had luxury of putting them into a fully-mature tank that had been housing other fish for about a year before I switched it over to a seahorse tank. CAVEAT: Go read up on these neat little critters at seahorses.org. A 12-gal is generally considered too small for two adult erectus. There's a great section on husbandry requirements, and the gurus over there are very tolerant of newbie questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 Thanks for the kudos all...I will be getting my ponies by the end of this week and will post here... True to the fact that ponies need a little bit more room than a 12g...you might be able to get away with 1 being in there if you keep your water quality pristine, but they do like to swim up and down and side to side. A happy horsie does rest and hitch most of the day, but still, they need elbow room... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jlloyd123 Posted July 13, 2010 Author Share Posted July 13, 2010 if any one has pics, feel free to post. i would like to see peoples set up so i can get an idea of what im gonna do. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Our Corral; Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 NICE Dave...you gave ME ideas...thank YOU!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Great timing, as I am starting research on my next seahorse article. So, if you don't mind, I am going to semi-hijack your thread to ask a few more questions. I hope they help you out also For my next article, I was going to be researching the different types of seahorses to keep. It seems most people keep here are keeping Erectus ponies. I think I saw Andrew was going to be keeping dwarfs. Pros/cons of either? I had got the feeling that dwarfs were harder to keep. I did a quick skim of seahorse.org, but didn't see a break down other than talking about captive bread vs wild caught. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derry Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 From my experience, most people around here are keeping H. erectus because 1) they and H. reidi are the two standard-sized species most readily available regionally, 2) erectus are generally a little less expensive than reidis, and 3) erectus have fewer, larger, benthic fry than reidi, which boosts the chances of raising baby seahorses if you want to go that route. The dwarf seahorses have one MAJOR caveat - they only eat live food, and tiny live food at that. Their only reliable food source for the typical hobbyist is baby brine shrimp. If you're going to jump into dwarfs, then you're committing yourself to a brine shrimp hatching side hobby as well. I thought long and hard about dwarfs before deciding against them for that very reason. The pros are that they're generally not hard to come by, they're fairly inexpensive as SW fish go, and they're generally hardy once they settle in. If you're willing to raise the food, you should be good to go. I don't claim to be a seahorse expert, but I have spent more time reading through the archives at seahorse.org than I care to admit. I'm willing to offer up my best shot at any more questions, as long as it comes with the proviso of, "Do your own homework to verify the accuracy of the statement." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Great info. The live food would be an issue for me also with dwarfs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.