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THE SEAHORSE
I am setting up an aquarium just
for seahorses. My intention is to raise seahorses. I was
about to purchase two on Friday, but did a bit more research on the seahorses.
I decided the tank that I was planning to keep my seahorses in was not ideal.
It is only 35 gallons and it is vertical. My assumption was that because
the seahorses not active that a smaller, vertical tank would be perfect for
them. According to the information, it is very important that the males and
the females can separate except in the morning when the mating (dancing)
ritual is performed. Instead of purchasing the seahorses, I purchased a 75
gallon tank. It is scheduled for delivery and set-up Wednesday of this week.
It will be at least another two weeks before I can cycle the tank and purchase
the seahorses.
I will keep you posted and give you my play-by-play
as it occurs. Right now my biggest concern is feeding them. My plan is to
train them to be hand feed so I can be sure they are getting a nutritionally
balanced diet without fouling up the tank.
Since early August I've been in London (I've had
a few employees from a Manhattan pet store taking care of my tanks while
I was away). I am scheduled to receive my first shipment of a mating set
of seashores in early October. I found a company who very successfully breeds
seahorses to help prevent the taking of seahorses from the wild. The company
(Ocean Riders) only sends the seahorse after it is trained to eat frozen
and freeze dried food. They have a web site that is tremendously helpful
in exactly how to set up the tank (explicitly mapping out the most ideal
tank conditions).
The website is
oceanrider.com.
You should definitely put a link to their website.
I will keep you posted as to my progress once I receive the seahorses in
October.
Member, KIMBERLI ABOYADE
Seahorses are found in temperate and tropical waters.
The longsnout seahorse Hippocampus reidi and the Northern seahorse Hippocampus
erectus live in the Caribbean region of the Western Atlantic. The common
seahorse Hippocampus guttulatus lives in the Mediterranean Sea and warm areas
of the Atlantic. The yellow seahorse Hippocampus kuda lives in the Indo-Pacific.
The Pacific seahorse Hippocampus ingens is the only seahorse on the eastern
Pacific coast (found from California to Peru).
The fascinating sea-horse belong to the same family
as pipefishes and sea dragons and are believed to have evolved over 40 million
years ago. Sea-horses exhibit seemingly bizarre reproductive behavior. When
they reproduce, the male becomes pregnant-carrying the fertilized eggs in
a brood pouch and nourishing the young until they are born. Sea-horses practice
faithful monogamy, mating exclusively with the same partner during their
lifetime. They perform greeting dances every morning to confirm their bond
and are slow to find a new mate if their partner disappears or dies.
Unfortunately, the sea-horse's unusual reproductive behavior makes them very
vulnerable to over fishing. Sea-horses have low reproductive rates and their
populations are easily disrupted.
details on the following:-
The tank Seahorse food
Filtration Pregnancy
Water quality Raising Fry
Tank maintenance Seahorse problems
Adding your seahorses Conversion charts
Seahorse
info
Seahorses are fish belonging to the Syngnathidae
family which also includes sea dragons, sea moths, and pipe fish. They are
the genus Hippocampus (this is the H. that you see before the scientific
name of a species) There are approximately 34 separate species of seahorse
which range in size from under 1 inch to over 12 inches. Our species page
lists various species and some of their characteristics. They all live in
marine or estuarial waters in shallow coastal areas. They are found in most
parts of the world - anywhere where water temperatures are tropical to temperate.
Check this out for details of the environment (tank & equipment) you
need to provide to keep seahorses in your home.
Caring for the
seahorse
Sea Horse
Care
All Ocean Rider seahorses are pre trained to feed
on frozen mysis shrimp from Piscine Energetics enhanced with Vibrance 2.
Our recommended feeding regime is: 2-5 frozen mysis shrimp enhanced with
Vibrance per seahorse per feeding twice a day, 6 days per week with one fast
day per week.
MORE ABOUT THE
SEAHORSE
Seahorses are vertebrate fish. They belong to the
family Syngnathidae (syn - together or with [Greek] and gnathos -
jaw [Greek]) which includes seadragons, pipefishes and pipehorses.
Seahorses make up the genus Hippocampus (hippo - horse [Greek] and
campos - sea animal [Greek]). They live in warm or temperate salt water off
the coasts of Australia and the United States. They make their homes
in reefs and seaweed. They are typically found at depths between
.5 - 30 meters. In the reefs and seaweed, they have good protection
from predators as well as a plenty of twigs to anchor themselves
to.
There are around 40 different species
of seahorses
Breeding The Dwarf Seahorse,
Hippocampus zosterae
by Tom Neal
The importance of captive rearing seahorses is
paramount. At the current level of collection we may not have any horses
left to admire in the not too distant future.
Hippocampus zosterae, commonly known as the dwarf
Seahorse. The dwarf Seahorse comes from the coast of Florida, along with
its relative, the much larger Hippocampus erectus. The dwarf Seahorse in
the second smallest Seahorse in the world, an adult would max out at two
inches. This, unlike its cousin Hippocampus erectus, which reaches twelve
to fourteen inches in length, is a perfect candidate for the person that
only wants a small tank.
Breeding
seahorses
First of all a warning to future seahorse breeders:
It might be really frustrating and it is hard work to get the fry living
more than a few days! On the other hand it is a beautiful feeling to see
the newborn babies growing up, changing their colour, becoming adult seahorses
and mating for production of their own babies. Also each seahorse breeder
gives at least its own small contribution for the preservation of this endangered
species.
Seahorses
The beautiful colored seahorses belong to the most
magnificent and most remarkable organisms of the seas. Actually a seahorse
is quite normal fish, coming along only in a very special dress. There are
about 35 different species of seahorses spread all over the world, but only
a small spectrum of this variety is frequently imported for aquarist purposes.
While the smallest species, the dwarf seahorse, is just 1.5 inch in length,
others achieve a body length up to 14 inch (giant seahorse).As charming as
the appearance of a seahorse is the majestic and graceful way it swims. The
optical attraction of these creatures is increased by the contrast of their
colours to the green of the eelgrasses and seaweeds in which most of the
seahorses live.
The leafy
seadragon
Description of Species:
The leafy seadragon, P. eques, is a spectacularly
camouflaged fish found exclusively in the brown
kelp beds of Southern Australia. Seadragons belong
to the family Syngnathidae, which also
includes the seahorses, pipefish and pipehorses.
Leafy seadragons reach a length of approximately
35 centimeters and are covered with jointed, armor-like
plates instead of scales (Shedd Aquarium
1998). Unlike its seahorse cousins, the leafy seadragon
has a laterally flattened body and swims
horizontally through the water column. "Leafies"
are best known for the incredible skin filaments that hang off of their head,
body and tail like so many blades of brown seaweed. The body is protected
by multiple long, sharp spines that run from the dorsal surface and enclose
the body.
Proper nutrition is the key to keeping seahorses
healthy and breeding them in captivity. In their natural habitat,
seahorses feed continuously throughout the daylight hours, consuming
great numbers of small crustaceans and other larval organisms
that are collectively termed zooplankton
FROZEN FOODS FOR ADULTS
Feeding your seahorses by hand permits the aquarist
to conduct a close-up, daily
inspection of every specimen in his
tank.
"Seahorse Australia Pty Ltd" welcomes you to this
interactive site. We invite you to investigate the exciting world of the
seahorse (Large-bellied Seahorse), and the world leading research in aquaculture
that is making this unique animal available to everyone.
Seahorse Foods
A seahorse is a type of fish closely related to
pipefishes and belonging to the scientific family Syngnathidae. About 35
species of seahorses occur worldwide. The seahorse's scientific genus name
Hippocampus is a Greek word meaning "bent horse." Depending on the species,
seahorses reach lengths for about 5 to 36 cm (2-14 in.).
M
"Breeding the Clown Fish",
"The Coral Aquarium",
"Maintaining the Reef Aquarium",
"The Brackish Water Aquarium",
"Marine Animals "
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SEAHORSE BREEDING AND
NUTRITION
Juvenile seahorses are difficult to raise, but they
obviously need more than just live newly hatched brine to survive...Aside
from food of the correct size, the babies have to be fed almost continuously
-- we feed ours 3-4 times a day with enriched brine shrimp to keep them fat
and happy. The food needs to be abundant enough that the horses don't have
to move much to get enough food -- the more the ponies have to chase food,
the lower the survival rate. We feed the adults several times a day as well
(although it is not so critical with a well-fed adult). We both use a feeder
(you can buy one of the patented versions that Paul sells, or you can use
the $1.49 floating plastic worms feeder cones from the LFS -- either works
the same, and I've been using the floating cones for many years with great
results) and we also release a few enriched adult brine, grass shrimp, copepods
or mysids into the tank (some animals definitely prefer to hunt their prey).
By feeding them several times daily, you ensure that the nutritional quality
of the enriched foods is consistently high (the brine use up nutrients over
the course of a day if you only feed heavily once a day). Also, in order
for the animals to breed successfully in the first place, the tank needs
to be deep rather than long -- seahorses make vertical spawning rushes (more
like "saunters" in a seahorse), and without at least 18" or so, the effective
transfer of eggs to the male's pouch is greatly affected. Personally, I run
a CPR BakPak skimmer/filter unit on the biggest commercial Hex tank available
for "full-sized" seahorses
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Here is my account of the sea horse
acclimation:
October 1 - Sea horse tank prep. I reviewed my
tank and turned to the internet to determine the most favorable sea
horse tank conditions. I determined that this 55 gallon tank would
be for the sole use of the sea horses.
I added an air pump and numerous other hard corals
and plants that the seahorses could grasp with their pre-hansel tail.
I also moved all other fish/star fish into other tanks and did 25%
water change. (I did however keep two salt-water molly's in the tank
to keep the tank circulating).
October 6 - two medium-sized "mustang" sea horses
arrived via fed-ex in NYC from Hawaii. One is a pregnant male who
is quite easy to identify because his stomach is so big, the other,
his life-long mate a female. They are "purplish" in color. In their
bags they appear to be healthy and they are ferociously trying to
push through the plastic bag - they want out!
Step One: water acclimation. I placed the bag
containing the mustangs in the tank for about an hour in order for
the seahorses to adjust to any temperature changes.
Step Two: I opened the plastic bag and added
approximately 1/4 cup tank water into the plastic bag in order for
them to slowly acclimate to the ammonia, pH, nitrate, nitrite, etc.
levels in the tank. I continued to add about 1/4 water to the plastic
bag for about an hour.
Step Three: Sea horses out of the plastic bag
and in the tank. I always allow the fish to come out on it's own
initiative. The plastic bag is completely full of a combination of
my tank water and the water in which they came, then I allow the fish
to swim out as opposed to me dumping them (and all their waste (and
ammonia) from the plastic bag into my clean tank.
These mustangs were raring to go. In fact within
seconds they were both out and swimming and examining their new home.
The female was first and the male followed. For the next several hours
they did not stop. This actually surprised me quite a bit as I thought
they were more sedentary creatures who would grab onto a piece of
coral or a leaf and remain there almost permanently. This is not the
case with these mustangs. They swam and swam stopping only for about
five minutes for a breather.
October 7
Step 4 - Feeding. I never feed a newly acclimated
fish for about 24-48 hours. They are normally well-feed before they
leave their prior environment and the stress of their travels and
the excitement of a new home is enough for the new fish to adjust
to. Early the next morning, I noticed my sea horses scouring the bottom
of the tank. The appeared to be in search of food. Although it was
not near 24 hours since their acclimation, I decided to feed them
then. I ordered live food for these mustangs, although they were
previously trained to eat both frozen and freeze-dried food. I know how
what finicky eaters sea horses generally are so I decided for their
first feeding, I wanted to give them exactly what they love - live
brine shrimp. So, at about 6 AM, I added hundreds of live brine shrimp.
These sea horses were unbelievable. They swam after the brine shrimp
sucking them through their snouts with incredible speed. I was absolutely
amazed again, as I understood that these creatures normally stay in
their anchor and wait for the shrimp to swim past them. Not these
aggressive hungry mustangs. These brine shrimp didn't know what hit
them and shortly thereafter one were left. Since this initial feeding,
I only feed them live brine shrimp as a treat once a week. They get
a variety of frozen goodies that they seem to like such as mysids
shrimp, frozen brine and they will even eat freeze-dried blood worms
(although it's not a favorite) and freeze-dried pieces of shrimp.
I feed them twice per day. They will not eat if it is dark. At 6:30 AM
I turn their tank light on to wake them and at 6:45 AM I feed them
(by around 7 AM it is normally light enough to use the natural sun
light instead of the artificial tank light, so I turn off the tank
light). Around 8 PM I feed them again.
October 15 - algae scrapping. I like lots of light
in my home and so do the seahorses. But this causes algae havoc. It
was time to do a 10% water change and algae scrapping. I was a little
apprehensive as I did not want to scare the sea horses as I scrapped
and cleaned. So I decided to introduce them to my hands. I slowly
placed my hands in their tank (of course after I thoroughly washed
and dried them being careful to rinse all the soap off my hands) after
a few minutes of my hands in the tank the mustangs became quite curious
and swam to my hand carefully watching me on the outside of the tank and
my hand on the inside of the tank (they have the ability to look at two
different things at the same time with their eyes). I then decided to
try to feed them with my fingers. I took a small piece of thawed brine
shrimp and placed it about a half an inch away from the males nose.
at first he just starred, but within a minute he sucked the shrimp
right from my finger. At this point I continued to clean the tank
as it was clear they were not afraid of my hands in their
tank.
October 27 - 25% water change. The tank is need
of another algae scrapping and 25% water change. So our routine is
set. Every three weeks the tank requires a water change. Also,
I did not have a protein skimmer on the tank and put on one in the hopes
that their waste is more efficiently removed and perhaps the water changes
will not be as frequent.
I was reluctant to name them in the event that
I was not successful in keeping them, but now, I think it's time to
name them .
I have successfully bred many seahorses - in fact
I became so popular in Manhattan that I was selling to most pet stores on
the upper east side. But then I had to move and spent a little over a year
in Ohio. I've just recently moved to Pennsylvania and am in the process of
setting up my tanks again. Last Friday, I just got the puffer tank set up.
I am also in the process of building a house and I'm having huge tanks built
into the house...which is where I intend to keep the sea-horses. I will also
have an octopus tank.
I will keep you posted.
Member, KIMBERLI ABOYADE
This article focuses on how to move seahorses
- but most information will be helpful to any marine (saltwater)
fish.
I have moved several times and generally I hire
movers to pack and move "house-hold" goods which includes my 3 salt water
tanks which range in size from 40 gallons, 80 gallons and 110 gallons. The
mover will come first to measure the tanks and build a wooden crate in which
to place the tanks to avoid any damage.
Prep- Work
The seahorses (and other marine fish) fly with
me several days prior to the movers arrival to pack. I fly US Air and I ask
a local pet store employee to come to help me pack the fish in bags the just
prior to my flight. The pet store employee brings the plastic bags that the
store used when customers purchase fish. They will also bring extra oxygen
to pump into the bag of water just prior to my departure for the airport.
This gives me added comfort in the event that the flight is delayed my seahorses
will have several hours worth of "breathing" time in those bags pumped of
air and water.
I know that my tanks will not be moved from my prior
house to my new house for several weeks - nor set up and ready for the fish
for several more weeks. So, prior to the move, I find a local pet store that
is willing to take my seahorses for a few weeks until my tanks are ready.
(Fairly easy task since most pet stores are happy to lure their curious customer
over to the exciting world of marine fish with my fascinating (and friendly)
seahorses).
The Flight
I usually fly US Air and they do not have an additional
fee for the bags of seahorses. But you should check with your airline prior
to the flight, as these are all things that need to be handled prior to your
airport arrival with seahorses in hand. I have two seahorses per plastic
bag (that the pet store employee helped me pack). Then I place all the plastic
bags into a larger bag so that I only have one heavy bag as "fish" carry-on.
DO NOT check the bag through - take it on the flight as carry on luggage!
You will avoid damage to your plastic
bags and other deflation issues that may arise during the flight.
Once on your seated on the plane, put your fish
underneath the seat in front of you. This way you can check them at after
the plane has been pressurized (as this is a process that affects the oxygen
and water in the bags). Once at cruising altitude open your "fish carry-on"
and be certain no leaks have sprung from the changes in pressure. (ALWAYS
brings extra plastic bags and rubber bands for emergencies). I've never had
a problem - but you can never be too careful.
Upon landing I head straight to the pet store to
acclimate the seahorses to their new temporary home (and get them out of
the bags they've been in for the last several hours). Once my tanks arrive
at my new home I start the tank-set up almost from scratch . I use the same
filtration when setting up my tanks. I will also use only "live sand" - and
lots of it when setting up in my new home. This cuts the cycling time down
to about two weeks. This way you only need the damsels (or whatever you use
as your started fish) for about two weeks to get your tanks cycled.
Member, KIMBERLI ABOYADE
The Aquarium
Doctor
The Aquarium Doctor is a
Member of Andre's Aquarium
Club.
If you have any aquarium
related questions check out
the Aquarium Doctor.
The
Aquarium Doctor
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"Seahorse Australia Pty
Ltd"
Welcomes you to this interactive site. We
invite you to investigate the exciting world of the seahorse (Large-bellied
Seahorse), and the world leading research in aquaculture that is making this
unique animal available to everyone.
After years of dedicated research and development,
Seahorse Australia Pty Ltd has established a large-scale farm for producing
seahorses for the aquarium trade. The farm is situated in the beautiful Tamar
Valley in Northern Tasmania, Australia. Fresh Bass Strait waters enter the
farm on each new tide, aiding the production of the world's finest farmed
seahorses in a pristine environment.
In addition to aquaria, there are also opportunities
for expansion into other areas including the Chinese medicinal and curio
markets. By supplying significant numbers of farm-reared seahorses, Seahorse
Australia hopes to reduce demand for wild seahorse harvesting.
"Nowhere else in the world has a breeding and rearing
program for seahorses been so successful. I hope the true conservation value
of this project will be recognised by future generations and trust other
species will be saved before it is too late."
Emeritus Professor, Nigel Forteath
NOVA
Kingdom Of the Seahorse
coronet: is nearly as distinctive as a human
thumbprint
dorsal fin: moves fish forward
pectoral fins: control turning and
steering
eyes: each eye moves independently
reproduction: male becomes pregnant when a female,
like this one, deposits her eggs into his pouch; each pregnancy lasts about
two to three weeks (varies with species and water temperature); once the
male gives birth, he usually becomes pregnant again right away
diet: each day a seahorse can consume up to 3,000
brine shrimp; seahorses have no teeth and swallow their food whole
species: about 35 known species exist
size: depending on the species, from 1/4 inch to
a foot or more
range: found in most of the world's temperate and
tropical coastal waters
ABOUT THE SEAHORSE
Seahorses are not very active fish, and don't need
a large aquarium. I keep a group of ten in a 240 liter (65 gallon) aquarium.
This is the minimum size I would recommend to maintain adequate biological
balance. My aquarium is lighted by four 30 watt Triton fluorescent tubes
for 13 hours a day. Caulerpa taxifolia grows well with this length of day.
The tank bottom is covered by a 5 cm layer of coral sand. The background
is composed of Reeforms® synthetic coral, especially Acropora palmate
and Turbinaria sp., along with big pieces of lava.
The
Aquarium Doctor
A Look at
Seahorses
by Jim McNulty
There are several profound differences between sea
horses and other fish. The most significant being their gills. Most fish
share a similar anatomy in their gills. Gills are shaped reminiscent of the
pattern you see on the veins of a leaf. Sea horse gills are masses of small,
convex tubes that draw water through them as opposed to over and around them.
The second significant difference is their fins and how they utilize them
for locomotion. At first glance, you might think they have no fins at all.
Look closer. There is a tiny Dorsal fin just above the base of it's tail
on the back side. Look even closer still and you will find two tiny,transparent
fins on it's head. One on each side where it's ears would be. They vibrate
these fins very rapidly and achieve locomotion. In conjunction with vibrating
it's fins, they push their bodies against the water as a skater pushes against
the floor using the force of gravity and body muscle to move along at a fairly
respectable clip.
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