New seahorses! First time need advice

[underwaterdan]

So I have been asking the lfs for seahorses for a few weeks and finally they came through big time. I got a maited pair that his breeder had.

Bad news is I was so excited I forgot to write down what kind they were so if anyone knows please share.

Also they are in their tank now and eating frozen!!! I am so happy. I will take any pointers.

The bigger one is the male correct?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

They are erectus.

Yes, the bigger one is a male.

It'll be interesting to see what color they become. Do you have plans for tankmates?

 

[underwaterdan]

I moved the fish that were in the tank now theyre in the reef tank. So for now I don't know what I should add with them, I'm open to suggestions. I ordered a bunch of pods to add to the tank to let them pick up, but besides that is just mysis ok for them?
I am debating on raising their fry can I do that in the same tank, I need to research that.

 

[underwaterdan]

And what do you mean about what color they will become?

They are erectus.

Yes, the bigger one is a male.

It'll be interesting to see what color they become. Do you have plans for tankmates?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

They are paled out right now. When they settle in, they'll have more depth to their color or change all together.

If these are your first horses, I would totally wait on tankmates. Later you can decide if that's even a way you want to go. In the last few years of me keeping horses, I introduced some mates, but up until then I was a little "anti-tankmates".

You can't raise the fry in the same tank, but erectus are awesome for first timers.

 

[underwaterdan]

Thanks a lot Lionfish, I appreciate the info. I really appreciate your info. The sea horses have already eaten and appear to have found each other and are moving around the tank hanging on different branches of rock together. Do i need the infamous yellow plastic chain for them to hang on to or is the rock enough?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

They will try to blend in with their environment, but I wouldn't bother with the chain. They won't stay that white, especially when they start courting. Macroalgaes can bring out some nice natural colors, if you're looking to spice it up in the future. I looooooved macros.

 

[underwaterdan]

Ok. I'm off to buy some macros! Maybe red ones I can use to feed my reef tangs.

 

[underwaterdan]

Where do you get your macros?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I bought my last ones from Reefcleaners.

This was one of my tanks... I'm not sure I've ever posted seahorse tank pictures on here before....

 

[underwaterdan]

Really nice tank!!!! Thanks for all the info.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Thanks! There's others who are just putting together new tanks as well. Check out @vlangel 's

 

[gar732]

What are you running your temps at? Sea horses are susceptible to bacterial infections at higher temps. You should be shooting for about 72 to keep those ponies healthy. Pipefish are great tank mates for sea horses, other than that you'd want peaceful, slow moving fish that won't out-compete the horses for food. It's a good idea to train them to eat from a dish this way there is less wasted food to raise your nutrient levels. I've seen people use small dishes, martini glasses, I used a shell attached to some live rock to keep it looking natural.

 

[underwaterdan]

That's a great idea, any pictures on how you feed them? I actually just unplugged my heater and ordered one that will allow me to turn it down to 74. It's in a room that is at 70 for the night and currently the water temp is 75 so I thibk I'm good until the new heater comes.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I kept mine at 75 with a chiller/heater.

 

[vlangel]

Hi and welcome to the world of seahorses! We are here to help with any questions and concerns.

 

[underwaterdan]

Thanks a lot for everyone's information so far! I've been watching them move around the tank and hunt for food for most of the night. I love it. They are really cool. Just curious what a breeding pair fair price is, I want to make sure I didn't overpay

 

[iLLwiLL]

I wasn't a fan of the idea of the yellow plastic chain either at first, but my seahorses really like it. I'll temove it when i get some better and more natural hitching posts but for now its working great.

Hope your ponys color up soon!

 

[vlangel]

Thanks a lot for everyone's information so far! I've been watching them move around the tank and hunt for food for most of the night. I love it. They are really cool. Just curious what a breeding pair fair price is, I want to make sure I didn't overpay

It depends on different factors, like if the seahorses are wild caught or whether they have been captive bred at a seahorse farm. Usually wild caught seahorses are less expensive but they are not as adapted to aquarium life. On the other hand captive bred seahorses costs more because it takes a minimum of 4 months to raise them to sale size. I have paid $70 - $100 a seahorse for my captive bred ponies.

 

[underwaterdan]

Ok good so seems like about the right price. I believe I paid 80 each so 160 for the tank bread frozen eating breeding pair.