Seahorse behavior with other seahorses.

[Knight_Solaire01]

Good news! I am picking up a young male today. Hopefully he will help calm down Bubbles a bit. I would like to know if anyone has two females and one male. If so, what is their relationship like in your tank? These are erectus by the way.

 

[rayjay]

Congratulations on the addition.
They really shouldn't have any problems with each other. The male, in my personal experience, is likely to be LESS active than the females, but especially if it ends up carrying eggs.
I'm assuming you bought it from the same source as the earlier ones.

 

[Knight_Solaire01]

Congratulations on the addition.
They really shouldn't have any problems with each other. The male, in my personal experience, is likely to be LESS active than the females, but especially if it ends up carrying eggs.
I'm assuming you bought it from the same source as the earlier ones.

Yes that is correct. And I was sure to ask for the species. I know that the males become very slow and vulnerable when they carry eggs. This is why I am also getting another hitching post and moving one of my gorgonians so there will now be a two spots in the middle, one on the bottom, and a spot in three corners to hitch. I am also finally building my mesh cage around my powerhead so they can't get sucked into it. I haven' been running it often for fear of this or of them getting their tails cut off.

 

[Henn]

Once again you have interjected your opinion and that is noted. We have had issues before about your opinions. As too your seeming to act as devils advocate ( always self appointed ) please note: your posts have no content, only disclaiming the active observations of a working breeding operation. The need on your part to indicate the SO Different was redundant. I always disclaim any knowledge outside of Dwarf Seahorses. Even as I disclaim any Regular Seahorse knowledge, you insist I know nothing of Regular Seahorses??? Are you having perceptual problems? I will speak with anyone in this Reef2Reef Community that wishes to hear my input. Please stop the constant rebuttal attitude. My experience with Dwarf Seahorses, breeding, and behavior is based on real experience. Not one of your oddly rebuttal lectures has increased my real knowledge one flake. I try to answer a question and you dispute my answer. It is not my intention to dominate the seahorse/pipefish forum. Perhaps I should ask to establish a seahorse breeders forum. My latest 300 gallon pond system, just online, is for regular seahorses so maybe in a year I can answer any regular seahorse questions that you have.

 

[Knight_Solaire01]

Yes I have noticed this a lot with these, "Please don't confuse blank with blank" it is becoming noticeable.

 

[rayjay]

Henn, you HAVE done a GREAT job with your setup for dwarfs. I wish you well also with your large system for standards.
However, IMO, transitioning much of the information your skills have produced, to NORMAL tank setups found in hobbyists homes is not practical for us.
Based on my 18 years of keeping AND breeding/selling seahorses, some of what you propose when posting on a thread about standards, could possibly lead to problems for the seahorses.
There ARE many different ways to succeed in seahorse keeping, but there are many more ways that are likely to lead to failure. With that in mind, I would prefer to advise those with less experience to avoid unproven methods until they have sufficient knowledge in the hobby to decide if and when they wish to attempt other methods.
I will follow your posts on your new project for standards and am interested in seeing how you will handle the breeding part as unlike dwarfs, standards are going to produce roughly 200 to over a thousand fry at a time and some produce pelagic fry while others produce benthic like dwarfs.
For hobbyists lucky enough to live in the right areas, and have the room you have, your advice will be far superior to anything I could offer.
Perhaps a MORE interesting project might be to set up a tank that the average keeper might set up in their home and see how you can use your experiences to make keeping standards more successful than now happens.

 

[Henn]

It is not lost on me that teaching people how to keep Seahorses alive in a Tank is important. It may be the only experience that is available. The importance of Brine Shrimp to the Aquarium Trade is also noted. All of the data that was exchanged was already very well known. After running three separate 32 gallon hatcheries at different sizes and food stuffings I developed an alergy theArtemis that will never go away. That was why the Marine Ponds got started. They are my attempt to duplicate the Topanga Beach ( Highway 27 and PCH ) that existed in 1957. We saw lobsters in the tide pools. Those days are gone forever. A study stated that the Santa Monica Bay would require 10,000 years to clear. If every human dropped dead tomorrow.

Instead of bickering like ancient adversaries at a Garden Club, I would like to propose a constructive effort. The 300 gallon marine tank mentioned in the last exchange is ready for a decision. With your knowledge of regular Seahorses, what is your response to the following Questions and existing conditions???

Will Hippocampus Erectus be the correct choise for the new system?

There is a large mesh area that hangs down ( 2 by 6 ft by 18 inches deep ) it is what now feeds the Dwarf Seahorses in all the Corrals. This is where the Erectus fry would begin growing. That means that the fry must be Benthetic like the Dwarf Seahorses. Any Pelagic Species would just increase the Laval Food supply for the Mollies. They will feed on swimming larval forms.

The main body of the tank has only Marine Molly fish. The live birth of fry is what feeds the Marine fish in the ponds. The Molly only population has been safe for Ponies in that they have survived to adulthood in the main pond on numerous occasions. The Erectus would be moved to the main body when they were getting bigger than the Ponies ( if any Ponies are in the Mesh Corral along with the Erectus ). The outside surface of the Mesh is also covered with live prey.

Regular Seahorse Pond Specifications:
1. 275 gallon
2. 1.025 salt
3. 8.1 ph
4. 75 f nominal
5. 10.0 KT

12 sq ft fry mesh 2 by 6 ft filled with Ulva and Grape Calerpa
32 sq ft pond area by 26 in deep

Food:
1. Marine Molly fry ( if they can be eaten by Erectus Adults ) They can be netted each morning from the Marine Ponds. A mono culture of Mollies in the tank to provide small Fry.
2. Live Mesh under 100 watt T5 grow light that has already proved to be a great forage food source.
3. Lettuce Nudibranch Larva, Peppermint shrimp Larva, and any other food types. Perhaps Tigger Pods. They seem to do very well in the other marine Ponds. They are quickly eaten by the Marine Fish. When there are no Marine Fish, the Tigger Pod population is self sustaining. The Erectus ( or other regular ) would get the majority of the Tigger Pods as the Mollies are not over interested.

The conditions are set by what works and can fit in. If Erectus is not the ideal selection, advise me as to a better selection. It is going to happen because it must. It would be easier if you could give guidance rather than critique. It took over 10 million years to give us these gifts. Without active efforts to save them, they will be gone in 10.

Here is the Pallet, lets start painting

 

[rayjay]

So as not to hijack the thread further I will post a new post Henn.