Seahorses

[tonkadawg]

Dana's tank is ready to go. And since I will be home next Friday, I am going to try and time a shipment of pony's for her.

I know this isn't really zeo related, but is reef/salt related and you guys really know your chiet. Where is a good reputable place to buy some ponies on line?

I have been looking at OceanRider, searched R/C, and www.seahorse.org. I am hesitant to purchase from OR. It seems that they charge extra for their colors, but I have been finding that the OR horses don't really hold their colors. And when you pay $300 for a pair that looks a certain way, I expect them to be that!

Any advice/experiences/suggestions?

Thanks!

[Heinz]

I know this isn't really zeo related,

it doesn't have to be zeo related, you can post anything about your tank,
i am sorry, but i have no answer to your actual question $300 seems a lot to me, i didnt know seehorses are that expensive,

[invincible569]

Matt, if it was up to me, I would ask or look around your LFS's first. You get to see first hand what you pick instead of getting an unhealthy specimen shipped to you. Does any of your LFS's sell seahorses? I know a lot of mine do.

This thread has been moved.

[tonkadawg]

Yeah I was looking at Ocean Riders 'Sunburst' - $300 for a pair!!!

I was at a LFS yester day that had a pair of reidi, but they couldn't tell me if they were wild or CB. That and the guy said they would only eat live brine. From what I have been reading, CB are much healthier and easier to care for. I have been checking out the Mustangs from OR - http://seahorse.com/shop/index.php?m...products_id=40

these guys seem to be fitting my requirements nicely - eat frozen mysis, perfect size, I know they are CB and the price is a LOT better - $130 pair...

[Flipturn88]

I bought my H. erectus pair from DanU, a frequent poster on other online forums (seahorse.org, etc). I cannot recommend Dan's horses and customer service enough--he even called me the day the horses were due to arrive to ensure that all went well. They both arrived in excellent condition and already eating frozen mysis, and they have remained healthy since. Here is a link to his webpage.

Hope this helps,
Kayla

[tonkadawg]

I bought my H. erectus pair from DanU, a frequent poster on other online forums (seahorse.org, etc). I cannot recommend Dan's horses and customer service enough--he even called me the day the horses were due to arrive to ensure that all went well. They both arrived in excellent condition and already eating frozen mysis, and they have remained healthy since. Here is a link to his webpage.

Hope this helps,
Kayla

Kayla, yeah I have read a lot (read - all) of positive feedback for DanU and his horses. Unfortunately, I don't think he is selling any at this time...

Can you give some specifics of your seahorse tank? Live stock, feeding, lighting, filteration? Maybe post a picture or two?

Thanks - Matt

[Ger]

Matt, I am pretty sure the seahorse.org people will be at MACNA. Maybe you should wait and talk to them then...

[OUinLA]

Ger is right, seahorse.org will be at macna

[OUinLA]

actually, you should contact them. I know a vendor supplied some of their horses they had in their display tanks and they were really nice and healthy.

[Flipturn88]

Kayla, yeah I have read a lot (read - all) of positive feedback for DanU and his horses. Unfortunately, I don't think he is selling any at this time...

Can you give some specifics of your seahorse tank? Live stock, feeding, lighting, filteration? Maybe post a picture or two?

Thanks - Matt

I think Dan does have a waiting list for his horses at the moment, so you're right. For my pair, I had to wait a few months, but that was before he had launched his online site.

Specs? Sure. Actually, I am planning to move the seahorses to my 46 bowfront (now a mixed reef, but I am setting up an SPS/LPS ZEOcube for the hard corals soon) with T5 lighting and soft corals only, but for now they are in a 20 high. The tank seems to work well though--they have bred and given birth few times already.

Feeding - It is critical that horses are fed atleast twice a day, or altleast have a constant supply of food on hand; they do not have a stomach, and therefore all food passes through pretty fast, thus reducing the amount of potential nutrient intake. I feed frozen mysis (Hikari and PE are the best brands), which is ideally the most nutritious of the frozen selection. They also love to hunt live ghost shrimp, which provides some diversity to their diet, especially when enriched or gut-loaded.

Lighting - Currently I run power compact only, but I will be running T5s on the next setup, as T5 is just better! Seahorses do not like a lot of light (aka MH). In fact, they appreciate a few shady spots in the tank.

Livestock - I have two other fish in the tank--a green clown goby and a mandarin (before you flip, I bought him knowing he was pigging off of frozen foods, and he's remained fat and happy for almost a year now). Both are peaceful tankmates, so the horses don't mind sharing their tank with them. The cleanup crew consists of snails and a couple of hermits I moved from the other tank when I had to treat with interceptor. Of course, there are many soft corals for them to hitch on, and macro algae for a more natural look.

Filtration - Liverock (lots), water changes (lots), and carbon/purigen. Skimmers have been rumored to be a factor in causing GBD (gas bubble disease), although I have seen seahorse tanks with them and no problem.

Here are a few tank shots.


Actinic -


And the seahorses, of course (female)




(male)


Here they are acclimating in the bag on the first day -


And a few fry pics (I do not have any fry at the moment, but the male is due any day now) -






Mandarin (tankmate)


And and a pregnant Mr. Mom -


I hope this helps, and best of luck to you!

Kayla

[majesticangelfish]

Great Pics/Info! Nice work baby!

[Detritivore]

kyala, what type of gorg is that?

[Flipturn88]

kyala, what type of gorg is that?

You know, I have no idea. I saw it at a LFS, and knowing it was photosynthetic (as most gorgs with tan polyps are), I couldn't resist. It has done very well and has been fragged numerous times, plus the horses love it as a hitching post.

HTH

[tonkadawg]

Kayla, thanks for sharing! Very nice tank!

Our set up consists of an 18 gal tank, 20-25 lbs LR, carbon, Remora pro skimmer - 2x36 PCs. We do 5 gallon WC once a week. The one bit that concerns me is the GBD with the skimmer - I haven't heard of that before. Will definitely have to look into that!

[scottw]

WONDERFUL PICS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been toying with the idea of a seahorse tank for my wife for years now, well the time has come. Is there a site where a newbie such as myself can go to learn more about it?

I.E. filtration, pumps, heaters, lighting, etc?

Regards,
Scott