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He's Pregnant!!!

B

BrooklynReef

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Manhattan Reefs
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Here are some pics of my pregnant Seahorse.....

Friday I stopped by Pacific Aquarium on Delancey St. in Manhattan. They usually stock seahorses. Mostly small ones. On this day they had a few larger ones. I believe erectus (or possibly Kuda), I'm really not sure. If anyone can ID them, please do. Anyway, one was really skinny. I felt like I could fatten him up some, and would rather attempt it than think of him possibly being bought by someone (possibly a child) who didnt realize their special feeding needs. Having spent the last few years researching Seahorses (I also had two for a while) I knew this social guy would need a mate. So I bought the female in the tiny 6 inch tank next to him. At that point I noticed another larger one in that same second tank. Now facing the possibility of separating those two, and not liking it very much, I decided to take all three. They all appeared Black.

I got them home and after a drip acclimation finally released them into their new (temporary) home a 36g bowfront aquarium. The tank now houses two extremely small (like 1/2'') Clowns that will be removed prior to the birth of the horses. It turns out the third Seahorse was another female, she remained black, but the other two immediately turned a beautiful white with black markings (as well as distinctive black and yellow stripes on their dorsal fins. I think they may (although separated at the lfs) have been mates because the next day they were mating. It seemed to be the exact ritual I've watched on youtube and read about in books and on the internet, but I still wasn?t sure that?s what they were doing. They kind of spin and mimic each other, touch bellies, then dip and spin. It's really interesting.

Well there was no mistake the next day. In less than 48hrs after taking them home they started again. Only this time it seemed a little more 'violent'. I almost thought she was trying to get him off, but as she spun off, he turned around and had eggs coming from his pouch. I jumped up, grabbed my camera and snapped a few pictures.


I?ve read up on as much as I can find about Seahorse pregnancy and breeding but if any of you have any experience or tips please let me know. Or if anyone wants to come see the proud couple (and their friend) and have a beer, feel free to stop by.

Also Im looking for a male Seahorse (for a mate for their friend). Again I?m not sure exactly what species yet.




*Sorry for the bad pics, it's impossible (literally) to take an in focus picture through bent glass.*​



Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

:hb2:

​
 

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bizzarro

bizzarro

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Try setting up a "Kriesel" tank, search on google you shoudl get some youtube visuals. this type of rearing tanks are used to raise larva or delicate animals.

Of course you'll still need to deal with raising the food but you have time.
 
Domboski

Domboski

No Coral Here
Manhattan Reefs
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Those are Northern H. erectus. They are not supposed to be sold commercially unless they are grandfathered in but those do not look like they were captive raised :( Awesome and hardy seahorses though! Good luck :)
 
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BrooklynReef

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Thanks Dom. That?s what I was afraid of. I cant believe I didn?t even ask, even after I swore after the last two wild caught horses I had, that I would never buy wild again. I was just so concerned at the time with how skinny (and pretty close to death, I thought) they were.

After the death of my first two wild caught, I made a pledge to try and raise two tank bread for each one I lost. That was (at least then) not too realistic. But now that the new guy is pregnant, it may now thankfully happen.

The male is mating with the other female now as well as the mother. He seems really insatiable. They are always mating.

They are also, happily, eating a ton!

Asioner has been generous enough to lend a birthing tank for the new family! Anyone have any experience setting one up? Or any other advice on raising the coming babies???


Also I?ve heard conflicting advice on seahorse/coral compatibility. Are they safe with Acros?
 
howze01

howze01

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Wow! Very cool and congrats. It's not an easy path to take but I wish you all the luck you need!

As far as mixing with Acros I would say that just because of care requirements, no. Seahorses enjoy a lower flow, dimmer enviroment. Acros are more high light, high flow care. From what I've seen, it looks as though Sea Horses would be best mixed with something like Sea Fans or Gorgs. The added benefit being they provide good "anchor" points for them.

Good luck!
 
J

jamesonwhiskey

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BrooklynReef said:
Thanks Dom. That?s what I was afraid of. I cant believe I didn?t even ask, even after I swore after the last two wild caught horses I had, that I would never buy wild again. I was just so concerned at the time with how skinny (and pretty close to death, I thought) they were.

After the death of my first two wild caught, I made a pledge to try and raise two tank bread for each one I lost. That was (at least then) not too realistic. But now that the new guy is pregnant, it may now thankfully happen.

The male is mating with the other female now as well as the mother. He seems really insatiable. They are always mating.

They are also, happily, eating a ton!

Asioner has been generous enough to lend a birthing tank for the new family! Anyone have any experience setting one up? Or any other advice on raising the coming babies???


Also I?ve heard conflicting advice on seahorse/coral compatibility. Are they safe with Acros?
Click to expand...

Is it harder to raise wild caught than captive bred?? Does the store you mentioned in your original post have captive bred seahorses? Anyone know of i store in the NYC/LI area known for keeping seahorses?

BrooklynReef, what temperature do you keep your tank at? How bright are your lights? I'm planning to make my new re-done tank a seahorse tank. Any tips for a first time seahorse owner? I've done a lot of research but still can't decide on how many or what breed to go with. Thoughts?
 
B

BrooklynReef

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Manhattan Reefs
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Brooklyn
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Hi Jameson.

Some of the other guys and gals on here would be better suited to answer some of your questions. But Ill try and share some of my limited experience.

It is harder to raise wild caught. For a number of reasons. They (for the most part) only eat live foods. Therefore you need to train them to eat frozen mysis shrimp. You can find it at most local fish stores. However it is not an easy task, they are used to their food moving around and would normally steer clear of dead animals in the wild. Add this to the fact that their appetite will be decreased due to stress from transportation (especially shipped in the mail), plus the inevitable stress you will be under watching your new animals literally waste away not eating.
Not only is their nutritional requirements a big factor, but also health. Both of the seahorse, and of the current inhabitants of your tank. Parasites and worms are are factor. Wild caught seahorses (I think) fore the most part have living parasites on and in them. I believe I read somewhere all ocean animals host a certain amount of parasites. Also worms can contribute to a seahorse not eating. You will not only need to quarantine the animal for at least 2-3 weeks (even if there are no worm or parasite issues, and he's eating well), but should probably also give him a fresh water dip as well.

Not to mention the fact that the idea of taking a fish out of its vast ocean home and putting it in a box in your living room, seems kinda mean. If there is any other way (ie a fish born inside the box already, I feel like (imo) it's the right way to go.

It seems local fish stores will often try and pass wc for cb. Wc tend to be bigger.
I dont know for a fact, but I'm assuming the place I got them from (since these were, or at least we think they were) sells wc. Petco sells cb I think. Cb are more expensive, but rally less because you will be spending way more on med/food trying to keep them alive anyway.

I would encorage you to read up all you can first. Stories of people studdying hard core for over a year before they get their first pair are not uncommon. Check out these awesome links.....

http://forum.seahorse.org/

http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/tankmates/tankmates.shtml

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/seahorscompfaqs.htm

(I have more, I'll try and add later)


Although they can tolerate higher temps, you don't want your tank any higher than 74, and thats probably still too warm. Infections and disease will spread much more rapidly at any temp over 74. Some species prefer even colder temps so you will need a chiller for your aquarium.

Lights seem to be of little concern to seahorses, they actually prefer less light. Just enough to see their food. They are constantly (slowly) looking around for food all day.

They do however need very little flow. Much less flow than that of your typical reef tank. Also include a number of places for them to hitch their tails to while sleeping and looking for food.

Keep reading and asking questions, good luck!




UPDATE: The Horses are all doing great! The father is getting big. Asianer was kind enough to lend me two tanks for the babies. I'll post pics of the set-up soon....
 
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J

jamesonwhiskey

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Manhattan Reefs
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Rockville Centre, NY
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Thanks for the info! I haven't seen much on wild vs captive bred differences.

I have been using on the sites in my research so far. My big concern is still the temperature. I talked to a couple different LFS's and they basically said 78 degrees is ok as long as you get one of the tropical species...
 
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