Preggo or faking it?

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

What would I do with all of the fry? He is getting bigger by the day and he's not due till the 19th...Yikes. What's the record for number of erectus fry???
Who can house 100's of fry long term? And what happens when they grow up and start breeding? That's where the euthanizing them came in. I can not house all of them, and I can not sell them, (which was the whole reason for them.) There is no reason to raise them. (Kuda is my seahorse of choice but not for breeding and raising fry.) I am sensitive because I have been to he!! and back with the seahorses and I'm getting tired. and " maybe " a tad cranky, lol. And broke $$! All for nothing, or so it seems. I was trying to do what I love and make enough $ to replace the supplies I use and buy more SH stuff. Not working so far. I do think I'm going to ask Kathy ( where I got them from) if she will take the 4 of them. She has 2 from the batch these are from in her tank. I will start fresh with a new herd. I have to make a decision because they are in a 20g high waiting for what was supposed to be their 75g tank to recycle after I replaced the leaking one. If I don't put them in the new tank, it won't be contaminated and I can put the new pair I just got in there after they get out of QT.

what ya think?

Angie

[seahorsedreams]

Angie, I'm sending a PM.

I know you are feeling torn at the moment. And I don't want you to think that I am coming down hard on you. Maybe you should see what the people on the Org think. (Again, I am sorry for mentioning the Org... it's something I try not to do) I am just one person with one opinion. Doesn't mean my opinion would be right by all. I'm just expressing what I would do and what I feel is right..... but I'm just an ant on an ant hill.

[Reef_Angel]

I've been following this conversation and hoping for some kind of agreement to be met. I think that everyone has their own opinion on what is right here, and what is not.

Angie, I know for a fact that you have been dealing with highly reputable scientists regarding the myco issue iwith your seahorses. You are at the point where it appears that myco may not be a factor in the last seahorses that were housed with him. One thing I can add in favor of everything Angie is doing to insure that the last seahorses in that tank that may or may not have been exposed to myco, are being tested at one of the highest ranking Animal Hospitals in WI. The scientists there are regarded highly in veterinary medicines. They have gone above and beyond to help Angie out with this matter. I guess I would feel pretty confident with what the scientists there are telling her. I don't think that selling them back to Kathy is the greatest idea though. I think she would sell them to anyone without giving it another thought, and I know that's not what you want!

Renee, why don't you have faith in highly skilled Scientists that deal with this type of thing? I know you have had experience with seahorses & myco, and the other individual on the Org has had problems as well. Not everyone has a membership to the Org., and I for one don't have the money to pay a member's fee right now. That's why we will always keep CR a non-profit site, and do our very best to provide great answers with as much enthusiasm & knowledge as the people on the Org. Our members here are certainly knowledgeable people here that the Org does. There may be other's following Angie's plight that would like to continue following how all this plays out, but can't go to the Org for one reason or another, but we value their opinions just like anyone else's, so if they'd like to pop over here and share them with us we will welcome them wholeheartedly. That's what reefing is all about...sharing knowledge from a variety of sources. I know for a fact that Angie has appreciated all the help you have given her Renee, and knowing her personality, I have the benefit of hearing her tone of voice when she posts. It has not been meant to be rude or unappreciated, I assure you. I know how frustrated she is, and all I can do is be supportive for her. Could it possibly be a totally different situation going on here with the seahorses left in the tank, that maybe Angie had the one sick seahorse out of the tank before the myco developed? I admittedly don't know that much about this disease, so that's why I'm asking these questions. Maybe it would be a nice idea if you would invite the other individual that has gone through myco with his seahorses to come here and tell us his experience, and what steps he took to make his determining decisions so we all can understand his point of view. The more thought on this the better would be my thinking. As a human that has been through test on test for some of my medical issues. I have had to rely on doctor's and scientists to help me deal with my problems, and if I didn't...what would I have?

Would there be something wrong with Angie selling them to someone who just wants some seahorses? Some people are not interested in breeding and such, that they would love to have those seahorses. With all the information Angie can impart to an individual about what the scientists have to say, they could make the decision based on the facts she will in writing from the hospital.

Just some thoughts.... I just hope this all works out well for Angie without having to give up her hobby due to financial strains! Good Luck Angie!
....Angel
.....

[mickey57]

I don't think that selling them back to Kathy is the greatest idea though. I think she would sell them to anyone without giving it another thought, .....

*************************************
..... I want to know who Kathy is
.........Mickey

[Reef_Angel]

All I can say is Kathy is the owner of an LFS near Angie. I'll let Angie explain any other details if she wants. I just know that I won't shop there for anything!! ....and eek! is right!! ........Angel :angel1:

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

Ok I have it figured out.

My sister is going to take the 2 females, and my mom is going to take the 2 males. They both had freshwater tanks that we emptied and set up as saltwater today. My mom's is a 45g high and my sister's is a 29g. (Funny, I gave them both these tanks last year) I divided the LR , sand, and macros that were in the old 75g with them between their two tanks, and set it all up for them. Both have the magnum 350 delux on the tanks. This way I still get to see my seahorses, and they are not in my house to risk contaminating any of my other seahorses. As for the Preggo male that I have now, I will wait to give him to my mom till after the babies are born. As soon as the sand storm clears in their tanks and the cycle completes, I will be taking the seahorses over to their houses. They live 3 blocks from eachother and about 45 mins. from me. I bought them each a sw test kit, 6 pks. of hikari mysis, and extra carbon for the magnums. Since I go see them every weekend I will take each one a 5g bucket of mixed saltwater to do a water change. My sister's boyfriend hooked up my old RO DI unit for her to make top off water for her and my mom's tank. (good thing I didn't sell that yet!) I ordered new filters and resin for the unit today. All of the nets, buckets, basters, feeding dishes, and hitches will go with the seahorses. I bought all new stuff for the new pair I just got this week anyways.
I'm glad the entire mess is over with now. ( or will be as soon as I take the seahorses to them.) For now they will stay in the QT tank where they have been since I switched the leaky 75g with a new one.

This way was the most cost effective and least stressful way of dealing with the entire mess. None get euthanized, they get happy homes, I still get to see them, and I will no longer have seahorses that were possibly exposed to myco. Since the males and females will be at seperate houses, there won't be any babies either.

I'm very happy with the way things worked out. Everybody is happy and I got 2 people in my family into seahorses. And I KNOW 100% that they won't add any other horses to them or want to breed them. If they have any questions or problems, they know who to call and since we're family they won't be afraid to call over anything at anytime.

Thank Goodness................

THE END !!!!!!!!

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

Kathy is the owner of the LFS I work at 1 day a week. She is a very nice person, just not very informed when it comes to saltwater. "That's what she hired us sw employees for." For awhile, everything was a mess in the sw dept. and she didn't always do the best for the sw animals. In the last month she has been actually listening to what I have been telling her for the last 7 months. She had ordered a HUGE RO/DI unit. (she was using straight well water with TDS over 500) She has switched out all of the inadequate lighting on the coral tanks. There are now logs for water changes and tests. She moved the seahorses out of the fish room where the tank temps run 80+ degrees. They are out on the main floor where the tank stays at 74.
For awhile I was considering quitting because I couldn't watch everything die when it could have been prevented. Now that she is trying I will continue to help her. Since I only work there 1 day a week, there is only so much I can do. She is getting more involved and taking better care of the systems. I have been filling her sumps with macro and that is making a big difference. All tanks now have crabs and snails for clean up. They never did before. It was a mess. BUT, like I said she is now doing all of the right things and she will see how quickly everything improves. It may have taken 7 months of telling the "Boss" what to do, even at the risk of getting fired a few times, but it did pay off. Only time will tell if she keeps it up. I think she will. The cost of the dead and dying stock was costing her a lot of money and customers. By spending the $$ for the proper equiptment now, she will make more $$ later. Next thing on the list to talk her into is a HUGE skimmer. She did install UV filters, so that's good.

Just a side note....she carries just about every "pet" animal you could want and all of them are very well cared for. It's just the SW dept. that needed improvement.

I think if things continue to improve at the current rate, she will have a very nice sw dept. It may come down to emptying the entire sw system and starting over with the RO DI water and proper cycling. We have also been discussing which fish to carry and which to special order only. It doesn't make any sense to order fish that don't sell for months. Right now we have 5 lionfish and 3 triggers that have been there for awhile. It also doesn't make any sense to order 1 copperband butterfly a week because the last ones died. Stop ordering them, lol. (Mandarine fish will be on the special order list only. None of the fish tanks have adequate LR to support them.)

Angie

[mickey57]

Not everyone has a membership to the Org., and I for one don't have the money to pay a member's fee right now. That's why we will always keep CR a non-profit site, and do our very best to provide great answers with as much enthusiasm & knowledge as the people on the Org. Our members here are certainly knowledgeable people here that the Org does. There may be other's following Angie's plight that would like to continue following how all this plays out, but can't go to the Org for one reason or another, but we value their opinions just like anyone else's, so if they'd like to pop over here and share them with us we will welcome them wholeheartedly. That's what reefing is all about...sharing knowledge from a variety of sources.
.....

****************************************
.....I felt I had to address the;"Not everyone has a membership to the Org., and I for one don't have the money to pay a member's fee right now",since the statement is out in cyber space Where were you led to believe this?This is not so.
..........Angie............I am glad you had the option of placing these horses with Family......:D I to,am a recruiter..One of my tenents just bought home a 2' X 2' X ?,(forgot to get the width:o ) last night.I have plans (vacation for me) for this young Lady
.........................Mickey

[Reef_Angel]

Mickey.... I happen to be a huge fan of Seahorse.org. I loved going there for information, and the people there are very nice! Please don't take what I said as negative, because it's not at all meant that way. The statement I made about not being able to afford a membership to the Org. comes from going there one day trying to access a link I had found while doing a search about my seahorses. I got the message that I could not access that area unless I am a paid member. I can't remember anymore what I wanted to know, but I was able to find it on another site that thankfully was a free site. It isn't much fun letting my members here that I can't afford to pay to get on another website, but it's true. We put every penny we have extra toward family needs, and this site. I have an abundance of medical bills that are not covered by insurance, and they still keep building since my doctor and the specialists haven't quite figured out what to do with me yet. I'm called a "text book case". This isn't something that I like to just put up on the board either, because I don't want any pity from our members here, just their friendship and common interests in reefing! They do enough for us by helping us run the site, give great advice to other members, and be the most pleasant people that we've found! We do our best to make it the best site it can be.

Again, we don't have anything against Seahorse.org. There are members from that site that dwell here once in a while as well. We're all out here working toward the same goal, and Captive Reefing is only 2 years old, but we've had some pretty impressive people say it's a great site too. We can only be proud of what CR is growing into! I hope that answers your question/statement. Who

knows

, you may get caught up in CR fever in the future too! ....Angel :angel1:

[Reef_Angel]

I just received your PM this morning with a thank you for playing the devil's advocate. You are quite welcome by the way. I knew you would find the best solution for the situation you've been facing! Good job Angie! This only proves that you are a responsible reef keeper! Keep up the good work, and enjoy your new seahorses! .....Angel :angel1:

Ok I have it figured out.
My sister is going to take the 2 females, and my mom is going to take the 2 males. They both had freshwater tanks that we emptied and set up as saltwater today. My mom's is a 45g high and my sister's is a 29g. (Funny, I gave them both these tanks last year) I divided the LR , sand, and macros that were in the old 75g with them between their two tanks....
Thank Goodness................
THE END !!!!!!!!