Seahorse's vs. Aptasia!

[Reef_Angel]

I think I'm doing pretty good with the understanding of Seahorses and their needs & care, but I don't think anyone could ever know it all. I find new information about these awesome creatures all the time, so I try to sponge it all up. I would like to put more emphasis on Seahorses on CR since I think there is growing interest in them. I would like CR to be another valuable category in reefing that won't cost it's members to be part of, while providing the same amount of accurate information on them.
I haven't heard from DavidP in quite a while. I was hoping to lean on him a lot with my first batch of fry. Last email I got, he said he's been extremely busy. He told me he hasn't kept any fry since a first & second batch. He was able to sell many, but for now he's letting the fry just go to natural selection. I see myself having to do the same. I don't know how anyone could keep every batch. Anyway, I've got a letter off to him to see whats up. I'll let everyone know what I hear if he's to busy to come on.

Ah yes angel, you see once the 75 gets set up and the 55 gets torn down it is going to turn into a tank for seahorses. the tentative plan is 4 seahorses, 2 pipefish, and a manderin... i will be stocking up on pods... and MUCH hard research on them.

Wow Girl! That's going to be one big Seahorse Tank! I imagine you plan on doing some investigating into all the different fish and coral that can cohabitate with ponies right? Otherwise, that tank would be way to big!! My 6 are in a 45g octagon tank that has more height than width. In a 75G tank, you could house 20-40. That's a lot of seahorses!! Then again, I could ship all the fry that I don't know what to do with, and you can raise them and sell them. Now there's a full-time hobby for you! I'd like to turn my other 45g tank into a combo reef/seahorse tank, but then again, I already have that with this tank. So I may just build myself a nice little reef in the other 45g. It would be fun to have one of each on each side of the bed.

.....but i do know that if i get them i want to get stock from the site. that means from you angel... or angie... or justdavidp... or by that time who ever is offering ponies!

You know you can count on me if I'm successful. I don't know how many batches of fry I'd actually try to raise. They can get pregnant again like 6 days after they have the batch they're carrying, as the female is ready within that time to pass her next batch of eggs on. That was an amazing little fact I read about, and gestation for seahorses is 14 days. You have to really guess when they actually accomplished breeding which isn't all that easy. I just watch the males tummy's grow and watch for them to slow down. Snickett has been resting his tummy on the live rock, on leaves of plants, just about anything. He eats a lot still! I'm supposed to watch him to become agitated and the contracting of his pouch. I still have this feeling I don't know new enough no matter how much I read. Who knows, it may not work out, but I'll give it the old college try!

All any of us can do is learn through experience. We'll learn more and more as we go through it. We'll cry through our losses, laugh with joy at our successes, and I'm sure feel frustration over all the extra work we may find we have to do. It's worth it though. All in the name of reefing! .....Angel

[Reef_Angel]

I have to admit, I have thought of a pony tank but a good dose of commen tells me that will need to wait for a number of years. At this point I am content on just tuning in to the "Days of Lives in a Pony Tank." So keep up the good posts and thanks for the offer.

Now Shad, you have plenty of time before you would actually have to even worry about setting up a tank or anything. I'm still going to put you at the top of my list if I have any success with this venture. Of course I would never force them on you, you know that! I just know you'd be great with them is all! I just want my Snickett to get through his pregnancy & delivery without any problems. Anything I gain from there is just the frosting on the cake!
.....and I still think your girls would love them! :seahorse::love1: .....Angel

PS. Will you also send a picture of your new little girl to me for the Mug Shot Album. A family photo would be real nice too! :o

[mutts]

have you went to oceanrider.com angel? i think i found (just by coloration and size... again no major research yet) some of the sea horses i want to add. i love the sunburst, the mustangs... the red ones are really nice, and the pintos. but that is major bucks when i'm trying to set up 3 tanks (don't know how that happened!)!

[Reef_Angel]

I just went there, and wow...I shouldn't look at anymore seahorses or I'm going to have tanks all over the place. I think i'm gonna stick with my 6 sweeties and be happy with them. Somehow I can see you doing the variety, but you sure have lots and lots of ready to do....on different species too. Cool site though! Thanks for telling me about it! ...Angel

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

Another great place to buy HEALTHY seahorses is www.seahorsesource.com
He is out of erectus now, but he has other species. I was also checking out dracomarine.org too since seahorsesource was out of the erectus.

My first choice will always be seahorsesource because I have heard Nothing but great things about his horses. He also carries all of the meds and supplies you need for them. Plus....he's a nice guy. When I placed med orders from him, he called me to discuss what I needed them for and to see if he could suggest anything else that may work better.

Angie

[Sweetpea]

Same as before... I follow these pony threads. Angie, I really hope your little guy is recovering! Angel, I'm glad your little girl has healed from her rin-in with the aptasia...

You gals are really tough as nails... I don't think I could be as calm and strong as you two are!

[JustDavidP]

Two words... PEPERMINT SHRIMP.

The larger the better. Some of the smallish excuses for shrimp in the pet stores will quickly become lunch for the ponies. However, I have three large (2 inches or more) pepps in my tank and it is aptaisia free. To boot.....an added bonus is that they will breed and the ponies love the baby shrimp.

D

[Reef_Angel]

Well, I have 7-8 of them ordered up! They just better be the kind that love aiptasia. Everyday I am nuking the darn things. Next morning I find 6 or more of them...that I can see anyway. We never had them in our 180G tank, and we brought in new coral, fish, rock, you name it. I'd see one, nuke it and that was the end of it. They are definitely lethal to seahorses if one attaches to one and you don't see it right away, or they get very sick if they accidently rest on top of one of those nasty things! That's very scary stuff! So I'm up to my pits in the tanks daily nuking these things. I just keep telling myself that soon I will have the peppermints. I hope they come hungry!!