SEAHORSES!!!

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I can only speak from the LFS I used to work for. I quized the owner about the upkeep of seahorses and he was of the opinion that if you can meet their requirments then they aren't all that difficult to maintain (this is regarding captive bread species) Perfect water quality is a must (but the same would aply for a reef setup!) a species tank where there is no compettion for food, a suficient number of hitching posts and a suitable diet. Their feeding habbits vary between species. dwarf seahorses require constant feeding with enriched live foods and also seem to do better in smaller tanks due to the feeding densities you need to ensure they are eating. They only grow to about 2 inches so the tank size isn't as importent as for some species. He also said that if you meet these requirements then breeding is not uncommen either.

I guess it's all down to whether you are willing to put the time and effort into keeping these beautiful creatures. This advise came from someone who#s been in the trade for over 25 years and I've known for almost 10 years and I trust. All his tanks are imaculate and I've always found his advice to be acurate and helpful.
 
First off- My LFS has a seahorse tank. You can purchase them, but some are difficult to care for. If you're goin to buy one, ensure they are tank raised!!!

Secondly- NOW for you tree hugging, anti-aquarium, FOOLS...
Lets look at the facts... in the wild-

*Natural lifespans for seahorses are virtually unknown. Most estimates come from laboratory or aquarium observations. Known lifespans for seahorse species range from about one year in the smaller species to an average of three to five years for the larger species.

*On its own, a baby seahorse has a lot to contend with. On average, if the population is stable, only two of the thousands of young that a pair produces will reach maturity. Life doesn't become much easier as an adult; the seahorse must still avoid its natural predators, such as crab, tuna, skates, and rays.

*Storms are probably the biggest natural cause of death for adult seahorses because they tear seahorses from their holdfasts, to be cast ashore or die of exhaustion.

---We DO NOT put predators IN OUR TANKS! (You idiots). We DO NOT CAUSE storm conditions in our tank (If we're trying to keep our fish alive). Aquarists are the primary reason that we know so much about an animal that has been difficult to study in the wild.

GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!!!

timdudek.com
 
Max said:
plecoguy said:
Just think about it....WIDE OPEN OCEAN...or 55 gallon aquarium...you do the maths...its like putting you in a little cage...lets see how long that lasts. I keep fish, lots of them, im just simply saying that if you want to argue that keeping seahorses in an aquarium will shorten thier lives...then ill argue that about every fish there is!
whatabout clowfish they stay neer there 'area' rock or plant ect. maybe not swimming 10 feet away, so how is that a wide, open ocean?

i see your point, also i dont.

keeping a seehourse is a bad idea..
It has nothing to do with the piece of rock they inhabit, it has to do with the water around them. The ocean is filled with billions of litres of water, that water constantly moves around. Amonia and other harmful residues are constantly being washed away and replaced by fresh water from currents. This is why people do water changes in an aquarium, to simulate the process that occurs in nature. Same could be said of protein skimmers, they simulate the crashing of waves on rocks to create bubbles which harmful particles stick to which are then removed from the system.

As for keeping seahorses being a bad idea, where did you learn that? Personal research and/or experience? Or word of mouth/Crap you heard other people say? Half the idiots out there wouldn't have a clue except for what they have heard from others. Go out there and research captive bred seahorses for yourself and then shoot off about the subject. Given proper perameters and enough care seahorses can outlive their wild counterparts and spend a long and happy life in captivity, thousands of people around the world successfully keeping AND breeding them is testimony enough to that!

I have recently brought a tank to start keeping seahorses in after researching them for around a year and can honestly say, without a doubt, that I am 110% confident in keeping them. And not just keeping them but having them thrive as alot of others I have talked to are atm. The stigma around keeping cb seahorses is no different to any other old wive's tale out there, utter tripe circulated by uneducated wankers who haven't actually looked into the matter deep enough to see that the last uneducated wanker who told them it was "a bad idea" was wrong.
 
Just because seahorses can be kept sucessfully in captivity doesnt mean they are easy. As you rightly mention, reasearch and lots of it is the key. Seahorses needs a totally different type of tank when compared to other marine life, this alone is enough to make them almost impossible to keep for the "average" hobbiest as they simply arent ware or dont wish to put the extra time to meet their special conditions.

Yes seahorses can be kept but I will still stand by my earlier statment and say they are not for beignners and definately for the more experienced aquarist.
 
If a person has learnt enough through research and dedication and the level of attention and care needed can be provided then I think they are just as easy to keep as any other delicate fish. Just what would you define as a beginner anyhow? Someone who has never kept fish before yet has researched into fishkeeping incessently for long enough can turn out to be more better suited than someone who has kept fish for years and never read bugger all.

As for tank requirements, they aren't that different really. Good filtration, plenty of things to hold onto, no tankmates that are agressive or are going to outcompete them for food, at least one part of the tank that has a slow current for them to rest, the rest of the tank with a slower than normal current as they still need to have water movement contrary to common beliefs, as long as they aren't being blown all around and can swim comfortably. Live rock and live sand is still an option when keeping them as opposed to what alot of people think - yet another myth. Larger bubbles is also better than smaller ones so they don't get air trapped in their pouches.
They need to be fed at least two times a day, cb ones eat frozen foods these days so the level of difficulty is taken down alot when you consider the fact that breeding artemia is no longer needed. As far as I'm concerned, someone who has put in time researching something and knows everything they could possibly find about keeping seahorses is more suited than someone who has kept other sorts of fish for ages and hasn't done a lick of investigation into them.

All that is needed really is common sense, information coming out of the wazoo I.E: researching and crossreferencing from alot of different sources, and not just listening to a couple of other people who haven't looked into them even a fraction of what they should, optimal tank setup, plenty of time and patience, knowledge in the fact that you won't be able to keep much else in the tank bar the seahorses and of course captive bred horses as opposed to wild caught ones.
 
Hi Jennifer,

I disagree with the folks who have posted that these are hard fish to keep.

There is a whole community of folks successfully keeping and breeding them. I have been keeping them for years. They were my first marine tank.
Most of the information presented here has been based on antiquated information. by people who have no experience keeping captive bred seahorses and until they get some current information and give it a try they are just passing on inaccurate information.
Up until a few years ago there was absolutely no information about keeping seahorses bred in captivity. It was all based on experiences of folks keeping all that was available at the time which was wild caught seahorses and once you take the time to do some research you will see they are almost 2 completely different animals.

Yes wild caught seahorses are near impossible and belong left in the wild, BUT captive bred seahorses are an entirely different story. They are healthy, hearty, are trained to accept frozen foods before they leave the aquaculture farms and used to life behind 4 glass walls. They do very well in captivity which can be evidenced by longer life spans, maintaining bright colors, fat bellies, courting and breeding and bearing fry........
provided you purchase captive bred specimens, follow a few basic rules and meet their needs which is not to hard to do.

They are amazing critters.....there are several of us who have kept them past 4 years and reports of life spans as long as 9 years.

Dwarf seahorses are actually more difficult as they do require the daily hatching of brine shrimp which IMO is a PIA.

Start reading and planning your seahorse tank and do not let anyone talk you out of it based on information that was written about wild caught seahorses.

There are close to 18 species being captive bred currently and as long as you make a commitment and meet their needs they do very well. I will add their needs are not to hard to meet......good food, good water and an appropriate environment will go a long way.

There is an entire community of folks that can help you get started if you have not been dissuaded by this thread. If you are interested in some accurate and current information I will pass on a couple of books, articles and links and you can do your own research.......

Pete Giwojna has a book coming out soon called The Complete Guide to the Greater Seahorses in the Aquarium.
Tracy Warland has a booklet out called How to care for your Seahorses in the Marine Aquarium.
FAMA has a monthly column called Horse Forum with tons of CURRENT information.
www.oceanrider.com
www.syngnathid.org
www.saseahorse.com

HTH,

If you have any questions feel free to contact me and I can most likely point you in the right direction....

Leslie
 
Hi leslie, great post! I couldn't have put it better myself. Alot of "educated" info there and worthwhile enthusiasm. And straight from the mouth of a current seahorse keeper with actual personal experience :cool:

Keep them ponies prancing ;)

*Sigh* Alas, my waiting is killing me, but soon I too will have the pitter patter of equines
 

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