# New to Seahorses.. and we just had babies!



## lwatso03 (Dec 24, 2011)

Hey fellow saltwater lovers!
As you can see from my title, I just got into seahorses... about a week or two ago ( i got 2 H.Erectus), after 6-8 months of research, prepping and planning.. and the last thing i expected to happen did... I bought a pregnant male.
He gave birth to 30-45 babies this morning, and I had read about the procedure for keeping them, and know they are super hard to keep alive, so i would love some advice so i can at least try.
I ran to a bunch of aquarium stores in the area, in hopes of finding live baby brine shrimp, with no luck. So i bought the kit to raise my own, and some frozen baby brine shrimp as well. I have also heard mixed reviews about feeding them rotifiers... no luck finding any.


Any other advice/help you be greatly appreciated! 

Thanks guys


----------



## Jaysan (Dec 19, 2011)

If you have Big Als near you, I hear they usually have baby brine shrimp, as well as brine shrimp for sale live.


----------



## lwatso03 (Dec 24, 2011)

Thanks for the quick reply. I went to 2 different big als (Whitby and Scarborough), and called a few more. They either didn't sell them at all or didn't have any in stock. which is why i went with the brine shrimp eggs and frozen baby brine shrimp. I also tried a few other stores in Mississauga (Aquatic Kingdom, etc)


----------



## Jaysan (Dec 19, 2011)

lwatso03 said:


> Thanks for the quick reply. I went to 2 different big als (Whitby and Scarborough), and called a few more. They either didn't sell them at all or didn't have any in stock. which is why i went with the brine shrimp eggs and frozen baby brine shrimp. I also tried a few other stores in Mississauga (Aquatic Kingdom, etc)


Ahh, The big als in Mississauga usually always have live brine shrimp available


----------



## zenafish (Feb 20, 2007)

Congrats!

Don't worry, H.erectus is benthic (they hitch from birth) and are born larger and more hardy than some other fry like the H.reidi, so you're off to an advantage in raising them.

As benthic fry, H.erectus fry is too large to eat rotifers. You should be feeding live baby brine shrimp. They hatch in 24 hours so if you're desperate today, you can try contact Hubert @ Reef Aquatica see if he has any live copepods. This will get you to tomorrow.

To raise the fry, I would recommend a seperate rearing vessel. This way you can do cleaning and such much easier. But I have had success keeping the babies in with the adults. Seahorse parents do not eat their young.

Watch out with filter and powerhead inlets, you would want to guard them so the babies don't get sucked in.

Water quality is key. Make sure the water is nice and clean. Either do super heavy filtration with frequent bottom cleaning, or change your water religiously.

Erectus can be raised on baby brine shrimp for a while until you introduce them to shaved frozen foods and eventually onto whole frozen foods. Meanwhile, to assure good complete nutrition, you should look into enriching your baby brine shrimp. Baby brine shrimp is only good for 24 hours after they hatching, after that you must enrich. And even then, newly hatched BBS is lacking in nutritional profile as well. Look up Dan's Feed from Seahorse Source. He ships up from the States. If you need some I can give you a dash to start. You only use a tiny pinch per enriching.

Good stuff, you got a good thing going! I'm green with envy


----------



## lwatso03 (Dec 24, 2011)

Thanks for the awesome response Zena!! Lots of information to go over. I'll definitely try contacting Hubert while my brine shrimp is hatching. 

I'll keep you posted


----------



## lwatso03 (Dec 24, 2011)

I guess the things I had for feeding them wasn't enough.. I had most (all but 3) die already. Thanks for your help everyone! I'll know for next time.


----------



## joe (Jan 3, 2012)

*Dundas in brampton*

At the big als on dundas in Brampton they always have live brine shrimp!
Congrats with the seahorses thats awesome



lwatso03 said:


> Thanks for the quick reply. I went to 2 different big als (Whitby and Scarborough), and called a few more. They either didn't sell them at all or didn't have any in stock. which is why i went with the brine shrimp eggs and frozen baby brine shrimp. I also tried a few other stores in Mississauga (Aquatic Kingdom, etc)


----------



## zenafish (Feb 20, 2007)

Something else went wrong. The fry shouldn't die within half a day of birth even if you don't feed them right away. Check your system for next time.

BTW how did you collect the fry. If you netted them that could be the reason they might have been injured. Just a tip, use a turkey baster or a cup to catch them together with the water.

Sorry to hear that's unfortunate. Better luck next time.


----------



## lwatso03 (Dec 24, 2011)

Its been a definite heartbreak. we are still taking care of the remaining babies. We learned quickly that a net didnt work (as they just got through the holes), and started moving them with a cup.. 

Unfortunately, I did some quick research as soon as they were born, and read on a few sites to have the temperature a little higher than normal. And told my boyfriend to turn the heater up a little.. not much longer, they died.  Definitely my fault on this one. I wish I had expected babies, and been able to read more on rearing them. I was more focused on keeping the parents alive since I'm new to seahorses.


----------



## disman_ca (Nov 12, 2011)

Sorry for the news, I was excited for you as my wife wants our 2 H. Kuda seahorses to have babies. I wish you luck if it happens again and keep my in mind if are are sucessful in raising them as I buy a few off you. Where did you order them from by the way as I'd be curious to get you feedback on how the supplier was.


----------



## lwatso03 (Dec 24, 2011)

He must have come pregnant.. because we haven't had them long. We have 4 still swimming around happily, but I'm still discouraged.

We got them from Sea U Marine in Markham. The man seemed to have knowledge on them, and was really great with us! I'd definitely go back there again for seahorses, as I enjoyed being able to pick which ones I wanted, and see them prior to purchase.


----------



## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

Big Als in North York had brine shrimp tank. Give them a call before you make the trek though


----------



## disman_ca (Nov 12, 2011)

lwatso03 said:


> He must have come pregnant.. because we haven't had them long. We have 4 still swimming around happily, but I'm still discouraged.
> 
> We got them from Sea U Marine in Markham. The man seemed to have knowledge on them, and was really great with us! I'd definitely go back there again for seahorses, as I enjoyed being able to pick which ones I wanted, and see them prior to purchase.


SeaUMarine? I must have missed it on the shipment list.


----------



## zenafish (Feb 20, 2007)

These H.erectus are from a dedicated seahorse shipment. The supplier only breeds seahorses and Ken ordered H.erectus and H.zosterae (dwarf) from her. These horses are TRUE CAPTIVE BRED IN RECIRCULATED SYSTEMS therefore very acclimatized to aquariums and are super robust. They're worth every dollar invested.

H.erectus are a great beginner seahorse to keep. They grow large so they're impressive in tanks and the babies are one of the easier to rear.

On an other note regarding brine shrimp, the ones Big Al sells are ADULT brine shrimp. To feed seahorse fry you need to hatch BABY BRINE SHRIMP yourself. Frozen BBS or any imitated solid products won't work because the fry are acting on hunting instinct. If it doesn't move and wiggle, it's not food. So don't waste your time trying frozen, it will only foul your water and create a nightmare for you.


----------



## lwatso03 (Dec 24, 2011)

Yes, for anyone looking to get into seahorses, I would recommend the H.Erectus ones I got from Sea U Marine. They have been a fantastic starter and haven't given me too much trouble or stress ( I was expecting a lot more given what I've read on the internet). When I went to Sea U marine, they only had H. Erectus, all of which are black-- some with white. The man working there told me they may change colour, however mine haven't, nor have other peoples' who i know got them from the same shipment.

Quick question for the seahorse keepers out there ( since I've gotten mixed answers from different marine stores...)... Do you always have an even number of seahorses (pairs) , or do you have a tank with odd numbers (1 male, 2 females), etc?


----------



## zenafish (Feb 20, 2007)

If you don't want fry, it is recommended that you keep a group of females. They're more peaceful. Odd or even number doesn't matter. If you want babies then keep pairs to hope they would eventually bond and pair off. Seahorses do better when there's at least two, one horse often sulks. Multiple males creates competition and you will see a lot of intimidation/agression going on.


----------



## lwatso03 (Dec 24, 2011)

hmmm.. Zena, thats an interesting comment about one horse generally "sulking".. I have two, but they seem quite uninterested in each other.. and the female is FAR less showy than the male. He will move around and come up to the glass and sit in the open.. whereas she likes to hide in the back, or in our large cave. Maybe shes "sulking" because those two aren't really bonded....


----------



## zenafish (Feb 20, 2007)

that's not sulking, she's just shy, LOL.

Sulking is lethargic, not eating, and slowly wasting away. Some would do "fine" until you put in a second then all of a sudden you see a change in personality. "Surviving, not thriving" is how I like to put it.


----------



## lwatso03 (Dec 24, 2011)

ooh. lol 
Any ways to coax her out of her "shyness"?


----------

