Brazilian Giant Seahorse

[dickenscd]

How easy to keep them?

Where can I find related information?

James

[ann83]

James,
Brazillian seahorses are Hippocampus reidi. There is a wealth of information both on this site, on seahorse.org, and on syngnathid.org about this species.

If you get a captive bred specimen, like those sold at www.seahorsesource.com, they are one of the more hardy species of seahorses to keep and their care is very similar to that of other seahorses, except that their fry are more difficult to raise.

Minimum tank size for a pair of reidi would be 29 gallons; bigger is better. Temperature range is 70-74 degrees.

If you get a WC or "TR" specimen, it will need to be quarantined for 9 weeks while you de-worm it with metronidizole, fenbendizole, and praziquantel; and you will need to provide it with lots of live food in the form of live mysis and ghost shrimp ($$$) possibly for its entire livespan, 5+ years, or at least until it is trained to frozen foods. I would not recommend getting a WC or "TR" seahorse.

[zombiereef]

I would not recommend getting a WC or "TR" seahorse.
excuse my ignorance, but what other choices do we have?
tank raised, wild caught or ???

[ann83]

Captive Bred. The "tank raised" seahorses are being imported from overseas where they are often times "bred" in large pens in the ocean and then briefly "raised" in tanks. They come with all of the bacteria and parasite problems as Wild Caught seahorses. This is not the case with the "tank raised" label on all species of fish, but it is pretty apparent that it is the case with seahorses. Semantically, "tank raised" as a concept should be similar to captive bred; but as a label on seahorses, it isn't.

[mrgreenthumb]

captive bred is the only way to go. easier to keep, plus were not taking from our already dwindeling natural resources. Often times tank raised were once wild then gathered when young and raised in ocean pins, and most have spent less time in a tank than in the ocean. I have personally seen many of these "tank raised" die within 1-2 weeks all from a nasty flesh eating bacteria known as vibrio. IME have never seen a "tank raised" make it past quarentine. just my 2 cents

[dickenscd]

The reidi seahorses are wild caught, they are very colorful and have only taken live brine shrimp in the past one week. How to train them to eat frozen food?

I have kept another black seahorse caught at Hampton Bay, Long Island, NY in a 92G tank since last Sept., he ate frozen mysis shrimp from the day one, and is fighting with other butterfly fish for food without problem.

James

James

[mrgreenthumb]

I would soak the live brine shrimp with some frozen mysis for at least a half hour then feed out the mixture. Start with 25% frozen 75% live and just keep reducing the amount of live you feed and hopefully they will catch on. No promises though the only wild caught I have ever tried to keep were H. comes and they never did take frozen no mater how hard I tried or what I did. I guess it just depends on the horse. Also live brine arn't very nutrious so you should enrich them with some selcon and some sort of phyto to make them more nutritious.

[ann83]

There are several different methods for training seahorses to frozen in the "Wild Caught Seahorses" forum on seahorse.org

[Fragman2]

So do the tank raised Sea Horses eat frozen mysis or something else? Or do they require live foods when you get them/

[Fragman2]

So do the tank raised Sea Horses eat frozen mysis or something else? Or do they require live foods when you get them?

[ann83]

Captive bred seahorses should be eating frozen mysis when you receive them.