Do you fast your seahorses a day a week?

pfan151 · 04/09/2016, 09:58 AM

I've been reading about fasting. Just wondering if it is something I should start doing. My horses are still growing so I'm not sure it will be an issue yet. I feed primarily PE mysis with some live ghost shrimp in the tank with them that they pick off when they can catch them.

BlueCat1949 · 04/09/2016, 05:14 PM

PE mysis is pretty fatty and even though it makes great staple diet too much of a good thing can be bad. Some people like to lay off the PE and feed other foods like live brine or other live shrimp. Since you are already adding shrimp just skip a day on the PE and let them hunt for a living.

rayjay · 04/09/2016, 07:56 PM

Haven't been doing so for over 13 yrs now.

tjdouglas · 04/10/2016, 04:41 AM

Never fast mine...I have some that are over five years old now and seem to be doing fine.

pfan151 · 04/10/2016, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayjay

Haven't been doing so for over 13 yrs now.

I think I read it on an old post on another forum but you feed PE mysis right?

rayjay · 04/10/2016, 08:13 AM

I used to feed both PE and Hikari mysis, but the erectus seahorses I have now don't seem to like the PE much so at present I'm just feeding Hikari. Years ago the reidi wouldn't eat anything but the PE after I had introduced it to the tank.
For my 90g tank (8 erectus) I feed 5g Hikari 3 times daily and for the smaller tanks proportionally smaller amounts which also takes into account the different filtration methods and numbers seahorses in them.
I used to just thaw the food in water and then add to the tanks, but for the last while now I've been thawing it and then rinsing it under the tap in green mesh nets that really allow for the smaller pieces to be washed out but keep most of the full sized mysis.
This leaves less crap in the tank to cause problems as I found most smaller and partial pieces were NOT taken by most seahorses, leaving them to degrade water quality and plug up filtration faster.

BlueCat1949 · 04/10/2016, 10:58 AM

I think the point here is you need to feed more than one food no matter what your choice is for your horses. Variety is always good.

CritterHeaven · 04/13/2016, 02:50 PM

I never fasted them. PE, hikari, gut loaded adult brine shrimp

vlangel · 04/13/2016, 08:15 PM

I nevet fast my seahorses either.

Ogi · 05/01/2016, 01:16 AM

Lobster eggs and mysis for my ponies, fed 2-3 times a day, a quarter cube at a time, man do they have appetites!

vlangel · 05/01/2016, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ogi

Lobster eggs and mysis for my ponies, fed 2-3 times a day, a quarter cube at a time, man do they have appetites!

Hi Ogi! Did your seahorses take to the lobster eggs right away or did you mix it in with their mysis to train them on to it? By the way,what specie of seahorses do you have?

glh7767 · 05/03/2016, 03:07 PM

yes i do fast them once a week. i try to use hikari, salt water based, more than p.e. seahorses are prone to fatty liver disease, and fasting makes them "pull" nutrition from the liver. most of the time i accomplish it by going out of town. doing it while at home is tough, as every time you walk by the tank you draw a crowd.

iluvmyfishes · 06/15/2016, 01:01 AM

I do not ever fast my seahorses but sometimes I feed live ghost shrimp or enriched adult brine instead of Hikari Mysis. My horses prefer Hikari to PE.

pfan151 · 06/15/2016, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iluvmyfishes

I do not ever fast my seahorses but sometimes I feed live ghost shrimp or enriched adult brine instead of Hikari Mysis. My horses prefer Hikari to PE.

Mine seem to like both pretty equally. I just stick with PE for the most part because its so much less of a mess.

04/09/2016, 09:58 AM	#1
pfan151 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: FL Posts: 1,897	Do you fast your seahorses a day a week? I've been reading about fasting. Just wondering if it is something I should start doing. My horses are still growing so I'm not sure it will be an issue yet. I feed primarily PE mysis with some live ghost shrimp in the tank with them that they pick off when they can catch them.

04/09/2016, 07:56 PM	#3
rayjay Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 3,969	Haven't been doing so for over 13 yrs now. __________________ Seahorses. Culture nanno, rotifers and brine shrimp. Current Tank Info: Seahorses

04/10/2016, 08:13 AM	#6
rayjay Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 3,969	I used to feed both PE and Hikari mysis, but the erectus seahorses I have now don't seem to like the PE much so at present I'm just feeding Hikari. Years ago the reidi wouldn't eat anything but the PE after I had introduced it to the tank. For my 90g tank (8 erectus) I feed 5g Hikari 3 times daily and for the smaller tanks proportionally smaller amounts which also takes into account the different filtration methods and numbers seahorses in them. I used to just thaw the food in water and then add to the tanks, but for the last while now I've been thawing it and then rinsing it under the tap in green mesh nets that really allow for the smaller pieces to be washed out but keep most of the full sized mysis. This leaves less crap in the tank to cause problems as I found most smaller and partial pieces were NOT taken by most seahorses, leaving them to degrade water quality and plug up filtration faster. __________________ Seahorses. Culture nanno, rotifers and brine shrimp. Current Tank Info: Seahorses

04/13/2016, 02:50 PM	#8
CritterHeaven Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 83	I never fasted them. PE, hikari, gut loaded adult brine shrimp __________________ Kim at CritterHeaven "Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace." -Dr. Albert Schweitzer

05/03/2016, 03:07 PM	#12
glh7767 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: hatboro, pa. Posts: 158	yes i do fast them once a week. i try to use hikari, salt water based, more than p.e. seahorses are prone to fatty liver disease, and fasting makes them "pull" nutrition from the liver. most of the time i accomplish it by going out of town. doing it while at home is tough, as every time you walk by the tank you draw a crowd. __________________ gary henkel gary.henkel@gmail.com Current Tank Info: mixed sps ,lps soft, anemones, seahorses

04/09/2016, 05:14 PM	#2
BlueCat1949 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 197	PE mysis is pretty fatty and even though it makes great staple diet too much of a good thing can be bad. Some people like to lay off the PE and feed other foods like live brine or other live shrimp. Since you are already adding shrimp just skip a day on the PE and let them hunt for a living.

04/10/2016, 04:41 AM	#4
tjdouglas Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Long Beach, California Posts: 218	Never fast mine...I have some that are over five years old now and seem to be doing fine.

04/10/2016, 10:58 AM	#7
BlueCat1949 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 197	I think the point here is you need to feed more than one food no matter what your choice is for your horses. Variety is always good.

04/13/2016, 08:15 PM	#9
vlangel Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 2,409	I nevet fast my seahorses either.

05/01/2016, 01:16 AM	#10
Ogi Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Australia Posts: 197	Lobster eggs and mysis for my ponies, fed 2-3 times a day, a quarter cube at a time, man do they have appetites!

06/15/2016, 01:01 AM	#13
iluvmyfishes Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Orange County CA Posts: 143	I do not ever fast my seahorses but sometimes I feed live ghost shrimp or enriched adult brine instead of Hikari Mysis. My horses prefer Hikari to PE.