erectus just had first brood.. now what?

[CTaylor]

Hi,
My erectus just had babies. I saw it happen by random chance. I pulled out about 30 of them . I dont have a lot of time to research like I should on what to do. I have a 20 gallon long and a 10 gallon tank in storage. I can get some air pumps today. What about food? what do I do? they are so cute! lol

[CTaylor]

I think I have a good web site to go by: http://fusedjaw.com/breeding/help-my...st-had-babies/

[redhorse]

Awesome!
Keep us updated on how their doing.
I am hoping mine have fry soon. Get the bbs going and keep reading and gathering info.
Your male might be pregnant already so it is important to get things up and running for the next batch.
PICS?????

[CTaylor]

They are still in the 1/2 gallon tupperware... I'm setting up a 20 gallon long this weekend.
***ANyone know of a breeder I can give/sell the babies to, maybe after they are 1 month old so they have some size on them?
I emailed SeaHorseSource (who I got them from) but they won't respond. I guess it's a dumb question. Though they are a great source! lol

thanks

[rayjay]

Seahorsesource can't respond at the moment as they are dealing with the hurricane.
Normally you would raise the seahorses to around the six month stage where they can be mostly sexed properly, and have reached an age where the most vulnerable have already died off.
If you haven't already got the bbs hatching, there isn't a lot of hope that this first batch will survive though.

[CTaylor]

Hi,

I'm using pre packages live pods til the brine shrimp eggs get here. LFS doesnt even have them. SHS responds to my emails but not that that ?

[redhorse]

This is going to be a big learning process so don't be discouraged by outcome but use every moment and advice given in a positive manor.
My first 300 fry survived a few weeks and I figured I was going to be a millionaire. ha ha
That was 30 years ago and still struggle getting it all figured out.
Enjoy the little ones and take lots of pictures.
Go to Rayjay's sight since he has lots of info to share and has been very successful.

[rayjay]

Originally Posted by CTaylor

SHS responds to my emails but not that that ?

I'm sorry but I don't know what that means!!

[CTaylor]

I put in the pods, but it doesnt seem like the horses are eating them at all. So it has to be baby brine? these pods are tiny .

[rayjay]

What species are the pods?
Are they as small or smaller than baby brine nauplii?
Do you have access to rotifers? They can bridge the gap until you get the brine cysts hatched.

[CTaylor]

i'm pretty sure most are about same size as baby brine. they are not big pods. I'll see if LFS has rotifers. i think they do.
**THey still seem to have yolk sacs. So can that be why they are not eating the pods also?

Thanks!

[rayjay]

Again, what species are the pods?

[CTaylor]

Tigriopus californicus ... tiger pods brand

[rayjay]

OK, the tiggers are too large as adults and only their nauplii might be small enough for the fry.
For me, I used nitokra lacustris along with enriched baby brine.

[CTaylor]

The pods do look as small as baby brine, but I guess not small enough. Will I be ok getting rotifers? If I can find them here.

Thanks!

[rayjay]

Enriched rotifers should get you by until you have the brine shrimp hatched.
When raising H. reidi fry I started them on enriched rotifers for the first 4-7 days before switching to enriched brine.

[CTaylor]

Here's the babies!

[rayjay]

Did you have any luck finding a food for them?

[BlueCat1949]

Chances are slim to none that any of this batch will survive. They do have a small yolk sac that will get them through a few hours maybe 24 at most, but after that they need live foods and lots of it. You will have to feed them small quantities several times a day and keep your water quality up. It is a lot of work but can be very rewarding.

Do what you can to try and save them but having everything in place for the next batch is very important. If you keep doing your research it can be done but it is not easy.

Good luck

[CTaylor]

They were born on the worst day for being not prepared, Friday. LFS here has and knows nothing. I'm going to try to go to another 2 today. I'm at least trying to get brine shrimp eggs. **WIll I even see them snick at any food, or are they so slow to eat I will miss them snicking? And am I ok getting DT's live phyto (some type of mix) to enrich the baby brine / copepods / rotifers? Since californicus may be too large, what species is acceptable for pods? Something like Tisbe?: https://premiumaquatics.com/products...pods-16oz.html
So far I think they still have the yolk sacs.
thanks!

[rayjay]

There are VERY FEW LFSs that know much about seahorses let alone raising their fry, even though many of them THINK they do.
Yes, you will see them snick at food they want.
For enrichment there are better products, see http://seahorsesource.com/?wpsc_prod...ry=enrichments
I believe that the Tisbe are also too large although their nauplii might be OK.
Although I've only used Nitokra Lacustris for fry, ReefPods™ Parvocalanus is the pod I've seen mentioned by some hobbyists using pods for fry and Dan also has those. http://seahorsesource.com/?wpsc-prod...s-parvocalanus
It's really bad timing the birthing occurring when seahorsesource is affected by the hurricane as Dan has anything you need pretty well for raising the fry.
Unfortunately, I think the chances of survival are quite small (not impossible) if you don't get them eating something today, as by the time they get food tomorrow or later, their systems will have become stressed and weakened.

[CTaylor]

Back from far away LFS lol... have rotifers supposedly. I put some in tank. And I see no reaction at all. I also cant actually see the rotifers. :-/

[CTaylor]

I think i was sold a bottle of salt water... I cant see any rotifers at all. I looked rotifers up on youtube. They are not much smaller than the pods. The pods I have are tiny, maybe 1/4 mm. But the horses not eating those. They still have the yolk sacs, I think. Is the little ball at base of their tail not the yolk sac? *I did start a brine shrimp hatchery. So now in a race for time.

[rayjay]

Rotifers are extremely hard to see unless you have the right lighting coming through at the right angle, and sometimes the background behind the container can help or hinder the viewing. I found that a tinge of greenwater in the culture will help accent the rotifers, but much more than a hint of colour can make it harder to see them.
I believe the average saltwater rotifer adult will be around the .2mm range, a little more and a little less, but about 1/2 to 5/8 the size of Tisbe pods and roughly 1/5th the size of tiggers.
I think the egg sack depletes fairly quickly but the sack itself may take a bit longer to disappear. To be honest, I've never bothered to take notice of that point specifically.
Make sure to rinse whatever food you do use before feeding to the fry, and with your brine hatching, don't allow any hatch water to come in contact with the fry water.
It's actually the best idea IMO, to either decap or at least sterilize the cysts before hatching, but many use peroxide to sterilize after the hatching as that process is also seen to make separation of empty and unhatched cysts from the live nauplii easier.

[CTaylor]

My babies may be eating whatever I'm giving them, rotifers, pods. Since all of them are still alive. *when I rinse the brine shrimp in H2O2 , do i just pour it over them (in a strainer net)? Thanks