HElp! Dwarf Seahorse Sick i Think!?!?!

picoseahorses2

picoseahorses2

Member
ok i have 3 dwarf seahorses and ever sicne i got them back in october one has always had a red spot on the back of its tail toward the top.. but now ive noticed that it is considerably thinner than my other male is it sick or not???
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
usually if a dwarf gets sick they pass on before you can treat them. They are just so small. How old are they
??
T
 
picoseahorses2

picoseahorses2

Member
i didnt really notice that he was thin when i first got him i think because i was soo excited that i was finally geting seahorses in the pic now he doesnt really look that thin because he is stretched out but my other male looked plump and happy but i dont know if yuve ever noticed the ridges on the exoskeleton of a seahorse (like the lines on the outside) but inbetween the ridges it is like really thin and my other on isnt like that, maybe it just because all seahorses are different but idk
im not really sure how old they are they have their pouches so idk how old the are before they are sexually mature but i got them like a month and a half ago
 
reefnutpa

reefnutpa

Member
Are they wild caught or captive bred dwarfs? If they are wild caught, did you worm them when you received them? Also, how often do you feed? I feed my dwarfs 2 or 3 times a day.
Remember the bbs is only slightly nutritious for the first few hours after hatching. After that time, they are useless as food unless you enrich them first. Its for this reason I have 3 hatchers going at all time, with bbs hatching at approximate 6-8 hour intervals.
To enrich the bbs, they must be at least 24-36 hours old. You would put some bbs in a small container (like a little deli container) with fresh saltwater and add just enough enrichment of your choice to tint the water to whatever color the enrichment is. Let the bbs soak in that mixture for a few hours (or until the water is clear again) and then feed out.
Tom
 
picoseahorses2

picoseahorses2

Member
no, im not gut loading them because i thought that if they still had their yolk sacks that they would be nutritious still and that they dont even start filter feeding yet so it wouldnt really do much if they were nely hatched
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
It depends on what type of Artemia that you are using. My LFS carries a brand from San Fransisco that comes in several grades. The Gold grade is the smallest when hatched and of much better quality. I spoke with the supplier in San Fransisco and he recommened the Gold grade for the ponies because this stand of brine hatched smaller. I want to do more research on this product because I am puzzled on how you could make different strands of brine.
The few online places I purchase my ponies from breed their own stock.
CAUTION: I only post these site links because I have been given permission to post sites for ponies due to the fact that SWF does not sell ponies. Any post may be blocked to protect SWF products.


This site has very good care instructions for ponies:
http://www.worldofseahorses.com/dwarf%20basics.htm
This is my favorite site for purchasing stock:
This is the site from San Fransico that sells all sorts of yummy seahorse food:
http://www.argent-labs.com/argentwebsite/indexold.html
Note: this site sells products in bulk. Your LFS may be able to order some products for you if you ask.
There are several other sites I'd be happy to connect you to if you want to email me.
rykna.olson@gmail.com
http://www.seahorseworld.com/
This was the artemia I used to use, but I have not been able to find the product for sale anymore.

This is what I used to gut load my brine:

SWF has these products. I would add these to my hatchery on the 2nd day to "gut" load the brine before feeding:
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=6
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=6
I'll be very happy to help you with you ponies in any way I can.
 
picoseahorses2

picoseahorses2

Member
thanks for all ur help, i stil have 2 left 1 male and 1 female, i still have some hope that maybe they can make it to spring to breed
and ya i question that about the brine shrimp grades too, i get mine from brineshrimpdirect.com
and ordered my dwarfves from ccritters.com just because they were the cheapest prices for dwarves, because im a little short on money right now and every lit deal helps
and ya im just posting these sites because they sell dwarves, but if SWF.com had em id buy from here first

did u get all ur dwarfves from that place u metioned and are they captive bred???
 
cleve_seahorse

cleve_seahorse

Member
Hi , no from ccritters there wild caught....but almost ALL dwarves are wild caught .....The guy that runs that site qt's them for a lil bit and I bought my first dwarves there...He's a good guy to buy from....good luck on your horses....maybe in the spring i'll start selling my brood stock, but nervous about shipping.....oxygenating water, lowering ph for shipping???? have to research
 
picoseahorses2

picoseahorses2

Member
my one female this mornig and throughout the day was comletely white! I know that they can change colors but shes not even hitched onto the white coral skeleton i placed in there i guess shes just trying to camoflauge because she is still eating and is not acting funny
 
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