Red Sea Horse - Difficult to acclimate?
- Thread starter kingedo
- Start date
meowzer
Moderator
WELL...WELCOME TO SWF....BUT
What are you putting this horse in? Have you done any research on seahorses? I ask this because I feel that if you had, you would know how to acclimate one...
At the top of this section there are a few EXCELLENT threads to read on seahorses....read them, and ask any other questions you may have...if we can help...we will.
What are you putting this horse in? Have you done any research on seahorses? I ask this because I feel that if you had, you would know how to acclimate one...
At the top of this section there are a few EXCELLENT threads to read on seahorses....read them, and ask any other questions you may have...if we can help...we will.
S
shrimpy brains
Guest
Please, don't take this badly, just want to inform you of a couple things.
First, the above link you posted will be deleted by the moderators of this site as you are not aloud to post links to competiter sites.
Second, I would drip acclimate this horse over several hours, while doing this, I recommend,(as meowser said) you read the first 3 seahorse threads.
I clicked on your link, and (correct me if I'm wrong) but I beleive this is a wild caught seahorse. If that is the case, you will need to have live foods available, (mysis, pods, etc.) You will most likely have problems trying to get it to eat frozen foods.(in the future i would recommend captive bred horses)
Seahorses are prone to infections/parasites, so it is recommended you keep your water at 74 degrees.
It is recommended, that they are kept in a species only tank, or with very docile tankmates. Also, no stinging corals, (see compatability list on this forum)
Also, seahorses are chameleons, so don't be surprised if your pretty red horse changes color.
If you knew all this already, please excuse me, your question led me to believe you did not.
teresaq
Active Member
Did you only buy one?? What kind of tank are you keeping it in???
Horses are social creatures and should really be kept in pairs.
Also, this horse is prob wild caught, and should be treated as such. Google worming wild caught seahorse.
So you have a QT tank set up. You should keep it in qt until it is wormed and converted to frozen
T
Horses are social creatures and should really be kept in pairs.
Also, this horse is prob wild caught, and should be treated as such. Google worming wild caught seahorse.
So you have a QT tank set up. You should keep it in qt until it is wormed and converted to frozen
T
danu
Member
Drip acclimation has been considered the way to go for a long time. Many are now recommending a simpler method. Simply float the bag unopened until the temperatures are equal between the bag and the tank, then instead of opening the bag and slowly adding water, simply remove the seahorse and place in the tank. This method is not only easier, it is also less stressful for the fish.
Dan
Dan
ann83
Member
As has been said, seahorses change color, so the seahorse will not necessarily stay red. For that matter, it may not even arrive red.
While the seahorse pictured isn't H. reidi (I agree with Lois, it appears to be H. barbouri), it also isn't a red seahorse. It is a picture taken from the internet of a tan-colored seahorse and has been photoshopped red. Go to Google Images and type in "seahorse". It's the third picture. That picture is used pretty often, and rarely ever correctly. So, its just as likely you may receive a reidi afterall, since the picture is obviously not their stock.
We'll all be interested in pictures of what your seahorse looks like when it arrives. Good luck!
While the seahorse pictured isn't H. reidi (I agree with Lois, it appears to be H. barbouri), it also isn't a red seahorse. It is a picture taken from the internet of a tan-colored seahorse and has been photoshopped red. Go to Google Images and type in "seahorse". It's the third picture. That picture is used pretty often, and rarely ever correctly. So, its just as likely you may receive a reidi afterall, since the picture is obviously not their stock.
We'll all be interested in pictures of what your seahorse looks like when it arrives. Good luck!
sueandherzoo
Active Member
Originally Posted by DanU
http:///forum/post/3081680
Drip acclimation has been considered the way to go for a long time. Many are now recommending a simpler method. Simply float the bag unopened until the temperatures are equal between the bag and the tank, then instead of opening the bag and slowly adding water, simply remove the seahorse and place in the tank. This method is not only easier, it is also less stressful for the fish.
Dan
Wow - that really surprises me..... how do you feel about the new method, Dan? What about abrupt change in salinity and ph? Yes, it definitely seems easier and less stressful but not if the horse is going to be shocked by a big difference in water properties.
Interesting . . . .
Sue
http:///forum/post/3081680
Drip acclimation has been considered the way to go for a long time. Many are now recommending a simpler method. Simply float the bag unopened until the temperatures are equal between the bag and the tank, then instead of opening the bag and slowly adding water, simply remove the seahorse and place in the tank. This method is not only easier, it is also less stressful for the fish.
Dan
Wow - that really surprises me..... how do you feel about the new method, Dan? What about abrupt change in salinity and ph? Yes, it definitely seems easier and less stressful but not if the horse is going to be shocked by a big difference in water properties.
Interesting . . . .
Sue
er..md
Member
I bought a red Reidi from this site to put with my 2 yellow and one orange Reidi and he arrived pale brown and is now a mixture of yellow and gray...He eatls like a pig and has grown an inch, but no sign of any red on him The tank is loaded with red gorgonians and heavily encrusted purple coraline...
Anybody have any tips on getting some red in him?
Anybody have any tips on getting some red in him?
olemiss
Member
Originally Posted by ER..MD
http:///forum/post/3082974
I bought a red Reidi from this site to put with my 2 yellow and one orange Reidi and he arrived pale brown and is now a mixture of yellow and gray...He eatls like a pig and has grown an inch, but no sign of any red on him The tank is loaded with red gorgonians and heavily encrusted purple coraline...
Anybody have any tips on getting some red in him?
sent you a pm
http:///forum/post/3082974
I bought a red Reidi from this site to put with my 2 yellow and one orange Reidi and he arrived pale brown and is now a mixture of yellow and gray...He eatls like a pig and has grown an inch, but no sign of any red on him The tank is loaded with red gorgonians and heavily encrusted purple coraline...
Anybody have any tips on getting some red in him?
sent you a pm
runn3rb3an
Active Member
dingus890
Member
Welcome to the SH board!
Do not use the drip acclimation. Just float the bag for 15 to 20 mins to get the temp. the same as in the tank. Open the bag and take out a cup of water and throw it away. Make sure not to get the bags water into your tank. Put a cup of water from your tank into the bag. Wait 15 to 20 mins. Repeat and release into the tank. Make sure your tank lights are off when you acclimate as fish do not have eyelids and can go into shock from being in a dark box to a sunny reef in seconds..lol
The Drip method is ok for when you buy something locally or really sensitive like inverts. Why the drip method isn't good for seahorses that have been shipped, is the bag of water they are coming in has been fouled by the trip making the ammonia rise. Adding that water to a bucket with the seahorse for a few hours could be fatal.
<<Edit: Just read the rest of the post and saw Dan posted a similar thing..
haha. But I have never heard of just putting the horses(or any fish for that matter)directy into the tank without any acclimation?For some corals yes but not fish?? I only thought you could do this if you know for sure that the bags water is the same as your tank water>>
Do not use the drip acclimation. Just float the bag for 15 to 20 mins to get the temp. the same as in the tank. Open the bag and take out a cup of water and throw it away. Make sure not to get the bags water into your tank. Put a cup of water from your tank into the bag. Wait 15 to 20 mins. Repeat and release into the tank. Make sure your tank lights are off when you acclimate as fish do not have eyelids and can go into shock from being in a dark box to a sunny reef in seconds..lol
The Drip method is ok for when you buy something locally or really sensitive like inverts. Why the drip method isn't good for seahorses that have been shipped, is the bag of water they are coming in has been fouled by the trip making the ammonia rise. Adding that water to a bucket with the seahorse for a few hours could be fatal.
<<Edit: Just read the rest of the post and saw Dan posted a similar thing..
kingedo
New Member
Hello,
Thanks for all the feedback guys. At the end, I did not drip, but acclimate with the bag closed for temperature by floating it for a while.
Then once open, I did a pretty quick acclimation with adding some water, but they suggested not to have it in the bag too long.
I had some trouble at first with feeding, now he is eating all the ghost shrimp I can get easily.
Here is a picture in my holding tank, for the ID. Sorry I took a while.
Overall, I am pretty happy, its a real nice red and its great he is feeding and apparently healthy.
Thanks for all the feedback guys. At the end, I did not drip, but acclimate with the bag closed for temperature by floating it for a while.
Then once open, I did a pretty quick acclimation with adding some water, but they suggested not to have it in the bag too long.
I had some trouble at first with feeding, now he is eating all the ghost shrimp I can get easily.
Here is a picture in my holding tank, for the ID. Sorry I took a while.
Overall, I am pretty happy, its a real nice red and its great he is feeding and apparently healthy.
S
shrimpy brains
Guest
I'd still get her a friend.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Shrimpy Brains
http:///forum/post/3095534
I'd still get her a friend.
I agree......a single horse tends to get lonely. You may want to (don't laugh!!) tape a mirror up to the aquarium glass until you can get another horse. You will be surprised at how much the seahorse may try to interact with his reflection when you do this! Also, as mentioned, this seems to be a wild-caught H. reidi seahorse. As such, you should probably only get another H. reidi -- mixing species seems to be detrimental in most tanks.
If this is a wild-caught horse, you might want to consider a deworming medication while the horse in in quarantine....if that's what you meant by "holding tank," right? Google a drug called "panacur" and read up on how to use this. It's not necessary if the horse is captive bred, but probably necessary for a wild seahorse.
I'm glad to hear your horse is eating so well! I see you have live ghost shrimp available...that's good, esp. for a wild seahorse. You might consider supplementing the ghost shrimp with selcon vitamins and a liquid phytoplankton mixture...ghost shrimp are filter feeders for the most part, and if you let them sit in a container with a squirt or two of these additives mixed in the saltwater, they will absorb them in their gut before you feed them to the seahorses. I know you may have a hard time getting frozen mysis shrimp where you live, but if you can it is a good safe food to wean your wild H. reidi on to. Personally I wish I had a cheap supply of live saltwater ghost shrimp. My H. reidis go nuts whenever they get a live treat like that.
Glad to hear the horses is doing well, and good luck for the future!
P.S: It's hard to tell given the angle of the picture, but I think you have a female there.
windlasher
Member
Originally Posted by novahobbies
http:///forum/post/3095605
Personally I wish I had a cheap supply of live saltwater ghost shrimp. My H. reidis go nuts whenever they get a live treat like that.
I just send you a PM on that cheap source of Ghost Shrimp.
http:///forum/post/3095605
Personally I wish I had a cheap supply of live saltwater ghost shrimp. My H. reidis go nuts whenever they get a live treat like that.
I just send you a PM on that cheap source of Ghost Shrimp.
cranberry
Active Member
Originally Posted by novahobbies
http:///forum/post/3095605
You might consider supplementing the ghost shrimp with selcon vitamins and a liquid phytoplankton mixture...ghost shrimp are filter feeders for the most part, and if you let them sit in a container with a squirt or two of these additives mixed in the saltwater, they will absorb them in their gut before you feed them to the seahorses.
Ghost shrimp are not filter feeders. They'll eat flake food... poop... each other.
http:///forum/post/3095605
You might consider supplementing the ghost shrimp with selcon vitamins and a liquid phytoplankton mixture...ghost shrimp are filter feeders for the most part, and if you let them sit in a container with a squirt or two of these additives mixed in the saltwater, they will absorb them in their gut before you feed them to the seahorses.
Ghost shrimp are not filter feeders. They'll eat flake food... poop... each other.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
very true, but if you leave them in a clean container with no other food than phytoplankton, they will manage to eat it. I've done this with mine in the past -- shrimp starts out with a clear mud vein and ends up with a greenish-colored tract....so it's gotta be eating something...
This probably only works if there's nothing else to eat, as you mentioned. Bloody cockroaches of the sea..... eh, what the heck, they still taste good with cocktail sauce!
This probably only works if there's nothing else to eat, as you mentioned. Bloody cockroaches of the sea..... eh, what the heck, they still taste good with cocktail sauce!
danu
Member
Sue and Dingus,
Sorry, I haven't been available for awhile. Just getting back into the swing of things.
We used to recommend a lengthy acclimation. Interestingly enough, we didn't do this with new arrivals that we received, as everything that came in the building got a freshwater dip before entering our tanks. This got me to thinking and I started researching acclimation. I found that many did not recommend drip acclimation, rather equalizing termperature and immediately removing the fish from the bag. This list is lengthy, Fenner, Calfo, Bartelme, Michael, Stoskopf, Blasiola, Gratzek, USDA, University of Hawaii Sea Grant Extension Service, and I am sure I can find others.
When the seahorses are being shipped in a bag, they will give off CO2. This in turn will lower the pH in water. This and a low temperature in the bag will help lower the toxicity of the ammonia that builds up. When the bag is opened, the pH will begin to shift as the CO2 is expelled. Combine this with any warming of the water and the ammonia toxicity increases. Adding tank water to the bag only lengthens the time the fish are exposed to increased ammonia toxicity and increases the stress to the fish. They will have already gone through a temperature adjustment and a pH swing, a minor change in salinity is less stressful than the ammonia change.
According to Dr. Stoskopf extensive research shows that there is greater mortality with drip acclimation. We have found since we have changed our recommendations on acclimation, we have fewer issues with customers when they receive their animals. This includes a faster response to feeding after arrival.
Dan
Sorry, I haven't been available for awhile. Just getting back into the swing of things.
We used to recommend a lengthy acclimation. Interestingly enough, we didn't do this with new arrivals that we received, as everything that came in the building got a freshwater dip before entering our tanks. This got me to thinking and I started researching acclimation. I found that many did not recommend drip acclimation, rather equalizing termperature and immediately removing the fish from the bag. This list is lengthy, Fenner, Calfo, Bartelme, Michael, Stoskopf, Blasiola, Gratzek, USDA, University of Hawaii Sea Grant Extension Service, and I am sure I can find others.
When the seahorses are being shipped in a bag, they will give off CO2. This in turn will lower the pH in water. This and a low temperature in the bag will help lower the toxicity of the ammonia that builds up. When the bag is opened, the pH will begin to shift as the CO2 is expelled. Combine this with any warming of the water and the ammonia toxicity increases. Adding tank water to the bag only lengthens the time the fish are exposed to increased ammonia toxicity and increases the stress to the fish. They will have already gone through a temperature adjustment and a pH swing, a minor change in salinity is less stressful than the ammonia change.
According to Dr. Stoskopf extensive research shows that there is greater mortality with drip acclimation. We have found since we have changed our recommendations on acclimation, we have fewer issues with customers when they receive their animals. This includes a faster response to feeding after arrival.
Dan