rykna
Active Member
My constant research has paid off! I recently ordered the book "Practical Fishkeeping SEAHORSES" by Neil Garrick-Maidment. Most of the book contains general knowledge, some out of date, but the breeding and raising fry information is what caught my attention.
Originally Posted by Neil Garrick
In the wild new born fry spend much of the first six to eight weeks swimming in the plankton layer eating. They can consume up to 3,000 particles of food per day(I.E. bacterial soup) and this is one of the main problems facing breeders. Trying to replicate this amount of food in captivity is not easy, and to add to the problems, it has to be highly nutritious and relatively soft in texture due to the seahorse's poor digestive system.
One of the main problems with seahorse fry is the lack of special bacteria in their gut to digest food.(I have had recent suspicions about this) By putting/mixing scraps of dead mysis into the bacterial 'soup' which will be ingested by the fry. This, in turn, will aid the digestive process.
I think that the plankton or bacterial soup is equivalent to the "Phyto Feast" microalgal biomas liquid food that we feed to our filter feeds such as gorgonians. By using this mixture of Phyto Feast with crushed dead mysis not only increase our success raising fry but with adult seahorses!
The other piece of information I found discussed applying topical meds like neosporin on infections. After apply the neosporin it is very important to "seal" the medication on the sea horse with vaseline to stop the medicine from washing off.
The book also noted the the biggest killer of seahorses is caused by Vibrio bateria. Which is treat with the above information. Another way to deal with some strains of Vibrio bacteria is to lower the temperature slowly in the QT.
I have recently come into possession of a victim (from Beth's tank) of the parasite that killed Valiant. I am going to take the body to the biology lab at my daughter's school and dissect the body. What I hope to find is proof that this parasitic infection acts just like tape worms in dogs and cats. These parasites feed on the ingested food, leaving no nutritional value for the seahorse. If so, I should find specimens in the stomach and intestines of the fish. I also collected a live specimen that I think is the adult worm parasite, which I want to look at under a microscope.
I am extremely encouraged by this new information I have found. I hope it will help move towards completing our "seahorse puzzle"!
~Rykna
Originally Posted by Neil Garrick
In the wild new born fry spend much of the first six to eight weeks swimming in the plankton layer eating. They can consume up to 3,000 particles of food per day(I.E. bacterial soup) and this is one of the main problems facing breeders. Trying to replicate this amount of food in captivity is not easy, and to add to the problems, it has to be highly nutritious and relatively soft in texture due to the seahorse's poor digestive system.
One of the main problems with seahorse fry is the lack of special bacteria in their gut to digest food.(I have had recent suspicions about this) By putting/mixing scraps of dead mysis into the bacterial 'soup' which will be ingested by the fry. This, in turn, will aid the digestive process.
I think that the plankton or bacterial soup is equivalent to the "Phyto Feast" microalgal biomas liquid food that we feed to our filter feeds such as gorgonians. By using this mixture of Phyto Feast with crushed dead mysis not only increase our success raising fry but with adult seahorses!
The other piece of information I found discussed applying topical meds like neosporin on infections. After apply the neosporin it is very important to "seal" the medication on the sea horse with vaseline to stop the medicine from washing off.
The book also noted the the biggest killer of seahorses is caused by Vibrio bateria. Which is treat with the above information. Another way to deal with some strains of Vibrio bacteria is to lower the temperature slowly in the QT.
I have recently come into possession of a victim (from Beth's tank) of the parasite that killed Valiant. I am going to take the body to the biology lab at my daughter's school and dissect the body. What I hope to find is proof that this parasitic infection acts just like tape worms in dogs and cats. These parasites feed on the ingested food, leaving no nutritional value for the seahorse. If so, I should find specimens in the stomach and intestines of the fish. I also collected a live specimen that I think is the adult worm parasite, which I want to look at under a microscope.
I am extremely encouraged by this new information I have found. I hope it will help move towards completing our "seahorse puzzle"!
~Rykna
