Wheres best place buy dwarf SH?

[frustrated]

Would like to put dwarf seahorses in daughters 5 gal. tank that has been cycling since right after christmas. Where do you guys recommend buying dwarf seahorses?

[luvabunny]

A weeks worth of cycling is not enough, and you do realize that seahorses are not a childs pet? They require every day BBS hatching and maintenance. If you have set up a 5 gal with LR and LS from one of your other tanks, you may have introduced hydroids which will kill the dwarfs. There is an entire forum on the care and maintenance of dwarf seahorses on www.seahorse.org. There is even a member who is raising and selling captive bred ones. To take a chance on wild caught, try www.floridacollector.com

[frustrated]

I was researching the best places to buy them. It is kind of obvious that a sea horse is not a childs pet but it was something the whole family can enjoy and she can call hers since its in her tank. I had no intentions of buying the sea horses today, just trying to find out where people have had the best of luck purchasing from.

[dickie52]

floridacollector.com

By far the best!!!

[Daedalus88]

The other place to buy them from is Carolina Biological Supply. They supply items to teachers but you're able to buy dwarf seahorses from them. Got mine there and they're doing well. Best prices. Even better than Florida Collector.

[shoobie]

i searched the carolina catalog but came up empty. do you have a link? or did you just order by phone? thanks in advance.

[dickie52]

They are phone order only......Dwarfs are on in the online catalog....

[Hamlin Aquatics]

Floridacollector.com can get them but I think don't think he collects in the winter time.

[Hamlin Aquatics]

BTW, they are a lot of work. Baby brine shrimp must be enriched or the seahorses will not get a balanced diet. Good luck.

[JHardman]

Originally posted by Hamlin Aquatics
Floridacollector.com can get them but I think don't think he collects in the winter time.

Yep, he does. He delivered some to another guy on RC not too long ago, mid Dec I think. I think he is way behind on orders right now though...

[LisaD]

If you want them from Carolina Biological Supply, I recommend you call the order in rather than ordering online. 1-800-334-5551. The catalog number is 16-2995. Five for $15.70 plus shipping from the Florida Keys. Allow at least $25-30 for shipping - it is more cost effective to buy more than one set of five, your shipping will be about the same either way. They are sent FedEx overnight in a foam box with heat or ice as necessary.

You are better off having them delivered where you know someone will be there to sign for them. Use a home address if you are home, work address is even better if you have someone always there to receive.

I work at CBS, I am over product development, marketing and tech support for the live animals. Please realize, we don't usually deal with hobbyists, we generally sell to educators and ship to schools where someone is always there to receive packages.

Bad weather can affect time of delivery. It affects collecting conditions and if it's too bad, FedEx won't pick up.

HTH,
LisaD

[LisaD]

BTW, Bob Brown, Florida Collector, used to be OUR collector years and years ago. He is now retired and running his own one-man operation. He definitely knows what he is doing...

[Hamlin Aquatics]

John, are you presently keeping pygmy seahorses? If so what do you feed them other than baby brine shrimp?

[JHardman]

Originally posted by Hamlin Aquatics
John, are you presently keeping pygmy seahorses? If so what do you feed them other than baby brine shrimp?

Not yet. I have H. zosterae on order from Bob right now. I am just starting to ramp up a breeding program for horses. I intend to feed fortified BBS, Cyclop-eeze and a small species of copepod that I am culturing now.

[Hamlin Aquatics]

Sounds good John, but very labor intensive. TrueBlackPercula and I spilt an order from the Florida Collector last year. He sent them in several colors and some pregnant males. He is a very reputable collector and will put extras in the box. Good luck.

[JHardman]

Originally posted by Hamlin Aquatics
Sounds good John, but very labor intensive.

What isn't in the hatchery. :lol: Besides it give my overly active mind something to solve during sleep. ;)

[monkey21]

i have heard that the florida collector gives a variety of colors and extras also. Does the carolina biological supply offer as big a variey. The reason i ask is because i will be ordering about 48 of them and want to know if i could get a many colors or preganant

[LisaD]

From either one, they will be "ocean run" I am pretty sure. I don't think Carolina Biological Supply ships extra, but it is not unusual to get pregnant males and/or babies born in the bag. Also, seahorses ship very well, so losses in transit are rarer than with many other fish. And with overnight shipping, the babies have a very good chance of making it.

I really can't speak for Bob Brown, you will need to ask him to know for sure about colors, extras, etc.

If you order as many as 48 from either place, you will likely end up with a few unusual colors, but I know you can't order them from CBS and doubt you can do so from FC. They are generally collected fresh and shipped.

LisaD

[csunracer]

Im considering setting up a nano 12 tank for some dwarf seahorses. How many would i be able to sustain in a tank of this size?

[yellowtruck75]

How many could I sustain in a 10 gallon that I would like to put in my dorm room. I think I can hatch brineshrimp for feeding.

[LisaD]

The general guideline is 1 pair per gallon. The problem with larger tanks is that you need a sufficient density of food (generally baby brine shrimp) for the seahorses, but you don't want to overwhelm the filter. That is why tanks around 5-6 gallons or even less are often recommended.

[clsund]

Question to LisaD or anyone else- what amounts are you talking about when feeding BBS to dwarfs?

Also, JHardman, you mentioned fortifying the BBS. How is that accomplished?

TIA.

[JHardman]

Originally posted by clsund
Also, JHardman, you mentioned fortifying the BBS. How is that accomplished?

TIA.

Fortifying is just a mater of "gut loading" the BBS. At about 8 hours after hatching BBS are capable of feeding. The smaller they are the longer it takes them to eat or in other words become fortified. For example it can upwards of 24 hours to gut load ~24 hour old BBS, while adult brine well be gut loaded in 1-2 hours.

You would want to feed the BBS something that is good for the SH. Classically people use Selcon (DHA profile) or phytoplankton. What I do to fortify BBS is just add a couple of drops of Selco to the hatchery and let it bubble over night and feed out thru the next day.

[LisaD]

I understand newly hatched BBS are pretty nutritious because of yolk reserves and may not need gut loading if fed right away? Do you agree, especially when smaller food items are required for the seahorse fry?

[clsund]

LisaD, how much BBS is required to adequately feed Dwarf SH's? I know with fish, the amount is judged by how much can be consumed in 5 minutes. Same with SH's?

[JHardman]

Originally posted by LisaD
I understand newly hatched BBS are pretty nutritious because of yolk reserves and may not need gut loading if fed right away? Do you agree, especially when smaller food items are required for the seahorse fry?

Yes I agree. But that yolk sack gets depleted pretty fast too. For BBS under 12 hours old I don't try to fortify them, just feed out. But for larger needs, i.e. past 24 hours old I fortify.

[LisaD]

I do the same.

[alguy344]

I used to breed them in 1 gallon tanks:)

[alguy344]

They actually prefer to graze all day, well in nature they do.

[LisaD]

I put more in than that, so they have at least some food available at all times. Don't know other folks' experience, but I think dwarf seahorses do better when live food is continually available. It's hard to describe how much...