Acclimating seahorse behavior

82SC · #1 02/03/2004, 06:59 PM

hi everyone, I just added a seahorse to a 25 gallon tall.

It is a brazilian colored...maybe not the best starter SH but saw one for a great price at my LFS.

I acclimated it, and it has been holding on to a rock lying horizontal for a day. I added some ghost shrimp and it was actively hunting and swimming around. But he has now returned to the horizontal poistion....is this normal?

thanks

MJ

pncstod · #2 02/03/2004, 10:09 PM

You say it is was actively hunting and swimming, but is it eating? Did you see him eat at the LFS? I have never witnessed lying horizontal as normal acclimating behavior. What kind of tank mates are in the 25, and have you tested your water parameters?

mendelec · #3 02/04/2004, 01:01 PM

You are correct. A WC brazilian is certainly not a starter seahorse. You should probably have given it a pass.

That said, please describe the behavior of the SH when it's horizontal. It it actively hunting/peering into crevices or is it just lying/hanging horizontally? Are the eyes actively searching around or just staring into space? The former would be no cause for concern, but the latter definitely would be. Regardless, pncstod is correct. If you haven't done so, recheck all your water parameters. Include as much info. as you have on your next post, including how long the tank has been set up, tankmates and all water parameters. My gut feeling is that your water is probably off somewhere. More questions will probably follow as you fill in some of the blanks.

Please make certain that you're prepared to keep this fellow fed. You're probably picked up a horse that will never take to frozen food. You'll need to identify several sources of suitable livefood, as supplies can be variable and SH's don't do well with starvation.

Best of luck,
Elliot

82SC · #4 02/06/2004, 03:26 PM

well he looks better now. I had some other fish in my refug for a friend that was in the middle of an emergency move of his tank...without them he seems much more comfortable (obviously) and looks better.

I added some ghost shrimp...but he seems to have trouble catching them...the tank is a 25gal I added 6-8 at a time...I tried to add them to the algae where he was hanging out...he'd peer at them look like he was actively hunting...but no real strikes...didn't get to watch too long cuz of work...

any feeding tips? how many ghost shrimp at a time?

also the LFS nearby is gonna start stocking copapods...any experience? and how about amphropods?? (spelling?)

well anyways any advice is much appreciated

MJ

Tracie74 · #5 02/07/2004, 01:59 AM

Hi,

I think you need to go to seahorse.org, and do a little research on seahorses.

82SC · #6 02/07/2004, 09:56 PM

i love it when people say go here
and by "here" they mean a website with hundreds of pages of info...

I've been to the site read the care guide, read the FAQ, and no where does it say..."well from my experience I have a similar size tank and 1 SH so I like to put in XXX number of shrimp at a time"

Tracie74 · #7 02/07/2004, 10:13 PM

My guess is your seahorse is just acclimating to the new environement. This could take several days. Also, I dont' know if you noticed on the Care sheet, but there is a list of suitable tankmates for seahorses. Perhaps the fish you had in with him were not compatible.

Amphipods and Copopods are too small and do not provide enough nutritionally for your H. Reidi. Ghost shrimp that are "gut loaded" will be a good start. I suggest you go the Food and Nutrition seciton at seahorse.org and research possible food sources and ideas.

Spend some time doing some research and learning about seahorse care. It will take some times, but you took on that responsibility when you purchased him

Good luck
Tracie

82SC · #8 02/07/2004, 11:16 PM

thanks for the info...yeah I didn't want to put in the fish but my friend was in a jam

he looks better these days...he is horizontal and swimming around...his eyes are very active and he looks like he is searching I've added ghost shrimp 4 times now

first time I added shrimp was when he was horizontal but he was making strikes at them but he didn't catch them

the following times I have seen him eye the shrimp but no strikes...the shrimp are the right size for his snout...i think I am gonna try to make him a feeding station (small box with hitching posts...add some feather algae so the shrimp stay in the box and sh has color contrast to see them better) maybe that will work...

any other suggestions are greatly appreciated

Tracie74 · #9 02/08/2004, 02:36 AM

You might want to get some ABS and try those. Seahorses cannot go very long without eating. I am not trying to alarm you, but when was the last time you actually saw him eat something? While he is acclimating, it is a good idea to tempt him with as many variations of live food, until you find his weakness.

Tracie

allimar · #10 02/08/2004, 09:49 AM

My first horses were barbs, but one was lying in the horizontal position. He would hunt and even eat ghost shrimp, but eventually started spasming(almost seisure like on the sand) but still had his tail wraped around a hitch. He eventually died.
If he is WC, you might want to do a series of treatments for diseases they can carry. Although they do not show signs right away, I have read that because of stress from shipping, etc. the parasites and other nasties can reak havoc on them while theiir immunity is down. This treatment usually consists of formalin dips. While some do not think this is necessary, I will not add anything without one now.
There are also several online suppliers for marine shrimp that you can feed them. Just call and request the smallest they have. George is on seahorse.org(you can pm him under the name Noni). I bought some from him and my seahorses love them. You can also try ocean rider for their red shrimp. I have not tried them, but I have heard the SH love them. There is also another place that LisaD. has recommended, but I cannot remember the name, try seaching threads here from the past few weeks for saltwater grass shrimp.
Good luck though, and keep us posted!

Tracie74 · #11 02/08/2004, 11:31 AM

Many times WC seahorses do carry parasties etc. I generally do a freshwater dip on new WC's and keep them in a quarantine tank for approx. 4 weeks to make sure they are eating and healthy. I think it is important not to hit a already stressed horse with a ton of meds "just in case" when in fact we dont' know if there is a problem right away. Let them acclimate and keep a watchful eye. If you are buying WC's it is important to always see them eat before you buy them, and do a very careful exam for any possible diseases or problems.

There are many different types of live food you can feed, but ghost shrimp are the easiest to find. Ghost shrimp are easy to find, easy on the pocketbook, and pretty nutritionally sound once they are "gut loaded" with different enrichments. The marine janitors that allimar is talking about can be found at livebrineshrimp.com. I have gotten them several times and horses love them.

I hope this helps.
Tracie

luvabunny · #12 02/09/2004, 11:22 AM

If he is vertical, has good eye movement and is "hunting," I wouldn't do another thing to him until you have seen him eat regularly. Then if you still feel he needs medication, go from there.

Some foods you may try are:
baby livebearers - like guppies or mollies
adult live brine shrimp
frozen mysis
smaller ghosts - even tho my adult reidi can easily snick a large one, they prefer and go after the smallest ones first.
saltwater live mysids or amphipods - sometimes you can find these in an outside filter box.

Some people add garlic to the water. It is supposed to help them regain their appetite. I have never tried it, so can't tell you how much to add.
My adult reidi normally eat 6-7 small, 4-5 medium, or 2-3 large ghost shrimp per day, per horse.
Also, horses like to have friends. He may be very lonely in a tank all by himself. After a crash, my sole surviving horse quit eating, and didn't eat well again until I added a "friend." Now, even tho they are both males, they do everything together, including hunt.

Tracie74 · #13 02/09/2004, 04:02 PM

The garlic isn't added to the water, it is used to soak the food in, or you can just put a few drops on frozen mysis.

Tracie

dapet · #14 02/10/2004, 09:55 PM

Question! My WC horse after being in tank by herself seen to me to be fine. She was there about four week's. After putting her in the 55 gal with George. She was hunting and eating. Next morning she was dead. Cannot seem to keep a mate for old George at all. And George was a WC seahorse from LFS , but started mysis right off. George is about a year old know.

drydiver · #15 02/12/2004, 02:33 AM

82SC

I have a mated pair of Brazilians in a 90 gallon and let me tell you those ghost shrimp are expensive. I like to make sure they get fed. What I do is i get some tweezers with pointy tips, the kind you use to remove splinter and i use them to crush the shrimps tail. This way the shrimps are injured and can't swim to far away. I place them in a regular fish net drop them into the tank in the net and wave net in general vicinity of the seahorse. The shrimps are still alive so they will attract attention. The seahorses will swim to the net and feed. The added bonus is by crushing the tail they are often able to extract the meat from the larger shrimp. After you get them to accept injured live from the net, you can then transition to frozen ghost shrimp, then to PEmysis frozen. Finally, introduce a feeding station. I've done this with several horses without fail.
Good Luck!!

82SC · #16 02/12/2004, 02:43 AM

crushing tails...ingenious...

well I am happy to report that my brazilian is looking much better, color has perked up and is eating ghost shrimp...

I will begin trying to train him to eat frozen mysis...I am thinking of having a shallow dish with hitching posts add ghost and frozen mysis to the dish...see how that works.

also I added a plastic plant...I think he likes hitching to that better then the calupera algae which is stringy...or turbo snail shells....

will keep updating

MJ