Help me decide on my first seahorse purchase.

aquaman99

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Hello all,

My take has been up and running now for 4 months. I have great pod populations. My corals are all doing great. My pink streaked wrasse is happy and healthy. Now it's time to add my first seahorse since this is going to be a seahorse tank.

Eventually I want a Reidi X Erectus Hybrid but they are extremely rare and I am on the waiting list with the company who produces them.

Anyway, my question is: I am on Live Aquaria's website and I am considering getting either the
Lined Seahorse - Captive-Bred or the Lined Seahorse, Captive-Bred ORA® And I honestly do not know the difference. They are basically the same price. The pictures look a bit different. How do I know which one is "better"?
 

rayjay

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When I check out those links I see $20 difference for the same species of seahorse and the main reason is that in the more expensive case it doesn't say UNSEXED as does the cheaper one. Unsexed implies that they are too young to be sexed, and, IMO, that means they are too young to be sold, as fatalities are higher the younger they are.
Have you checked out Seahorse Source, or, Seahorse Savvy? Dan Underwood of SS is probably the most recognized and most helpful breeder in North America when it comes to seahorses.
I personally always recommend starting from scratch with a completely sterile setup. I wouldn't consider a wrasse as a tank mate even though the one you have is less of a problem than most.
Have you already checked that your corals are all suitable for seahorses? Some corals, like stinging types are NOT suitable, and, some types can be damaged by seahorses hitching to/on them.
Is the temperature of the tank going to be kept in the recommended temperature range of 68° to 74°F as some corals can't tolerate this range.
Is the tank setup designed for easy husbandry because trapped detritus and uneaten food hasten water degradation that leads to bacterial problems seahorses are SO prone to. Seahorses themselves help create the problems as their eating habits are terrible. First, they are selective in their choice of which pieces of food to eat, and then, when they DO snick up a piece, they masticate it, passing micro particulate matter out through the gills into the water. Sometime you can see a cloud of this but not always.
There are NO test kits that will tell you just when the water quality is degrading to the point bacterial expansion is going to become problematic so PREVENTATIVE protocols are crucial to long term success with seahorses.
As for pod population, most copepods are not large enough to be of interest to adult seahorses. Amphipods are a good size for them however.
 

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