purchasing Seahorses

[LindaW]

I was just wanting feed back to where is the best place to purchase seahorses. I have my tank set up it is a 30 gal cube...cycled and ready to go. Has anyone had any experience with Ocean Rider in Kona Hawaii...seahorses.com. I am thinking about getting a pair of their Sunburst H. erectus,

I would appreciate any and all comments and suggestions..

thank you

 

[ash9965]

some local places carry them as well there is a place in Nashville that sells them if you are willing to make the road trip

 

[LindaW]

some local places carry them as well there is a place in Nashville that sells them if you are willing to make the road trip

What is the name of the place in Nashville......do they raise them there? thank you for your information I do appreciate it

 

[vlangel]

Seahorse Source is a very reliable place to get captive bred seahorses that are very healthy. Captive bred ponies typical have healthier lives in aquariums because that is what they are accustomed to. Also they come trained to eat frozen mysis. They may cost a little more than wild caught but the added cost is worth it to avoid the heart ache of treating sick ponies. You will not get better customer service from anyone anywhere than Dan at Seahorse Source.

 

[ash9965]

What is the name of the place in Nashville......do they raise them there? thank you for your information I do appreciate it

Aquatic Critter

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

I would go with Seahorse Source. I am not a fan of seahorses being sold and priced based upon their color. Seahorses will often change color based on their surroundings. I don't think it is worth the cash.

 

[vlangel]

My ponies are from Ocean Rider but i bought Mustangs instead of Sunburst because of what SeahorseKeeper said. I did not want to spend extra money only to have the seahorses change to brown anyway. I will say that my ponies were and are very healthy and generally are very good eaters of their frozen mysis.

 

[LindaW]

My ponies are from Ocean Rider but i bought Mustangs instead of Sunburst because of what SeahorseKeeper said. I did not want to spend extra money only to have the seahorses change to brown anyway. I will say that my ponies were and are very healthy and generally are very good eaters of their frozen mysis.

Thank you for your input. How long have you had your ponies. So the Mustangs you have are what color? And have they changed color since you have had them? Did you get the Vibrance they recommend to add to the frozen mysis? I am about ready to place my order next week...

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I would go with Seahorse Source.

X 1,000,000,000,000 and my first born. I've ordered from both places and will personally order from Seahorse Source again.

I've made 15+ purchases with OR, 3 were seahorses, most were for shrimp. It's been 2-3 batches from Seahorse Source.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Seahorse Source also has enrichments for brineshrimp and mysis. Earlier today I posted a picture of the vitamins I'm currently using and as you can see, the majority are from there.

 

[vlangel]

Thank you for your input. How long have you had your ponies. So the Mustangs you have are what color? And have they changed color since you have had them? Did you get the Vibrance they recommend to add to the frozen mysis? I am about ready to place my order next week...

I have had my pair since Oct 2nd, 2014. They were a dark brown, (almost black) when they arrived but i am sure they were stressed from 2 days of shipping. Now my female is a nice reddish brown with blazes and saddles that are white. My male is a yellowish brown with stripes but when he colors up he is a creamy white with brown points.

I do not supplement with vibrance as i am of the opinion that most supplements just degrade the water when put on frozen mysis. I do gut load live brine shrimp or feeder ghost shrimp with Dan's Feed.

I will add that i requested 2 female seahorses and Ocean Rider made a mistake and sent 1 male and 1 female. I did not send the male back as a trip from Hawaii to Pennsylvania is long and i did not want to put him through that ordeal again. In retrospect i have really enjoyed watching the courtship dance and i have someone i can give any resulting fry to. Although i am satisfied with my ponies, i will order from Seahorse Source or Allyssa as both of them are on the east coast and nobody offers better customer service than Dan at Seahorse Source.

 

[LindaW]

Thank you very much for your informative reply. I was thinking of getting a pair...but am concerned for the fry as as I am not into the rearing of them. Seems little to much to get into. It is nice that you have a someone that can take the fry. Your ponies sound very pretty. I am still trying to decided where to go for them. I so appreciate your input and references for them . Thank you and have a wonderful day.

 

[vlangel]

Thank you very much for your informative reply. I was thinking of getting a pair...but am concerned for the fry as as I am not into the rearing of them. Seems little to much to get into. It is nice that you have a someone that can take the fry. Your ponies sound very pretty. I am still trying to decided where to go for them. I so appreciate your input and references for them . Thank you and have a wonderful day.

I don't blame you for not wanting to deal with fry. When my pair had their 1st batch i was able to retrieve about 30 or so. I gave some to a local reefer and i kept 22. Out of that 22 i raised 15, all to sexual maturity and trained onto frozen mysis. However then i was faced with the daunting task of finding them responsible homes which was not easy. Finally another high profile seahorse keeper gave me the name of someone who wanted them. From then on i gave the fry away. I am really glad i did it once.

 

[LindaW]

Wow that was fantastic that you raised 15.....and trained them onto frozen mysis. I just not sure if I am that capable. And then the problem of finding responsible homes just adds more stress. I'd end up with tanks full of ponies lol

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Would you feel you had to do something with the fry?

 

[vlangel]

Wow that was fantastic that you raised 15.....and trained them onto frozen mysis. I just not sure if I am that capable. And then the problem of finding responsible homes just adds more stress. I'd end up with tanks full of ponies lol

I am not sure that i am that capable either, ha ha! Maybe beginner's luck. I was worried that i also was going to have tanks full of ponies because you get pretty attached to them when you raise them yourself. Only the constant big water changes kept me motivated to find homes for them. My heart was sad to see them go but my back rejoiced when they did, ha ha!

 

[LindaW]

Yes I would feel responsible and obligated to have them cared for. I would really like to try raising seahorses if I had a source to take the fry at a certain age. I live in Northwest Arkansas so I could even ship the fry to either coast with out a major problem.

 

[Tautog]

I collected my Thoughbred from the wild. After 3-4 weeks I had her eating frozen. My horse is from ice cold waters of Long Island, collected in mid December, and seems to be very hardy. My biggest worry, as always, getting them to eat. I would be nervous about buying via mail order. For your location, collecting isn't an option. Feeding live shrimp upon arrival may give you better success. Adding weight to them before converting to frozen seems to be the best advice. Good luck! An open ear is always available here.
As far as companions, pipefish(2), Killiefish(3), blicklefish(7), grass shrimp(15), and 2 predator fish, all were collected and put in DT at once. Starting out together seemed to make all the difference.

 

[LindaW]

I collected my Thoughbred from the wild. After 3-4 weeks I had her eating frozen. My horse is from ice cold waters of Long Island, collected in mid December, and seems to be very hardy. My biggest worry, as always, getting them to eat. I would be nervous about buying via mail order. For your location, collecting isn't an option. Feeding live shrimp upon arrival may give you better success. Adding weight to them before converting to frozen seems to be the best advice. Good luck! An open ear is always available here.
As far as companions, pipefish(2), Killiefish(3), blicklefish(7), grass shrimp(15), and 2 predator fish, all were collected and put in DT at once. Starting out together seemed to make all the difference.

Wow would love to see some pictures....

 

[Squishie89]

Pacific East Aquaculture has captive bred ponies- http://www.pacificeastaquaculture.com/Alyssas-Seahorses-Prodlist.html