Breeding Journal, Species: <Hippocampus reidi>

General
Species:  Hippocampus reidi
Social Structure:  2 breeding pairs 
Size of Individuals:  6"
Age of Individuals:  2+ yrs 
Date added to Tank:  February 2010

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  65 gallon
Substrate Details: sand bed 
Filtration Details:  sump, skimmer, chiller, carbon
Water Changes:  25% monthly
Water Temperature:  74
Lighting:  T5
Lighting Cycle:  14 hrs on, 10 hrs off
Other Tank Inhabitants:  soft corals 

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types: PE mysis, live enriched brine, live ghost shrimp 
Feeding Schedule:  twice daily

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  Feb/March2010
Spawn Time of Day:  morning to mid-day
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  every 16-18 days 
Courtship Details:  elaborate courships every morning
Egg Size: unknown
Egg Color:  unknown
Egg Count:  several hundred 

Hatch Details
Hatch Date: first - March 9, 2010 
Hatch Time of Day: night/early morning 
# Days after Spawn:  16-18
Larvae Description:  very small and fragile


Larval Tank Details
Temperature: 78
Size of Larval Tank:  small kriesel/20 gallon tank
Substrate Details:  bare bottom
Other Tank Decor:  none
Filtration Details:  sponge filter/daily changes
Lighting:  low/ambient
Lighting Cycle:  24 hrs for first 1-2 weeks
Water Changes:  daily

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:  rotifers, NHBS
Feeding Schedule:  2-3 times daily

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start:  20  days old
Days after Hatch:  20 days
Date of Settlement End: March 29 
Description of Fry:  hitching

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature:  76-78
Size of Grow-Out Tank:  20 gallon
Substrate Details:  bare bottom
Other Tank Decor:  hitching posts (plastic plants/corals)
Filtration Details:  scrape & vacuum 3 x weekly
Lighting:  normal output florescent
Lighting Cycle:  14 hrs on, 10 hrs off
Water Changes:  3 x week
Size at Transfer:  @ 1.5"
Age at Transfer:  2 months

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types:  adult brine, switched to frozen mysis
Feeding Schedule:  twice daily

Additional Information
Miscellaneous Information:  Very difficult fry. They eat great with full guts the first week but then just stop eating and waste away.  The reidi fry that made it past settlement seemed to be the ones that would actively hunt pods from the glass and decor. My thinking is that these benthic pods (and the nutrition they render) are key. A proper food source to get the fry beyond the 2/3 week mark is critical. Even enriched brine do not allow for great numbers to survive. Moving several post-settlement fry to a large 40 gallon breeder teaming with benthic pods allowed me to succeed with rearing two of these beautiful seahorses.


You will be required to provide photographic evidence in this thread of each event submitted for the MBI Program.
If your thread does not contain these photos the MBI Committee will not be able to approve your reports.

Doni Marie~

Wow Doni, you must have a factory over there.  Are you filling out your reports in order to claim your MBI points?

Rook

**NOTE: I have recently sold both my reidi pair to Jim Welsh** 
 
Adult pair

 
 
5day old fry

 
 
3 week old
 
  
 17 day old fry


 
 
 
21 days old

 
2 month old (same plastic plant shown in above photo- they grow fast!)
 
  
 
3 months old with mother

 
 
5 months old with mother

Doni Marie~

LOL!  It is a factory and I spend 99% of my 'home time' either cleaning or feeding
 
My goal today is to get the journals up. I'll do the reports later...

Doni Marie~

Great to have you here.  Your achievements will add a lot to the MBI database.

Rook

Thanks Rook. I'll do my best to keep the threads updated.

Doni Marie~

Hey Doni, I realize you have some blanks (i.e. egg size because you can't observe the eggs in the male's pouch).  I have to be the stickler and suggest that you "explain" the blank...i..e "unable to observe" or "no other inhabitants".  Lookin' great!

All Deblanked

Doni Marie~