Breeding Journal, Species: <Hippocampus erectus>

General
Species: Hippocampus erectus 
Social Structure:  single pair with juvie reidi and lone male
Size of Individuals:  3.5-4"
Age of Individuals:  approx 8 months
Date added to Tank:  8-21-2010

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  60 gallons
Substrate Details:  deep sand bed
Filtration Details:  sump, skimmer, refugium
Water Changes:  25% monthly
Water Temperature:  73-75
Lighting:  T5
Lighting Cycle:  14 hrs on, 10 hrs off
Other Tank Inhabitants: single pair with percula clowns 

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types:  thawed PE mysis, live enriched brine, live enriched ghost shrimp
Feeding Schedule:  twice daily from feeding trough (abalone shell)

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  9/10/2010
Spawn Time of Day:  morning
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  none yet
Courtship Details:  immediately upon introduction, they began to dance and rise up in the water column
Egg Size: larger than percula or ocellaris eggs
Egg Color:  clear with an orange spot inside
Egg Count: unsure

Hatch Details
Hatch Date:  morning of 9-25-10
Hatch Time of Day: 2 hours after lights came on 
# Days after Spawn:  Morning of the 17th day post spawning
Larvae Description:  semi transparent, small yolk sac, strong swimmers that gravitate to the surface immediately upon birthing


Larval Tank Details
Temperature:  78
Size of Larval Tank:  20 gallon
Substrate Details:  barebottom
Other Tank Decor:  hitching posts - netting and plastic corals
Filtration Details:  daily vacuuming bottom via water changes, hang on back filter with ceramic rings
Lighting:  t5
Lighting Cycle:  24 hrs for first several days then 14 hrs on;10 hrs off
Water Changes:  daily 25-50%

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:  newly hatched brine; 2-4 day old enriched brine
Feeding Schedule:  two-three times daily

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start:  9-25-2010 settle/hitch on first day
Days after Hatch:  0
Date of Settlement End:  9-25-2010
Description of Fry:  strong swimmers, larger than reidi, semi transparent upon birthing then darken to black

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature: 76
Size of Grow-Out Tank: 20 gallon 
Substrate Details: barebottom
Other Tank Decor:  hitching posts
Filtration Details:  trickle flow-through to large 300 gallon system (sump, UV, skimmer)
Lighting:  normal output florescent
Lighting Cycle:  14 on/10 off
Water Changes:  weekly 10 %
Size at Transfer:  1"
Age at Transfer:  3 weeks

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types:  NHBS, then switching to old enriched BS; at 3-4 weeks add frozen BS & cyclopeeze; switch finally to mysis and then mysids
Feeding Schedule: at least 2 x per day 

Additional Information
Miscellaneous Information:  Eventhough there is a large UV on the 300 gallon system, I will be adding a small UV directly to the tank to help control bacteria and hydroids.



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~

Male/female

 
male 
   
 
 
 
female

 
 
 

Doni Marie~

Nice pair! Where are they from? I assume you know the risks involved with mixing seahorse species as well? Hope they do well for you!

Thanks.
The erectus are from a local breeder. My two small reidi juveniles were raised by me. Yes, I'm aware of possible issues mixing species and am watching them closely.

Doni Marie~

For those of us that are unfamiliar with seahorses could you let us know the possible issues of mixing species?
thanks
Gale

Hi Gale. There are many threads on seahorse.org that explain it.... here is one: http://forum.seahorse.org/index.php?showtopic=44368&hl=mixing+species
Basically, one species could give the other species a disease eventhough both appear healthy.

Doni Marie~

Thanks....I'll read through that thread

OK, great! Please keep us posted on how they do. Congrats on raising the two reidi! They are tough. Every one is a sucess!

Thank you Blake

Doni Marie~

I have a very pregnant erectus! "Mr. Green Jeans" has obviously successfully mated with "Sunshine" because his pouch is huge!  Today is the 16th day since they mated so I may move him to a birthing tank tonight.  My reidi always birthed on the 16th night when kept at 74-75 deg so I can only assume that these erectus will do the same.
I'll get some photos of him tonight.

Doni Marie~

Congratulations, Doni Marie!  You'll find they're MUCH easier than H. riedi.  Good Luck with them!

Doni, do you have any pictures of the "very pregnant" male?
 
Also, I'm curious about the mixing of Seahorses from an "interbreeding" standpoint - are there any concerns / suspicions / techniques that prevent it?

Poor fella! I just took this today. He has since been moved to a birthing tank.

 
You have to seperate them when they become sexually active to be sure they do not interbreed. 

Doni Marie~

That is one very pregnant seahorse!
 
What I've been doing with my reidi, rather than stressing the male by moving him, is to turn off the pump at lights off on the nights when I expect fry.  I put a big airstone (one of those big. round, weighted ones about 4-5" across) in the end of the tank opposite where they hitch.  In the morning, I turkey baste the fry out of the broodstock tank.  I'm also getting good at using a net to gently "round up" a bunch of them at once, and then hold it with the bottom half of the net still in the water, and baste them out of the net.  It takes me probably 30-45 minutes to collect 500 fry or so this way, but I really like the reduced stress on the male, and he gets to be with his honey first thing in the morning, with no separation anxiety.

Thanks Jim. I have clownfish in their tank so letting him birth there was not an option for fear of the clowns eating the fry.
 
I decided to move the female to the birthing tank with him. It was a good decision for sure. He perked up immediately and I could tell he was much more comfortable with her there.
 
2 hours after the lights came on he began birthing!!!  I was there at the right time this morning and got some AWESOME videos of him releasing the fry. It was AMAZING!!  I'll post the videos and photos soon

Doni Marie~

2 hours after the lights came on he popped! I was very fortunate to be there with camera in hand to video it!!!  He sure did have a lot of babies for his FIRST birthing!!
 

Doni Marie~

There were maybe 6 unfertilized/undeveloped eggs that he released prior to birthing
 

Doni Marie~

Newborn

Doni Marie~

Congratulations, Doni Marie!  Excellent video.  That was a lot of fry for an erectus' first brood, I agree.  Way to go, Sunshine!  Do you have enough copepods for them?

Thanks Jim   But I still need your help getting the copepods going strong.
I am feeding these new guys NHBS and 2 day enriched (with Dan's formula) BS.

Doni Marie~

Several hours post release:

 

 

 

Doni Marie~

NICE photos Doni!

Thanks Matt!

Doni Marie~

HA!  Those little guys are too darn cute!
 
Good job!

Thank you Cableguy
 
1 day old 'hunting' video
CLICK to watch

Doni Marie~

Nice job staying focused on that one fry!  Excellent video.

Thanks Jim

 

 

 

At 28 days old, I have ten left that are growing well and now eating adult enriched brine and frozen cyclopeeze. I will be adding a UV to the tank (eventhough there is one on the 300 system) to help control bacteria & hydroids.

Doni Marie~

Newborn and a 5 week old for size comparison:

 

10-29-10

Doni Marie~

My favorite  
This one is usually yellow or orange!
 
10-29-10 at 5 weeks old

Doni Marie~

They are 10 weeks old today!
 





 
 

Doni Marie~

Too cute and great shots!

http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage
"Making captive breeding easier."

Thanks Tal

Doni Marie~

Doni, great as usual.  Question - do you find UV a truly effective piece of equipment for helping to control hydroids?

Thanks Matt
I'm not certain but I would think it would kill any water borne hydroids. I've not found any hydroids on the glass in any of my hatching tanks so maybe I don't have them in that system? The UV is mainly for reducing the bacterial loads. I have a large 57 watt UV in the 300 gallon system's sump and also another small UV in the young seahorses tank.

Doni Marie~

They are lovely, Doni. Congratulations!

--Andy, the bucket man.
"Not to know the mandolin is to argue oneself unknown...." --Clara Lanza, 1886