Breeding Journal, Species: Hippocampus subelongatus

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CaptCrash
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Breeding Journal, Species: Hippocampus subelongatus - Thursday, January 22, 2015 10:01 PM
Breeding Journal DataSheet
This first post should be updated regularly to include new information as events take place or changes are made to your system

General
Species:  Hippocampus subelongatus (listed as Hippocampus kuda in error)
Social Structure:  Pair
Size of Individuals:  5" each
Age of Individuals:  Unknown
Date added to Tank:  1/5/2015

Broodstock Tank Details  
Size of Tank:  Display setup approx. 2000L total with seahorse Tank 920x350x450mm 145L 38US Gal    
Substrate Details:  White Marble Chips    
Filtration Details:  Skimmer, UV, Macro Algae, Live Rock    
Water Changes:  400L Fortnight    
Water Temperature:  26C    
Lighting:  LED    
Lighting Cycle:  9am to 8:45pm (complex setup with moon lighting, dusk/dawn across 8 colours, storms so light intensity changes etc)  
Other Tank Inhabitants:  1 x H. subelongatus seahorse, 10 x Peppermint shrimp, 4 x small Occy/Perc cross juvies    

Broodstock Feeding Details  
Food Types:  Frozen Mysis shrimp, Spectrum Thera A+, Spectrum Salt H20 flakes, Enriched Brine Shrimp, Marine Green, Home Made Mash (prawn, pipi clam, white bait, squid, garlic, norrie etc). Occasional live brine shrimp  
Feeding Schedule:  Morning and night.  Pellets followed 10 minutes later with frozen food.    

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  1/23/2015
Spawn Time of Day: 8am
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  none
Courtship Details:  They were body/belly to body/belly with their tailed hitched together.  
Then as I waked in the room, they separated, then the female layed flat on the sand and the male sort of stood guard over her and puled his abdomen backwards and forwards a few times.  
Once this was over, the female left. 
Egg Size:  eggs are concealed in the males pouch, so size cannot be determined.
Egg Color:  eggs are concealed in the males pouch, so colour cannot be determined.
Egg Count:  eggs are concealed in the males pouch, so quantity cannot be determined.

Hatch Details
Hatch Date:  2/5/2015
Hatch Time of Day:  6pm
# Days after Spawn:  13
Larvae Description: Tiny fully formed sea horses
Consecutive Hatch Dates:      N/A


Larval Tank Details
Temperature:  26c
Size of Larval Tank: 12"x12"x12"                      
Substrate Details:  None
Other Tank Decor:  ceramic Flower pot, heater
Filtration Details:  Sponge Filter
Lighting:  Ambiant
Lighting Cycle:  approx 9am to 9pm
Water Changes:  20L as needed or weekly

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:  NHBBS
Feeding Schedule:  every 1-2 days as fry consume remaining NHBBS

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start:  3/5/2015
Days after Hatch:  28 days (after release from male)
Date of Settlement End:  3/5/2015
Description of Fry:  Small fully formed sea horse.

Grow-Out Tank Details

Temperature:  26c
Size of Grow-Out Tank:  12" x 12" x 12"
Substrate Details:  None
Other Tank Decor:  ceramic Flower pot, heater
Filtration Details:  Sponge Filter
Lighting:  ambiant
Lighting Cycle:  approx 9am to 9pm
Water Changes:  20L as needed or weekly
Size at Transfer:  N/A no transfer, same tank
Age at Transfer:  N/A no transfer, same tank

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types:  NHBBS
Feeding Schedule:  every 2-3 days as fry consume remaining NHBBS

Additional Information
 
(No Pictures or Videos in the Section Please)
Miscellaneous Information: 
Note: eggs are concealed in the males pouch, so size, colour and quantity cannot be determined.

Additional Spawns:   
S = Date of Spawn   
H = Date of Hatch   
 
S 1/23/2015
H 2/5/2015  

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If your thread does not contain these photos the MBI Committee will not be able to approve your reports. PHOTOS AND VIDEO S MUST BE PLACED IN ADDITIONAL POSTS, NEVER IN THE FIRST POST IN A JOURNAL.

<message edited by CaptCrash on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 2:03 AM>
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CaptCrash
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Re: Breeding Journal, Species: Hippocampus subelongatus - Thursday, January 22, 2015 10:05 PM
I think I just witnessed these guys doing an egg transfer.
They were body/belly to body/belly with their tailed hitched together.
Then as I waked in the room, they separated, then the female layed flat on the sand and the male sort of stood guard over her and puled his abdomen backwards and forwards a few times.
Once this was over, the female left.
 
Its unusual to see them hitched to each other, they mostly hang about 6-12" apart.
 
Will see if anything develops (just in time for me to go away on holidays :-) as per normal
<message edited by CaptCrash on Thursday, May 14, 2015 11:19 AM>
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CaptCrash
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Re: Breeding Journal, Species: Hippocampus subelongatus - Thursday, May 14, 2015 9:00 PM
The adults shortly before what I think was mating/egg transfer described above.


As is always the way, I was going away for a holiday on the 6th Feb, so what happens on the night of the 5th.  
Adult pair, make this happen 

 
Sorry for the picture quality but it was all a bit rushed with getting out the door to the airport so its from the phone.

 

 
I didn't collect all of the fry as the release was unexpected.  In total I collected 105 fry.  I expect that at least as many more went over the overflow and into the filter socks.
<message edited by CaptCrash on Thursday, May 14, 2015 9:14 PM>
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CaptCrash
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Re: Breeding Journal, Species: Hippocampus subelongatus - Thursday, May 14, 2015 9:22 PM
I had some friends from the local reef group looking after the fish whilst I was away and they managed to keep feeding the sea horses, though most didn't make it.
Once I got home, there were 4 left.  Three of these died within the next few days, leaving one.
The first time I witnessed the sea horse actually hitch to anything was on the 3/5/2015, though this may have been happening for a few days before and I didn't notice.
 
This one is going strong and is now 100 days post hatch and 66 days post settlement (hitching) and going strong.
I have not been able to get him onto frozen foods as yet, so he is living entirely on NHBBS and random copepods that I collect from my breeding systems.


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mPedersen
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Re: Breeding Journal, Species: Hippocampus subelongatus - Monday, June 29, 2015 11:12 AM
OK, wait, you're feeding the searhorses PELLET FOODS?!

mPedersen
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Re: Breeding Journal, Species: Hippocampus subelongatus - Tuesday, July 21, 2015 11:53 PM
And your Seahorses ALSO TAKE FLAKES?!

CaptCrash
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Re: Breeding Journal, Species: Hippocampus subelongatus - Wednesday, July 22, 2015 1:42 AM
Yup, he gets in there and takes basically whatever is offered. Flakes/bits of flake are probably more of an oops from him, but he will take them as they sink. 0.5mm nls pellets, I would describe it that he goes after them.

He is now in with about 100 juvie clowns and about 80 juvie Banggai cardinalfish. Net result, he eats what ever he can get to then gets away from the annoying fish to his own corner near the sponge filter.

The dry food is added first and the other fish go for it, mostly the clowns. This encourages the seahorse and the Banggai who then join in.

I don't know if he will keep going for the dry food once I move the other fish out of his tank, I expect he will become more fussy as he was when smaller.
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