ReefDreamer's Seahorse, Pipefish & Snipefish

What amazing pics , sensational

Great post Heinz. The snipefish are really cool. Are they always head down like in the photo?

Im interested to see how you keep a clean culture.

Puuuuh, so those are some questions to answer, not all very easy to answer too, but whatever, I try my best.



@Barbara

Unfortunately, I don't know Reed Mariculture, neither the company nor the products so I can't say anything whose Rotifer Diet. What I can say is that for example Products from Selco, which I used for the breeding of clownfish, are not or less suitable for the breeding of seahorses. I had with the products of Selco significantly higher mortality rates than now. You can use these products but the success rate is much lower.

REEFLEX Administrator I am now for 5 years. My friend Robert Baur had started it 10 years ago as a hobby project. WikiPedia was not yet online. Therefore we don't like to hear Reeflex is a „Wiki“. Nop .... Wiki is LIKE REEFLEX (LoL), it has evolved over the years into a real encyclopedia. REEFLEX is in 8 languages available. I am responsible for ALL international languages and manage too the English language version for several months (alone). I'll probably have still many, many months to work on the translations. To see which texts I have written, look for my initials (hma), they always come at the end of my texts. There are now several hundred, but there are still several thousand to translate. Last but not least am for the identification of new animals responsible. You see, a lot of work, but we take our time. We want to be thoroughly and accurately as possible.




@D3monic

First of all, your Corythoichthys sp. is also in my eyes a REAL member of the Genus „Corythoichthys“ . Why do I think so I would like to explain hopefully without the attitude to sound schoolmasterly.

There are eleven scientifically described and at least as far as I know twelve have already seen but undescribed species. The Genus „Corythoichthys“ distinguished on the basis of snout length, and head as well as body color. Unfortunately many species of the family is difficult to distinguish. My animals are show (meanwhile I have 4 in the same tank) are also different head and body drawing but all belong to the same species. In addition, there are color variations and local forms. Different types of geographically distant areas are probably closely related species complexes. You see, there are many things that in terms of determination of the species can be confusing. I understand your skepticism, what concerns your animals only too well, but believe me, and those who have done also ascertained, they are Corythoichthys sp. ; I believe your animals belong to the genus Corythoichthys haematopterus (Yellow banded pipefish).


Just as these two here:

Can you see the yellow ribbons along the snout and the head? This is typical for Corythoichthys haematopterus.


or this one too:

OK … I finally get to your question about Aeoliscus strigatus. You're right. There really is very little information on the Internet or aquarium forums around the globe. I also had, like so many and now you too, to find accurate information about breeding and animal behavior. There is virtually no or less information to find. Since I keeping the animals now for some years I could make my own observations. I mention how well all the breeders, a farming diary. Not every day, but the main things about the animals are described as extensive as possible. In this way I even can exclude mistakes in the future.

When not disturbed, Aeoliscus strigatus moved slowly in a head-down position, this is well known. However, little is known about the spawning behavior. What I could find out so far is described in the following:

What you need to know, Aeoliscus strigatus are so-called free-spawners, so they give their spawning NOT off to a substrate but in the free water. For this reason, it is not only useful but extremely important that the animals ALONE at a large aquarium. It should be cared for no other species together with the Aeoliscus strigatus. Why is clear, the breed had not the slightest Chace to develop.

Spawning in the tank took place in the last two hours before dark. Courting males change color and actively interact aggressively with other males. They push against each other while swimming in parallel or they charge their opponents with their erected dorsal spine directed at them. Courtship begins near the bottom. After following and swimming parallel to the female the two fish unite tightly by their caudal peduncle, with their ventral regions in close proximity and rise slowly in the water column. During the ascent, the genital papilla of the female extends repeatedly and contacts the genital region of the male.

At the time, I wonder whether it makes sense, the animals AFTER a successful spawn to catch and put into another aquarium to protect the brood from the parent animals. Perhaps a way the breeding could end up successfully.

I hope all questions were satisfactorily answered.

you did good Heinz!
And you've convinced me...while the rotifers we culture are very healthy and happy (very dense cultures too)...I think having them nourished with live phyto would most definitely benefit the clownfish larvae...If the process isn't too tedious or difficult, then I'm going to try culturing live phytoplankton....so...you know what that means? () ... it means I need to read your thread on culturing phytoplankton!!! Oh...but I can't because it's not written yet .... just kidding Heinz...I don't want to push you into anything because I know how busy you are...but I AM now more interested in learning how to do this properly! I'll be patient though

hi heinz that's interesting keep it up mate

they make me laugh. many thanks for the pix and explanations. these are some of the best animals around. and i do think you or people like you should be allowed to breed the pygmy horses!

Thank's Geeks I'm sure I could raise it, but unfortunately, the German conservation laws are clear in this case. Exceptions or special permits are available only for zoo's and large aquariums.

Originally I wanted to write here in the thread continues on the plankton breeding, but Barbara asked me to start a new thread about plankton breeding.

OK Barbara, so here we go …


Live food - How to breed phyto- and zooplankton


The new thread will be seen soon in "Aquaculture Breeding & Geeks" !

yay!!!

Two more pictures of seahorses aquarium. In the next week, when I'm back home, I write a little about the breeding and rearing of my "seahorses". Thus, the time until then not too long, the new images.

Looking forward to it HMA

I really love all the gorgs! I can not wait to get some more in my 75gal. Heinz, my tank is still rather young and the macro's have some growing in to do but I would love it if you checked out my build thread for my pipefish tank. Its a build thread so the fist couple pages are probably pretty boring but theres lots of pics and everyone loves some good pictures. 75gal planted lets rock

Yeah Heinz...we're loving watching D3monic's progress with his pipefish and their tank...having some feedback and suggestions would really help him out!

I absolutely agree with D too...those gorgonians are incredible! I know they also serve a purpose in your tank but it's also so cool to see so many in one tank...we're planning on adding a few to our 180g redo but now I think I want more than just a few! .... those snipe fish are wild too!

Looking forward to your return and learning more about your seahorses!

Heinz !!

More pics!!!!!!! and info please !!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Thinkin Reef

Heinz !!

More pics!!!!!!! and info please !!!!!!!!

LoL, new pics and infos comming soon Andrew (sunday). I was on a business trip (Seattle), I'm back just since Friday morning.

Since I'm writing anyway I have a request. I am looking for a longer article in a German reefer-magazine pictures of algae, NOT of macro-algae but of harmful algal like bubble-algae, bryopsis and something like that. Who has nice pictures from his algae-refugium could also help.

Of course is the copyright of each picture copied to the respective image.


Who can help or would like to help me, please send your pictures to webmaster@reefdreams.de and let me know your full name or the name of your webside for the copyright.

Thank you very much ....

wow...I think a lot of us here could contribute to that request! I'll see what pics we can get of ours...welcome home Heinz! I look forward to seeing those pics too!

Originally Posted by Barbara

wow...I think a lot of us here could contribute to that request! I'll see what pics we can get of ours...welcome home Heinz! I look forward to seeing those pics too!

Hi Barbara, until now I still don't receive any email, but is not a tragedy, I own pictures that I can use but would like to show some more. Perhaps someone still logs

As promised, I want to report a little bit about how I breed my various seahorses. Today I start by showing some pictures how I still have bred my sea horses in the past years. The first significant success I had with so-called „hang-in-tanks“ along with my first successes with breeding zooplankton as food for the frys. It is now quite a few years ago. At first I was very proud when the first frys survived a few weeks, however, usually only the first 3 to 4 weeks, after that time the mortality rate was very high and I initially had no explanation for. Of 50-60 hatched animals remained after about 3 - 4 weeks, only 8 to 10 animals alive, but this first success was still not satisfactory for me. This usually 8 to 10 animals, although I was able successfully to maintain up into adulthood. I tried looking for possible errors in the rearing. Since I took great care to ensure cleanliness in the breeding aquarium I searched the error first in the technical Equipment. I modified the design and facilities concerning the "hang-in-tanks" and made sure that the breeding tanks were perfused with fresh and oxygenated water and that food residue and precipitates of the animals where washed in the parents tank where they were finally disposed by the skimmer.

These alterations or changes brought further success in rearing. Now it was still to answer the question why so many young the first week, usually from day 3 to day 7, did not survive. The answer to my questions, I found out, as so often, randomly. On a weekend were by one of my Males pops let out of the brood pouch. Until then, I had fed the frys always several times a day, but in the following days I could not because I, as so often, had a business for a few days in London. I pondered, my sister, who else cares my tanks when I travel, was also for a few days not at home. All other family members did want to feed my fish, but not the frys for different reasons . I had to find a solution to the problem.

On the eve of my departure, I looked again at my zoo and phytoplankton breeding and filled every tank for safety two days before the normal time. Suddenly I had the solution in mind. I took one of my 45 liter tank in which I bred zooplankton, drained the tank half, filled it again with a half bottle of phytoplankton and caught the seahorse-frys from the „hang-in-tank“ and put them in this tank. The crowd in the tank was now incredibly, where you looked, was seen live. By phytoplankton could be seen only a few centimeters into the aquarium but what I saw inspired me. The young seahorses immediately went on the hunt, just in case this remained in the next two days, the frys had a chance to survive. Well, today I can tell you …. they have survived ALL. Since that time I put ALL of my frys the first week in to one of these kind of tanks. The mortality rate in this way I could get to under 10%. The success here make the extremely small nauplii of Brachionus plicatilis, with these you can also successfully breed seahorses which hatch very small juveniles. In addition, the frys take on phytoplankton and since this has been fortified with vitamins and trace elements, it is very helpful to strengthen the health of the frys.

Originally Posted by HMA

LoL, new pics and infos comming soon Andrew (sunday). I was on a business trip (Seattle), I'm back just since Friday morning.

Since I'm writing anyway I have a request. I am looking for a longer article in a German reefer-magazine pictures of algae, NOT of macro-algae but of harmful algal like bubble-algae, bryopsis and something like that. Who has nice pictures from his algae-refugium could also help.

Of course is the copyright of each picture copied to the respective image.


Who can help or would like to help me, please send your pictures to webmaster@reefdreams.de and let me know your full name or the name of your webside for the copyright.

Thank you very much ....

Sorry Heinz, two weeks ago all my prize winning bubble and hair rocks went into the cooking pot, my pictures stink anyway (like the rock lol)

Very interesting. Great post Heinz