• Seahorse. Why does no one keep them?

  • Gregory9432

Modern marine aquarists keep various marine life: anemones, corals, flying fish... So why do seahorses not thrive in aquariums? We are not talking about a pseudo-sea, all conditions are met. Such gadgets as those used by Pavlik Morozov for his sea are rarely seen, yet the question of seahorses is never raised on the forum. Their behavior, appearance, and tender care for their offspring cannot leave one indifferent. In terms of exoticism, they cannot be compared to any other fish. Moreover, they are listed in the Red Book and are becoming extinct. Naturally, I know the answer: clean water. But corals also need clean water, and even inexperienced aquarists can keep them. I would like to hear the reason for the difficulties in keeping seahorses. Of course, I won't start a marine aquarium: I don't have enough experience, but for general knowledge, it would be good to know. Actually, why did I bring up this question? I recently saw a film about seahorses on BBC and thought—what a fish, a decoration of life! Especially in close-up! And during the breeding and birthing period! People really know how to film!

Jesse

Why don't they contain ??? They contain:

Joseph

By the way, I read that there is a freshwater seahorse, it would be great to have it in an aquarium...

Amanda

There are no freshwater ones, it's nonsense.

Christopher1252

Oh, if only Sheremetyev were here, I think he would definitely know. Added after 1 minute So, is this all nonsense? To be fair, it should be noted that seahorses can also be found in freshwater. In fact, rumors about freshwater species circulated as early as the beginning of the last century after one of the expeditions. But time passed, and no one found these seahorses afterward. A reward of $10,000 was even established for anyone who could bring back a pair of live specimens. It wasn't until the end of 1953 that freshwater seahorses were found on the border of Thailand and Laos in the overgrown areas of slowly flowing rivers.

Barbara

My girlfriend found a skate in the Dniester estuary after the storm. (The wind was blowing towards the sea, the estuary was almost fresh water...)

Andrew419

They are not kept in aquariums for several reasons. They are very timid and cannot feed in a general aquarium. They simply won't be able to. Additionally, they require weak currents, which goes against established marine aquarium practices. Their feeding is also quite specific. In general, they are kept in nano aquariums as a single species.

Jacqueline6670

I have never heard of freshwater skates. But there is a freshwater needlefish. Added after 2 minutes If I'm not mistaken, the most challenging aspect of keeping skates is feeding. They need live small food.

Larry

Seahorses are kept in marine aquariums-exhibitions in Crimea. In crowds.

David3217

Photos of dragons, skates... maybe someone will be inspired to keep them.

Jeffrey

I spoke with the people who keep these skates. They only keep them during the summer period while there is food, and they feed them with algae and small crustaceans scooped from the sea into the aquarium. I don't know where they go in the fall, but I was told that they catch new ones closer to summer.

Breanna9982

Yes, they catch them for the summer (for tourists), and in the fall, they release them into the "wild" due to food.

Alyssa6727

There are many fish that require specific conditions. This is not a problem. The problem lies in the composition of the water. Those who live closer to the sea can simply arrange to have water brought to them from a ship, further from the shore. And those who want to struggle with preparing the water must study its chemical composition. Then the solution is near.

Luis3725

There is. Added after 1 minute I have already described this topic. I kept a freshwater needlefish for many years.

Kevin3579

For this, I think it's possible to go catch it myself. This year, I caught three in Crimea and then released them. It's important to remember that this fish is rare nowadays and listed in the Red Book (as are all fish), so it's not worth catching it if you're not ready to take care of it properly.

Jennifer

Everything is much simpler. There is a huge amount of ready-made sea salts. I don't fly to the tropics every week to change the water.

Jacob4800

At work, two dozen seahorses have been living for four months. They only feed on live daphnia, refusing flakes and bloodworms. It was interesting to observe their spawning. It looks somewhat like synchronized swimming. Facing each other, the partners spiral up to the surface in sync, where the female deposits her eggs into the male's brood pouch.

Wesley

Can you tell me how long they can live at most? I am very worried; I can't stand looking at fish in the aquarium just once a year. As far as I understand, if there is spawning, they need to be moved to another aquarium (there's no space for two aquariums, only for one). I'm currently choosing the inhabitants for a 260-liter aquarium. I was thinking of making it freshwater (but without those plants), and I got tempted by the seahorses...

Cynthia6578

Last year, while vacationing in Vilkovo, my children and I were catching seahorses in the bay while netting shrimp near the Danube delta. Small, dark brown... and they didn't live long. The water in that bay is almost fresh.

Curtis

Last year, I caught three skates on the South Coast. But the salinity there is about 20 parts per thousand. I didn't even try to take them home; I released them right away. But skates from freshwater bodies are already interesting. Bactrian, what did you mean by not living long? Under what conditions? How soon did they die? In what water? Very interesting.

David

Deleted

Cynthia6578

We kept them in the shade in a six-liter bucket, changing the water every two to three hours. But they didn't even make it to the evening... the kids were upset. The little flounder and the needlefish lived for a long time, more than a week, and we released them into the bay when we left...

Angel628

It's strange, the seahorse doesn't seem very complicated in this regard. The idea of having a Black Sea seahorse in an aquarium is actually a good one. I might even try to bring one if I come across it this year. But I'm not a sailor.

Eric8832

Well, there are two main reasons for death here: temperature and oxygen regimes.

Laura3673

Maybe we took them out of the net and damaged them a bit... Frequent water changes should have alleviated the oxygen-temperature discomfort, logically. There was no special task, no special equipment... we were catching shrimp for beer... At the same time, we were showing the sea inhabitants to the kids... And in Vilkovo, they say, there is a freshwater seahorse, but the local fishermen did not confirm this...

Melissa2062

They might have been pressed when taken out of the net, but I can't say anything about freshwater skates, as I haven't encountered them.

Heather6148

I completely agree. I have skates with blades that have been around for several years.

Kellie

What do you feed them? And where can I buy such beauties?

Ryan2281

I don't remember exactly where I got it from. I feed it any small food.

Frank7213

Here are some more horses))) Amazing creatures!

Troy8808

Where can I buy skates now?

Dana4701

Zhenya (Jrs) is here, he can probably bring it on the forum.

Rebecca1419

and what do you need them for? (judging by your profile, you don't have the sea)

Rachel9060

for general education

Sheila1322

The fixed idea.....Without any experience in marine aquariums, you want to keep seahorses without even bothering to find out how a marine aquarium should be set up.....so that these seahorses can live in it for at least a month.

Laurie3842

She has already forgotten why she asked, just like most women, she saw something so bright and in theory wanted it; I'm sure she is now looking at hamsters or rabbits with the same interest.

Mary

Hmm, it's surprising how male logic works) But where did you even get the idea that I don't know? Or that I haven't been interested? Why, explain that to me? How can you judge someone without even knowing them? Well, do you judge others based on yourself?) Or have you only encountered such women on your path?) If you want to say something, feel free to message me privately!

Susan1358

We are not at an exam for you to ask me questions. I am confident in my experience and I am not going to explain anything to you anymore.

James1625

Off-topic Victoria, judging by your signature, you are quite ready to keep skates. I can even accompany you to go to Zhenya to order the desired ones... and I also humbly ask for forgiveness for the distrust and gender approach...

Yolanda

some people only confirm this signature

Julia

If the desire doesn't fade by May and you manage to prepare suitable conditions for the skates, I can organize a couple of adapted and trained skates accustomed to frozen feeds.

Kristen2246

I kept sticklebacks a couple of times, but not for long, about a month each time. Then I released them. There were no problems with feeding, as live brine shrimp are available in unlimited quantities in the estuary for 8 months of the year, and they eagerly ate live small bloodworms. The aquariums in both cases were small, 75 and 90 liters. In the 75-liter tank, there was a pump with a capacity of 150 liters per hour, and in the 90-liter tank, a pump with a capacity of 450 liters per hour. In the first case with the sticklebacks, there were small greenlings and dogfish, and in the second case, sculpins about 10 cm long. I filled the aquariums with water directly from the sea.