Hippocampus Haven

 

Seahorse Feeding Stations

 

Beverly W.'s 28 Gallon Bowfront
Captive Bred H. whitei Aquarium
Glass Feeder

2003 © Beverly Wladyka

 


PE and Hikari mysis thawing in lots of Kent Zoe,
a drop of Tahitian Blend, along with one drop of Kent Garlic Xtreme.
The dropper on the right is used to drop food into the feeding station.
Photo taken August 21, 2003.


This is the fourth feeding station used in the H. whitei aquarium.
It uses white plastic drinking straws for hitching
on the same glass bowls that were previously used.
The bottom has been blackened with black aquarium silicone
so the horses can more easily see the frozen mysis.
Photo taken September 10, 2003.

 

Other Feeder Photos:

 

Tank:

  • 28 gallon bowfront tank.

 

Inhabitants:

  • Five captive bred female H. whitei shipped from Seanic Aquarium in Guelph, ON.

 

Feeding Seahorses:

Types of Food:

Nutritional Supplements Used:

  • One drop of Kent Marine Garlic Xtreme from J&L Aquatics.
  • One drop Tahitian Blend from Ocean Aquatics.
  • Several drops of Kent Marine Zoe from J&L Aquatics.
  • American Marine Inc. Selco and Selcon from Ocean Aquatics at one time were used. However, PE mysis are already high in HUFAs, so the Selco and Selcon were discontinued.

Number of Feedings per Day:

  • Feed once in the morning and once in the afternoon each day.

Feeding Station and Feeding Tools:

  • Feeding station is a clear light blue glass bowl, with two white plastic straws mounted horizontally with aquarium silicone for hitching, placed in the centre of the aquarium on the sandbed.  It is surrounded by macroalgae and LR for hitching purposes.
  • One large medicine dropper for introducing mysis into the feeding station.  Dropper is taken apart and is cleaned after each use in tapwater, then let to air dry.
  • One small Tupperware container with a tight fitting lid to refrigerate mysis for second feeding.

Feeding Method:

  • In a small plastic container with a tight fitting lid, mix one drop of Garlic Xtreme, one drop Tahitian Blend, and several drops of Zoe. Mix thoroughly.
  • Add enough frozen PE mysis for morning and afternoon feedings to the nutritional additives mix.  Let thaw and soak in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
  • Add tankwater to the mysis and additives mix so the medicine dropper can suction it up.
  • Slowly release mysis and Omega 3 brine into the feeding station so all seahorses can see the food.
  • Watch with delight how the seahorses and some of the peppermint shrimp go wild for the food!
  • Put lid on the leftover mysis and store in refrigerator until the afternoon feeding.  Rinse medicine dropper in tapwater and let dry.
  • Before the afternoon feeding, suction out any leftover, then feed the rest of the mysis with medicine dropper.
  • Before lights out, suction out any leftover food from the feeding station. After using the feeding station for several of days, I was able to judge how much food to use for each feeding so there is little or no leftover.

Training Seahorses to Eat from Feeding Station:

  • When setting up a feeding station, make it the most inviting place in the tank. Surround it with the horses' favourite hitching algae or fake plants. Move stuff around if needed.
  • After I set up my "inviting" feeding station, I rounded up the horses that weren't already at the station and allowed them to hitch. Then I dropped the mysis into the bowl. One or two of the horses were at first intrigued by the falling mysis, but once it hit the bottom of the bowl, they lost interest. With my medicine dropper feeder, I'd gently blow on the mysis to stir them up at bit. That got the horses' attention again. Some would go for the food, while others would just look at it. I'd keep lightly stirring the food or add a tiny bit more to get their attention even more. Eventually, at the first feeding all the horses would get the idea that THAT stuff was their food and they'd chow down.
  • Took a week of rounding up the stray horses (by gently pulling them off their far away hitches and guiding them to the station) before they caught onto the idea that food was almost ALWAYS going to be there. Took some work on my end and didn't really like to unhitch a horse, but that's what worked for me.
  • Now, I put food in the bowl and go. The horses that aren't at the feeding station will eventually mosey over and all are eating from the bowl very well now.

Acclimatizing New Seahorses and Training Them to Eat from Feeding Station:

  • When  any new seahorses arrive, they are placed in a one gallon plastic container containing a small fake plant for hitching.  A pH probe is used to initially measure pH in the horses' water, which can often be as low as 6.50 from depleted oxygen levels during shipping. The pH probe is also used to monitor the rise in pH when adding water from the main tank. 
  • Water from main tank is slowly added to the one gallon container by using a turkey baster so the pH doesn't rise too quickly.  Once the container has enough water added from the main tank, a small Hagen 101 powerhead set on low flow is used to oxygenate water in the container.
  • I continue adding water from the main tank.  To keep water levels constant in the container, I also remove water with the turkey baster.  Water removed from the main tank is replaced with NSW that has been aerated for a day and has been heated to the same temperature as the main tank.
  • Acclimatization may take two hours to make sure pH doesn't rise too quickly which reduces stress for the new horses.
  • Once pH in the container is the same as that of the tank, the horses are removed, one by one in a cup, and placed into the main tank near the feeding station. 
  • After all new arrivals have been placed near the feeding station, food is introduced.  If the new seahorses are not interested in the food, I gently blow at the food with the dropper so the moving mysis catch their attention.  It may take a few blows with the dropper until the new horses become interested enough to try the food.
  • For a few days following the introduction of new seahorses, it is often necessary to remove them from hitches that are far away from the feeding station and guide them to it.  If they are not interested in the mysis as it drops into the feeder, I gently blow on the food with the feeding dropper until they begin to feed.  The new seahorses also learn to feed from the station by observing the older seahorses already enjoying their meal.

Benefits of Using a Feeding Station:

  • Food is kept in one place and does not get lost in the tank to go uneaten.  Uneaten food left in a tank will encourage the population growth of some unwanted organisms such as bristleworms. 
  • Uneaten food also adds to the bioload of the aquarium and will cause unnecessary increases in nitrate.
  • Food is always in the same place every day.  Seahorses adapt within a week to the idea that food is in one specific place and will come and go throughout the day to feed.
  • Since using the feeder, my seahorses have gained a significant amount of weight compared to when I was target feeding them and mysis was getting lost in the tank and not being eaten.

 

Previous        Next

 

 

Home      Hippocampus Haven 2003 - 2004 © Beverly Wladyka