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Hippocampus Haven
Seahorse Feeding Stations
Rocco D.'s 29 Gallon
Bowfront
Captive Bred
H. barbouri Aquarium
Shell Feeder
2004 ©
Rocco D.
Abalone
shell with artificial fingers sponges for hitching
posts.
Photo taken February 2004.
Abalone
shell feeder in place in the 29 gallon aquarium.
Photo taken February 2004.
Other Photos:
Tank:
Inhabitants:
Feeding Seahorses:
Types of Food:
-
PE (Piscine Energetics) frozen
mysis, obtained at LFS's from time to time, otherwise ordered via
Internet.
-
I also keep red volcanic shrimp (Halocaridna
rubra) on hand, as well, in a dedicated 5.5 gallon Perfecto tank.
-
Selcon, Vitachem and Garlic Xtreme
enriched frozen brine shrimp
(either Spirulina or Omega3).
Nutritional Supplements Used:
-
Selcon, by American Marine, obtained
at a LFS and easily ordered on-line.
-
Vibrance2, by Ocean Rider, which
is a specific enrichment product available directly through Ocean
Rider.
-
VitaChem, by Boyd
Enterprises, obtained at a LFS and easily ordered on-line.
Number of Feedings per Day:
-
Fed twice a day with enriched mysis
and brine shrimp, among other things for the other tank inhabitants.
Feeding Station and Feeding Tools:
-
This artificial coral
made by Signature
Coral and is
a 17"H x 12"W Double Small Finger Sponge in orange.
I placed it in the tank first
without rock, then the rock was added
around it to create a more realistic nature forming pattern for
the horses' most loved area in the
tank. I bought a new abalone shell as the old was seemed to
have cracked and I thought it was best when doing my first
feeding station that I buy the smallest and thinnest abalone
shell I could find so that it was this
dainty place that dind't look very
thick and manmade, BUT...
Same as
with my first abalone shell feeder, I rinsed the triple
finger sponge and the new abalone shell,
wiped it dry,
then let it air dry for about a
half hour in a room with all windows open and fan on. I then
used Marineland's
Holdfast Epoxy
to hold it to one area on the
artificial coral. This time I planned
ahead in the store and carried the
artificial coral all over the store with me to see which shell
would "sit" perfectly all by itself in one nested area.
I then just used a small amount
of epoxy to secure it in it's "nesting" place sitting
atop the finger sponges.
-
I use a one and a half foot long
and inch wide rigid piece of tubing obtained at the LFS to sink
the food down into the feed station. The mysis sinks right down
and is placed exactly where they frequently visit. The horses'
feeding station is the only place where I use the piece of tubing
to feed. I use it to feed certain areas of the tank where the
peppermint shrimp stay and the scarlet cleaners stay as well as
the saron shrimp, so they don't go ahead and eat WITH the horses.
This works very well, as it for the most part, leaves the horses
to themselves at the station. As soon as the horses and anyone
else in the tank see tubing come into the water, they are like an
army following their leader. Quite a sight. I also have a foot
and a half long very very thick piece of tubing that I use to
TRICK other members, sometimes the horses while I'm feeding others
in the tank, to think that food is coming to this area while in
fact feeding in another. This too works like a charm for me.
-
For food storage, I use a simple
little glass, never used for anything but fish food and is never
washed with any detergents, just rinsed clean with warm to hot
water. The tubes and glasses are just rinsed with warm to hot
water for cleaning. On Sundays when I clean the entire tank
and all to do with it, I put them in the dishwasher with no
detergents, just a hot rinse. Ready to use for Monday as Sunday
is their fasting day.
Feeding Method:
-
In total for the tank, I use half a
cube of frozen brine shrimp (either spirulina or omega3) and a
chunk of frozen mysis. Both feeds are enriched accordingly,
soaked for about 15 minutes, sometimes more or less depending on
my own schedule. The mysis in particular are soaked in a little
bit of tank water until full thawed, then drained in a brine
shrimp net, put back in the feeding glass and mixed with the above
listed enrichments. Tube goes it, leaning on the side walls of
the tank, food is inserted into tube which floats down to the
feeding station, then onto the next area to feed. and that's it.
Training
Seahorses to Eat from Feeding Station:
- Training my
seahorse to eat from the feeder
was a very exciting thing to do. I
let them be for a week, or even more depending on the horse. But,
eventually I got to handle them and lead them to where they would
LOVE MOST! I never used to touch my horses until I made a feeding
station, and it was great to feel these
stunning creatures with my hand. I don't make a habit of it
as I want to keep my hands out of the tank as much as
possible. But when they were first being trained to go to their
feeding station, it was such a joy being able to have hand contact
with them like that. Basically, it took time and patience. They
wouldn't go at first, they would slowly go all over the tank and
realize something tasty enough was sitting there in the feeding
station. Although they wouldn't go there as soon as I fed, I knew
at one point they would skim that to the
feeding area and find it. Once I saw that they were a
little more comfortable going to one place to eat,
I used my hands to help them there, and.used
the tubing so they would be interested
in what was being put into the water. They caught on very very
well. From then on,
it was made to be a breeze for them and very simple for me.
- I would say that it took them about 2-3 weeks to learn to eat
from the feeder once they really really took a
liking to the frozen food and learned that it was actually their
meal. It will vary, some seahorse may
learn soon and some may take longer.
Acclimatizing
New Seahorses and Training
Them to Eat from Feeding Station:
-
With regards to acclimating new horses
and trying to get them eating from the station as well, it's more
like follow the leader. Usually one will see the other eating and
snicking away at something good, so the others will follow.
The new seahorses may be a bit unsure about snicking the food but,
all in all, something will lead them there. Whether it be me,
another horse or the food being swept around either by me and my
turkey baster or just the water current or horses breathing.
-
With new horses, I like to acclimate
them very well. I give a medicated fresh water dip and
slowly introduce them to the main tanks water. This ensures a
less stressful introduction to a new closed system and overall
makes it a more safe and smart action to go through with.
Benefits of
Using a Feeding Station:
-
The feeding station can be a number of
things. The feeding station is a very very clean way to feed,
containing food in one area so it doesn't float away into other
unreachable areas of the tank. The feeding station can be designed
to your own style and preference, which is exciting. You can use so
many marine water safe items and make it blend in and not even be
seen. Or you can use something a bit more eye striking. The
feeding station also provides more places to hitch even if they are
not being fed, which is never a bad thing. The more places for them
to be able to hitch around, the better.
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