FeliciaLynn
Guest
So?
It's morning!
Where are the ponies?
Getting on the USPS truck for delivery! The tracking information says they arrived at the Berkeley post office at 8:32 am. Almost here!
Felicia's 30 Gallon Seahorse Tank - Seahorses have arrived!!!
- Thread starter FeliciaLynn
- Start date
Getting on the USPS truck for delivery! The tracking information says they arrived at the Berkeley post office at 8:32 am. Almost here!
FeliciaLynn
Guest
The seahorses are here safe and are in their tank! I'll get a few photos up in a moment.
I've been sitting in front of the tank for the last couple hours because the seahorses really had me stressed. They kind of panicked when I put them into the tank and I wasn't sure if they were ok or if it was just normal behavior in a new environment. Everything a seahorse does looks totally different than a fish! I didn't quite realize the extent of that until they got here and I realized I was having a hard time reading their behavior. Anyways, I was worried for a while but both of them have settled down now and are both hitched to one of the gorgonians just hanging out. Their eyes are actively moving around, so I know they are alert and paying attention to their surroundings. After first going into the tank they were swimming all over the place sort of frantically and seemed to be breathing heavily. They're breathing normally now and just hanging out, so I think that's a good sign. Man, they make me so nervous! I am definitely going to have to get better at reading their behavior.
Anyways, the box arrived a little after 10 am, so not bad at all for USPS overnight. That's only an hour later than FedEx overnight if you pick up at one of their locations and so much faster than UPS. UPS packages always get to me at like 1 or later. Anyways, USPS is great sometimes and the little old asian man that delivers my packages is as sweet as can be and was super gentle with the box. The box arrived looking like it had just been packaged up...no dents or tears or anything. USPS seems to have paid close attention to the "fragile" and "live fish" stickers. Go USPS!
I opened the box and both seahorses were together in one big bag with two hitches. They were ignoring the hitches and were just hanging out with their tails hitched together. So cute! They were a pale golden tan color when they came out of the white styrofoam box but they started to brighten up noticeable during acclimation. Jon sent a note in the box explaining how best to acclimate, how to feed, and about their colors. He said color will fade in the white box during shipping, but in a few days they will brighten up. He claims they will always have the same "base" color and can only change to shades of that. It seems to be true since they were still a color in the yellow range when they arrived. I still have the tank lights out to let the seahorses adjust, so I can't tell exactly how bright they've gotten but they've definitely gotten brighter since coming out of the box. The bigger one looks to be more yellow right now while the smaller one is still kind of a deep golden color. They're very pretty
Like I said, for the last hour now they've been hitched in one of the yellow gorgonians just hanging out. I hope that's normal and that they're ok. They aren't doing much but they seem alert and calm. Maybe they wore themselves out with their initial panic after being added to the tank.
I've been sitting in front of the tank for the last couple hours because the seahorses really had me stressed. They kind of panicked when I put them into the tank and I wasn't sure if they were ok or if it was just normal behavior in a new environment. Everything a seahorse does looks totally different than a fish! I didn't quite realize the extent of that until they got here and I realized I was having a hard time reading their behavior. Anyways, I was worried for a while but both of them have settled down now and are both hitched to one of the gorgonians just hanging out. Their eyes are actively moving around, so I know they are alert and paying attention to their surroundings. After first going into the tank they were swimming all over the place sort of frantically and seemed to be breathing heavily. They're breathing normally now and just hanging out, so I think that's a good sign. Man, they make me so nervous! I am definitely going to have to get better at reading their behavior.
Anyways, the box arrived a little after 10 am, so not bad at all for USPS overnight. That's only an hour later than FedEx overnight if you pick up at one of their locations and so much faster than UPS. UPS packages always get to me at like 1 or later. Anyways, USPS is great sometimes and the little old asian man that delivers my packages is as sweet as can be and was super gentle with the box. The box arrived looking like it had just been packaged up...no dents or tears or anything. USPS seems to have paid close attention to the "fragile" and "live fish" stickers. Go USPS!
I opened the box and both seahorses were together in one big bag with two hitches. They were ignoring the hitches and were just hanging out with their tails hitched together. So cute! They were a pale golden tan color when they came out of the white styrofoam box but they started to brighten up noticeable during acclimation. Jon sent a note in the box explaining how best to acclimate, how to feed, and about their colors. He said color will fade in the white box during shipping, but in a few days they will brighten up. He claims they will always have the same "base" color and can only change to shades of that. It seems to be true since they were still a color in the yellow range when they arrived. I still have the tank lights out to let the seahorses adjust, so I can't tell exactly how bright they've gotten but they've definitely gotten brighter since coming out of the box. The bigger one looks to be more yellow right now while the smaller one is still kind of a deep golden color. They're very pretty
Like I said, for the last hour now they've been hitched in one of the yellow gorgonians just hanging out. I hope that's normal and that they're ok. They aren't doing much but they seem alert and calm. Maybe they wore themselves out with their initial panic after being added to the tank.
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Ok, I have some photos from acclimation. Right now I'm leaving them alone in their gorgonian because I don't want to stress them. I'll try to get better photos of them in the tank once they seem settled in.
With their tails hitched together.
The smaller girl.
The larger girl.
Color here is already way brighter than when I first pulled them out of the box.
And this is how Lily feels about seahorses. That paper she's sitting on is the instructions and information that Southwatch included with the seahorses. Lily knew I was looking at it and was annoyed she wasn't getting any attention so she plopped herself on top of it
With their tails hitched together.
The smaller girl.
The larger girl.
Color here is already way brighter than when I first pulled them out of the box.
And this is how Lily feels about seahorses. That paper she's sitting on is the instructions and information that Southwatch included with the seahorses. Lily knew I was looking at it and was annoyed she wasn't getting any attention so she plopped herself on top of it
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Pony photo time!
These haven't been edited at all, so they're very spot on representations of their current colors.
Notice she's the same color has the gorgonian she's been hanging out on for the last couple hours.
Notice she's the same color has the gorgonian she's been hanging out on for the last couple hours.
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Thank you! I hope they continue to do well! I'm about to try to feed them, but they may not start eating for a few days. Apparently they may not eat for up to 48 hours after shipping.
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Thanks, Jim! They're such cute little things!Sweet looking ponies Felicia.
A little tip...take care of your mailman (eg. Christmas, bottle of water on a hot day, etc.) and he will surely take care of you.
I will have to do that! I need to keep my USPS guy happy because he does a great job. You should have seen how delicately he handed me the box this morning.
FeliciaLynn
Guest
And some more seahorse photos for you guys
Coral reefer
Past President
What are you offerin for food? May need some live treats at first if they are stubborn. I'd say letting them go 48hrs without is longer than you'd want to go if it can be avoided
FeliciaLynn
Guest
I actually talked to the breeder this morning because they still wouldn't eat the frozen mysis this morning. He said that seahorses the size of the ones I ordered can go 4 days or so without food without any lasting health effects. He said the shipping plus going from bare breeder tanks to a reef tank is a big transition and they tend to not eat until they are settled in and feel safe and comfortable. He said I really shouldn't worry too much unless they aren't eating for me by the end of the week. Also, the smaller of the two has been eating the copepods that I seeded the tank with. I mentioned that to the breeder and he said that since she hasn't seen any live food for 60-90 days (they get live food when they are fry), she may just be distracted by the pods. He said once she decimates the pod population, then she'll probably show more interest in the frozen mysis. I haven't seen the larger one eat pods, but maybe she's just eating them when I'm not looking. Both seahorses were eating frozen for a minimum of 60-90 days before they were shipped to me, so the breeder guarantees that they will start eating frozen mysis once they are all settled into their new home.
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Thank you so much! I am glad you like it
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Did you keep H. Erectus or a different species? They're such cool animals! Mine seem to be doing very well, I just need to get them to eat!
pinner
Guest
i kept the H. Erectus yes. They were black. I ended up with male and female and mated like crazy. I started to keep the babies and got them to 2 months old. But then got bed ridden and ended up loosing them.
FeliciaLynn
Guest
That's great that you had so much success with them mating. You must have been taking great care of them. I'm sorry to hear that you ended up losing them. Have you ever considered getting another pair? I intentionally got two females because I do not want to end up trying to raise the fry. Right now I just don't have the time to try to raise baby seahorses.
lattehiatus
Past President
Gorgeous H. erectus and as always, amazing photographs! Hoping you have a change of heart about breeding them - it's a whole new world of fun.
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Thank you! Well they are both females, so I'd have to go buy a male if I wanted to breed them. I just really don't have the time or space for that right now. Maybe someday when I own a house and can set aside a space for the nursery tanks, then I would consider breeding, but if I tried it now my entire apartment would be overrun with tanks.Gorgeous H. erectus and as always, amazing photographs! Hoping you have a change of heart about breeding them - it's a whole new world of fun.
rygh
Guest
Seriously: What you are doing here is so great. You put some of us to shame.
Doing all the research, talking to the breeder personally, getting the perfect biotope.
You even match the coral colors to enhance the fish.
Then all the amazing close up pictures.
Just: Wow!!!
I feel like such a hack after following this thread.
Sorry that that sounds cheesy, but it is really so cool, I had to express admiration.
Doing all the research, talking to the breeder personally, getting the perfect biotope.
You even match the coral colors to enhance the fish.
Then all the amazing close up pictures.
Just: Wow!!!
I feel like such a hack after following this thread.
Sorry that that sounds cheesy, but it is really so cool, I had to express admiration.