Dear Judy:
Ahhh, that explains it, then! If you obtained the live rock from a fellow who cultivates the beadlet anemones, no doubt that’s where the Actinia equina hitchhikers came from. That’s really cool, in a way, since the Actinia anemones are certainly much more colorful and attractive than the pesky Aiptasia rock anemones. You’ll see them in various shades of green, blue, red, and brown.
How big is your aquarium with the Beadlet Anemones, Judy? If the aquarium is large enough and the beadlets are that small, then that might be doable. As I said, the seahorses will quickly learn to avoid them, and if the Beadlet Anemones are not as prolific as the Aiptasia and don’t become too numerous or two large, it’s possible they could coexist with large seahorses like Mustangs or Sunburst (Hippocampus erectus).
Or maybe you can transplant the Actinia anemones to another aquarium where they would be an asset rather than a potential risk. If they are clustered on one of the live rocks, perhaps you could just relocate that entire piece of live rock to another aquarium (hopefully, it’s in a fairly accessible position so you won’t have to go swimming to retrieve it).
Enrolling in the training course is very simple, Judy — just send me a short e-mail off list ([email protected]) with your full name and some additional details about your seahorse tank (dimensions, equipment and filtration, aquarium inhabitants, how long the aquarium has been up and running), which we need for our records, and I will get you started on the first lesson right away.
This basic training is very informal and completely free of charge, Judy. Ocean Rider provides the free training as a service to their customers and any other hobbyists who are interested in learning more about the care and keeping of seahorses. It’s a crash course on seahorse keeping consisting of 10 separate lessons covering the following subjects, and is conducted entirely via e-mail. There is no homework or examinations or anything of that nature — just a lot of good, solid information (well over 160 pages plus some useful illustrations in the later lessons) on seahorses for you to read through and absorb as best you can, at your own speed:
Aquarium care and requirements of seahorses;
Selecting a suitable aquarium for seahorses;
size (tank height and water volume)
filtration
aquarium test kits
Optimizing your aquarium for seahorses;
lighting
water movement and circulation
hitching posts (real and artificial)
aquascaping
substrate
Cycling a new marine aquarium;
The cleanup crew (aquarium janitors & sanitation engineers);
Water Chemistry
optimal parameters
water quality & water changes
aquarium maintenance schedule
Feeding seahorses;
Compatible tank mates for seahorses;
Courtship and breeding;
Rearing the young;
Disease prevention and control;
Hippocampus erectus
natural history
professional rearing protocols
Acclimating Ocean Rider seahorses.
If you are interested, Judy, I will be providing you with detailed information on these subjects and answering any questions you may have about the material I present. I will also be recommending seahorse-related articles for you to read and absorb online.
In short, the training course will explain everything you need to know to keep your seahorses happy and healthy in the aquarium.
Best of luck with the Beadlet Anemones, Judy!
Respectfully,
Pete Giwojna
Ocean Rider, Inc. is an Organic Hawaiian-Based Seahorse Aqua-Farm & Aquarium that Follows Strict Good Farming Practices in Raising Seahorses and Other Aquatic Life.
