Dear fishlover:
Yes, sir, Mustangs love to eat the live red feeder shrimp or volcano she (Halocaridina rubra), and they will usually accept live adult brine shrimp as well. But, as you know, they eat enriched frozen Mysis as their staple, everyday diet so it is not necessary to feed them live foods. Most hobbyists provide them with live foods a few times a month as an occasional treat to add a little diversity to their diet, or offer them unenriched, unfed adult brine shrimp (which are nutritionally barren) once a week as an alternative to fasting them. However, if you enjoy watching them hunting live prey and can afford the cost, feel free to provide them with live foods as often as you wish.
I believe the Ocean Rider seahorses are shipped out from Hawaii for next day delivery throughout the US, so it should take one day for your Mustangs to be delivered to New York. You can specify the exact day you want the seahorses to be be delivered providing you place your order several days in advance.
Yes, sir, when the weather is cooler you may certainly order a single Pixie if you wish. However, Pixies or dwarf seahorses (Hippocampus zosterae) are colonial seahorses that do best in groups. In the wild, if they exist as small colonies of seahorses rather than as isolated individuals or pairs of seahorses. They are accustomed to the company of others of their kind and I would not recommend keeping a solo Pixie. Aside from all other considerations, a tank with just one of these miniature marvels would appear to be virtually empty. Keep in mind that these little jewels are only about the size of your thumbnail when fully grown.
The exact genetic makeup of Pintos is considered to be proprietary information, but they are an unusual color morph in which the base coloration of the seahorse consists of two different contrasting colors. The result is a beautiful piebald pony. Well-marked specimens sport the same sort of bold painted pattern as the Apache Indian’s famous pinto ponies from the wild West, and are referred to as such for that very reason.
The most striking aspect about their color pattern is the brilliant contrast between the light and dark areas. That eye-catching mottled pattern is completely random, so much so that no two specimens are exactly alike (Giwojna, Jun. 2002). The light areas and the darker portions of the piebald pattern can vary in coloration, from black through various shades of brown, or more rarely, to white, yellow, orange or any of the other colors commonly seen in captive-bred erectus (Giwojna, Jun. 2002).
The extent of the mottling varies greatly from individual to individual, and that, together with the differences in their coloration, makes each of these specimens truly unique (Giwojna, Jun. 2002). Many of the piebald specimens are black-and-white or brown-and-white, and others are pitch black mottled with beige or ash gray (Giwojna, Jun. 2002). A few are even more colorful, including striking orange-and-black and brown-and-yellow specimens. When these colors are at their brightest, and the orange or yellow mottling is well developed, such specimens rival the gaudy patterns of orioles (Giwojna, Jun. 2002). One of the most beautifully marked seahorses I’ve ever seen was a saffron yellow erectus adorned to great effect with snow-white saddles (Giwojna, Jun. 2002). As you can imagine, these piebald ponies are in great demand by hobbyists and there are never enough of them to go around.
The recommended stocking density for Mustangs and Sunburst (hippocampus erectus) is one pair per every 10 gallons of water in the aquarium. Ordinarily, your 30-gallon aquarium could thus safely house up to three pairs or six individual adult Mustangs. But since you are new to seahorses, I would suggest starting out slowly and understocking your aquarium. Start out with a single pair of Mustangs and after they have settled into your aquarium and are doing well, and you’ve gained a little valuable experience as a seahorse keeper, you could consider adding a pair of Sunbursts to your herd. Since these are your first seahorses, I would not recommend
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