Dear John:
I’m sorry to hear that your ponies have yet to produce any offspring for you, sir. As you know, there could be any number of reasons why there has been no successful breeding in your aquarium as of yet, although having healthy, amorous males that are trying hard to get themselves pregnant is half the battle. You have obviously been doing a lot of things right since you mentioned that you typically have stallions actively courting your females, but to no avail.
If you can tell me a little more about your seahorses and provide me with some specs on your seahorse setup, I would be happy to help you figure out where the problem may lie so that we can encourage your females to get with the program and give up their eggs.
What species of seahorses are you working with, John? How old are your ponies and how long have you had them, sir? Have you ever noticed any spilled eggs while your seahorses were courting, or discovered dropped eggs on the bottom of the tank when feeding the ponies are searching the aquarium?
Please go over your daily feeding regimen for your seahorses with me, John? What are you using as their staple, everyday diet? Do you ever provide them with live foods and, if so, what sort of live prey and how often do you provide it?
In addition, it will be helpful if you can you please describe the aquarium system you are using for your seahorse tank. How large is your seahorse tank (length, width, and height), John? What kind of filtration equipment is installed and running on the aquarium? What type of lighting system does the tank use? How long has your seahorse tank been up and running? Can you briefly describe the aquascaping and type of hitching post you are using? Please list all of the current inhabitants of the seahorse tank, including the cleanup crew, sir.
Please list the current water quality parameters for your aquarium, including the following: water temperature, specific gravity (or salinity), pH, and levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. It would also be helpful to know the dissolved oxygen level and reading for phosphates, if possible. Have you ever had a problem with nuisance algae in your seahorse setup, sir?
Have you ever had a disease outbreak in your seahorse tank, John? If so, what were the symptoms of the affected seahorses and what medications did you use to treat them, if any.
Please get back to me with the additional information requested above as soon as possible, sir. Once I know more about your seahorse setup and the inhabitants, I will have a better idea of why there has been no successful breeding, and I may be able to recommend some changes that can rectify the situation.
Best wishes with all your fishes, John!
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.
