Dear Grantman:
I have to warn you that it is very difficult for the home hobbyist to be so successful at rearing seahroses that he or she is able to generate any kind of a profit from such an endeavor. Raising seahorses in any kind of quantity requires a tremendous investment in both time and expense, sir. Any kind of a large-scale breeding program is almost certain to consume far more resources on your behalf than it generates.
There is a always a steep learning curve when it comes to rearing the newborns, and it’s quite common — perhaps even the rule — for the home breeder to lose the entire brood during his first few attempts at rearing. But as you refine your methods and become more proficient at providing suitable live foods for the newborns and work out the feeding regimen that’s most efficient for your particular circumstances, your results will get better. You will have more of the fry surviving for longer periods, until eventually you are able to raise a few of the fry from a few of the broods to maturity. Most home breeders can aspire to that sort of limited success eventually if they are willing to put in the time and effort it requires. But if you’re counting on homegrown ponies to reduce your overhead, that’s really rather unrealistic. It’s very likely to be the other way around, sir.
Secondly, you should be aware that when you purchase Ocean Rider seahorses, you are agreeing NOT to sell the offspring of those ponies for profit. So you would need to obtain the Hippocampus erectus broodstock for your breeding program from another vendor.
Having said that, sir, if you contact me off list I would be happy to provide you with the lot information on breeding and raising Hippocampus erectus, including successful rearing protocols that have been developed by professional breeders. With time and practice, you should eventually be able to raise enough of the fry to maturity to keep your herd going and make up for natural losses. But I wouldn’t expect your breeding project to advance beyond that point without a very major commitment of time and a major investment of money, in conjunction with a very long-term approach.
Best of luck with your breeding project, sir!
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.
