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Dear Seahorse Lovers:
I have good news for everyone who has a good-sized aquarium system and is looking for really impressive domesticated seahorses with great looks, great personalities, and great size: There are still plenty of large and extra-large Mustangs available from Ocean Rider!
Whereas the medium-sized seahorses are typically around 3-4 inches in length, large Mustangs are in excess of 5 inches and the extra-large Mustangs are often 7-8 inches in length.
They reach these impression dimensions because stunting is never an issue in the vast enclosures at the Ocean Rider seahorse farm, which are 20 feet wide and hold 20 cubic meters of warm natural seawater, and because they receive the highest quality food and expert care from professional aquaculturists right from the moment of birth, as well as unlimited natural sunlight in tropical Hawaii.
This results in rapid growth, exceptional vigor, and beautiful color patterns. All of which means that these unusually large Mustangs have reached impressive dimensions that would not be otherwise possible if kept in a small, close-system home aquarium with artificial saltwater and artificial lighting.
And it also means that large and extra-large Mustangs are often endowed with remarkably exuberant, playful personalities. That’s a result of the extended amount of time they have spent being hand-raised, in close contact with their keepers and with others of their own kind. They therefore tend to be highly social and thus regard the aquarist not as a terrifying apparition to be shunned and avoided, as do many tropical fish, but rather as the giver of gourmet delights – the source of all good things!
In short, these big boys quickly learn to recognize their keepers, and will come a-running whenever the spot you approaching the aquarium, begging for a handout. They are so sociable, in fact, that they can sometimes become a bit of a nuisance when you are working in the tank by clinging to your fingers and insisting on being right in the thick of things and helping you out whenever you are performing any aquarium maintenance. These overgrown extroverts will often perch on your hand or whatever aquarium utensil you may be using and watch intently as you finish your chores, apparently enjoying the ride and the company.
The large Mustang in the photo below is obviously completely being handled.
I’ve found that many of the larger individuals actually seem to enjoy being handled. Unlike most other fish that back off when you approach the aquarium and flee in terror if you place your hand in the tank, seahorses soon learn to recognize their keeper and will come out to meet you. They quickly learn to take food from your fingers, and as you will discover, having your pet ponies literally eating out your hand is a very rewarding experience.
Some home hobbyists I have talked to tell me that they have avoided getting the large or extra-large seahorses in the past because they were concerned they might be getting old worn-out warhorses with one hoof in the glue factory, but that’s not the case at all.
A good way to look at it in human terms is that the medium-sized seahorses are teenagers just approaching sexual maturity, whereas the large seahorses have graduated high school and are just starting college. By comparison, the extra-large individuals are the equivalent of upperclassmen and recent college grads. They are more mature, but are still young adults with long lives ahead of them.
In other words, large Mustangs are only a few months older than the mediums, and the extra-large Mustangs are perhaps six months older than the medium-sized Mustangs. And that’s because the seahorses grow so fast under the ideal conditions at Ocean Rider.
They do cost a bit more because of all the time and resources it takes to produce these big beauties, and because they’re more expensive to ship, but you get a lot more bang for your bucks in terms of their size and personality.
So if you’ve got a larger aquarium system and you’re looking for seahorses, do yourself a favor – leave the Shetland ponies for the other hobbyists, and pick up a pair of Clydesdales with big personalities to match their impressive size!
Large single Mustangs are available at the following link:
https://seahorse.com/product/mustangs-hippocampus-erectus-single-large/
Large pairs of Mustangs are available here:
https://seahorse.com/product/mustangs-hippocampus-erectus-pairs-large/
And extra-large Mustangs are offered here:
https://seahorse.com/product/mustangs-hippocampus-erectus-single-xlarge/
Best wishes with all your fishes!
Happy Trails!
Pete Giwojna, Ocean Rider Tech Support
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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.
