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My tank is 90 gallons reef with a sump. I have several different fish in there but nothing crazy aggressive. As well as 1 tigerstail seahorse in the tank. Smaller but not newborn. 2 days ago she is hanging upsidedown from a gorgonian coral in the evening. Seemed unusual but I left her alone. Late that night I get home and she is laying in the sand tail outstretched. Thinking she passed away I tried to net her out. Except she twitched when I touched her with the net so I left her where she was. I checked in the morning and she was upright in her usual spot perfectly normal and has been since. Is that just how they sleep and I just haven’t seen it yet? Or did something happen to her?
I am also looking into getting mote tigerstail seahorses. I know you do not offer them on your website but is there a breeder you know of and recommend?
Dear Eric:
Seahorses will often hang upside down from a convenient hitching post when they are hunting for pods and searching the substrate for suitable prey.
Lying flat on the sandy bottom is unusual. As long as your water quality parameters are where they should be, and you have good surface agitation and oxygenation, the only other times a seahorse would be lying flat on the bottom of the tank is when it is so weak that it doesn’t have the energy and strength to perch normally and hold itself upright from its hitching post.
How is your tiger tail (Hippocampus comes) eating, sir? Is it well fed and getting its share to eat at feeding time, or are the other fish out-competing it and stealing the frozen Mysis before your pony has a chance to slurp it up?
Is your tiger tail breathing normally, Eric? No labored breathing or rapid respirations?
No, sir, I know of no other breeders or dealers who are offering tiger tail seahorses (Hippocampus comes), sir.
Best of luck with your young tiger tail.
Respectfully,
Pete Giwojna, Ocean Rider Tech SupportDear Eric:
Okay, that sounds encouraging, sir. If you have had the tiger tail for some time now, and it’s not losing weight, then it’s obviously getting nourishment one way or another.
It sounds like you have a sizable pod population in your tank, if you have a mandarin Dragonet and a pipefish that are thriving, so I suspect that the tiger tail has also been supplementing its diet by hunting Tigger pods and Gammarus amphipods. In fact, that could well be what all the hanging upside-down acrobatics have been about.
In short, Eric, if you don’t notice any other unusual symptoms, then I suspect all is well, and that your tiger tail is getting enough to eat, so keep on doing what you been doing, sir.
One other thing you might consider is to install a refugium on that day with spaghetti algae and then seeding the refuge with additional pods, feeder shrimp, and larval shrimp. The pods and feeder shrimp can reproduce in the refugium and some of them will eventually find their way into the main tank to help sustain your mandarin, pipefish, and tiger tail seahorse.
Let me know of who would like some pointers on how to set up such a refugium, and I would be happy to provide you with some additional information and guidelines.
Best wishes with all your fishes, Eric! Keep up the great work!
Respectfully,
Pete Giwojna, Ocean Rider Tech Support
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