Mysis Feast - do seahorses like it?

[P-Nut]

I want to turn my tank into a planted tank with seahorses. In order to do this, I will need an automated feeder, and mysis feast seems to be the best because: 1 - it is refrigerated and 2- it doesn't sink.

But...I can't find any good reviews on people thst use it for seahorses. I read that some fish hate it, but there isn't much on seahorses.

So, I was wondering:

1. Have any of you tried to feed this to your seahorses?
2. Do any local stores carry it?

 

[phg1960]

Seahorses tend to prefer live foods and most sellers feed brine shrimp. Tank-bred horses often are raised on frozen brine and/or mysis. It may take some effort, but you would most likely get them to eat mysis with time.

Just curious. Why do you feel you need to have an auto-feeder to do a planted tank?

 

[P-Nut]

Because I don't think that a planted tank would provide enough live food. It will be a 40 breeder with 4 seahorses. It will have a lot of plants and a sump full of plants as well.

My liverock is already full of pods also, it is 5 years old, but I failed at keeping a mandarin alive. Maybe the rock is too porus and the pods just hide in there and the mandarin couldn't reach them.

Also, I work 7-7 M-F, and would like to feed the seahorses at least twice during the day and once at night.

After I get rid of the corals, I will put plants and add pods and keep the tank going without any predators for at least 2 months, but still, I would feel better with an auto feeder.

I will only buy seahorses thst are already eating frozen.

Another idea is to defrost mysis every other day and keep them with a magnetic stirrer in a small fridge, but the is one more thing that could fail.

 

[saltwaterB]

After using Mysis Feast for almost 2 years...and having very poor response from Fish (and 2 bottles exploding) We have stopped carrying it and using it...plus I would not trust it in an auto feeder...as the oils in Mysis Shrimp break down very fast especially when not VERY cold...which means half of what you feed out will already be decomposing....
I don't see why you would need an auto feeder... Jus set the light cycle to on when you are home and feed a couple of times while you are there...
And I would hope any Seahorse you would buy would be chowing on Frozen food, or the store should not even sell it to you...and if it is not eating Frozen most likely it is not tank raised and you don't want it anyway...


Mandarins are WAY harder to keep alive long term than ANY tank raised seahorse...TR horses (as long as you have a good quality supplier) are very easy to keep...and really only need to eat twice a day.. Ours eat Frozen Brine Shrimp. Mysis Shrimp, and Larry's food.

 

[reefstarter]

^^^^^ The man Knoooows his stuff

 

[Rone]

Very good info B...

 

[P-Nut]

Interesting info on the Mysis feast. Thanks.

 

[Reefer140]

You may wanna check out a thread I started about my planted seahorse tank.

http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?142113-40-Gallon-Seahorse-Tank-Design

All my seahorses eat frozen mysis and brine and I have both captive bred and wild caught seahorses

 

[P-Nut]

I don't think this will work.

The reason why I thought of the Mysis feast is because it can be refrigerated, therefore lasting longer. Some weeks I work 50 hours, some I work over 60. Today I worked 7:30 - 7:30 and won't be home until 8:30 and the wife is not home either.

I could feed them once at night, but there would be no way to feed them during the day. I am not a slave of my reef tank, and I dont want to be a slave of any tank.

 

[RiverRat]

I don't think this will work.

The reason why I thought of the Mysis feast is because it can be refrigerated, therefore lasting longer. Some weeks I work 50 hours, some I work over 60. Today I worked 7:30 - 7:30 and won't be home until 8:30 and the wife is not home either.

I could feed them once at night, but there would be no way to feed them during the day. I am not a slave of my reef tank, and I dont want to be a slave of any tank.

I have healthy and happy seahorses. I no longer feed more than once a day (at one point I did).
I have a decent size pod population and I feed them frozen mysis at night (anywhere between 7:30pm and 8:30pm).
My planted seahorse tank is easier than any other tank I have kept. I think you could do it.

 

[saltwaterB]

I don't think this will work.

The reason why I thought of the Mysis feast is because it can be refrigerated, therefore lasting longer. Some weeks I work 50 hours, some I work over 60. Today I worked 7:30 - 7:30 and won't be home until 8:30 and the wife is not home either.

I could feed them once at night, but there would be no way to feed them during the day. I am not a slave of my reef tank, and I dont want to be a slave of any tank.

So just have the lights on the tank run from 4pm to midnight....feed them right when you get home then again before you go to sleep....problem solved, very easy fix...

When I had tanks at home...I worked 50-80 hours a week and never home before 10pm...so all of my tanks run from 6pm to 4am...

My reptile room t home still runs on that schedule or those guys would get no attention...

 

[P-Nut]

You are right. I could have my tanks run later, maybe do 7pm-6am. I could feed them around 8-1pm and then again when I wake up at 5am.

When I'm on vacation I guess they could just eat once/day. I will do some research on that.

Do you think ambient light would bother them throughout the day and keep them awake?

 

[Paula]

I have had sea horses for many years - and tried to have sea grass growing. Sea grass needs LOTS of light - as much as any SPS .. I had a 150 MH over the tank and it was barely enough. Then the heat from the MH caused some heat issues. Horses like a cooler temp; 72 degrees tops. I tried sea grass under my Radion LED and it was not enough light. I have been most successful with many types of gorgonians .. . They all different colors and textures (but soft so as to not hurt the horses). Gorgs can adjust to cooler temps and a slightly lower salinity.
Just my 2 cents - YMNV ..

Good Luck!
Paula

 

[P-Nut]

Where did you get the seagrass?

I think I will have a MH on the tank. A 250W halide. Every time I saw seahorses they were in shallow water with A LOT of water movement, so I don't think they would mind a MH.

 

[Paula]

They don't mind the light, but don't let the heat build up. Mine do like the current . .. but I have the circulation pumps on a timer so that they turn off for feeding and then turn back on an hour later. They eat frozen Mysis and they eat s l o w l y. So make sure you give them a chance to "hunt down" the food . .. and make sure you don't have any aggressive eaters in the tank or the horses wont get enough to eat. I feed mine once per day and they are just fine.
I got the sea grass from a small company in FL - they used to harvest it on demand only. I am not sure if they still do it, or if it is legal anymore.