Dwarf Seahorses

[billb]

I'm setting up a tank for Dwarf Seahorses. Anyone know of a source in Alberta or a source in Canada that would ship to Calgary? I'm willing to import from the US but was hoping to avoid all the paperwork and fees.

Thanks,
Bill

[sphelps]

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=69247&highlight=Dwarf+Seahorses

[fishoholic]

Blue world in Edmonton sometimes gets them in, from a local breeder to I believe

[rayjay]

Contact Zenafish on this forum.
Blue World in Edmonton may be getting some in once the weather gets a bit warmer. Give them a call.

[billb]

Contact Zenafish on this forum.
Blue World in Edmonton may be getting some in once the weather gets a bit warmer. Give them a call.

LOL I just messaged him and hung up the phone with Blue World -thanks :) .

The big issue besides the breeder is tank size. I am thinking of partitioning a large tank into 10 gallon sections to keep feeding density high while still keeping the water stability a large tank offers. Plus it gives me a chance to raise fry in a separate partition. I keep reading 5-10 gallons max but that must get really packed if they breed.

[rayjay]

Most people leave the dwarf fry in with the parents and have no problems raising them in that manner. You can sell offspring so that your tank isn't overloaded, or start up other tanks.
Remember that the lifespan of dwarfs is very short, so you need to be breeding stock to replace the ones that die off. Also, they stop breeding as they get older so you need to have the replacements before they get to that point.
Before you get the dwarfs you could practice decapping brine shrimp cysts, hatching them, growing them for an extra day, and then enriching them in two 12 hours stages with new water and enrichment for each of the 12 hour stages.
The best enrichment can be purchased from Dan Underwood at seahorsesource.com.

[billb]

Thaks for the help Rayjay :)
I'm still looking for a Canadian supplier as both of the above sources have been nonresponsive.

Most people leave the dwarf fry in with the parents and have no problems raising them in that manner. You can sell offspring so that your tank isn't overloaded, or start up other tanks.
Remember that the lifespan of dwarfs is very short, so you need to be breeding stock to replace the ones that die off. Also, they stop breeding as they get older so you need to have the replacements before they get to that point.
Before you get the dwarfs you could practice decapping brine shrimp cysts, hatching them, growing them for an extra day, and then enriching them in two 12 hours stages with new water and enrichment for each of the 12 hour stages.
The best enrichment can be purchased from Dan Underwood at seahorsesource.com.

[rayjay]

Well, I've got erectus and dwarfs on order from Blue World Aquatic in Edmonton.
Ken is bringing them in from a breeder in Florida.
Paperwork is already completed and shipment was held up because the breeder has no experience shipping to places as cold as Edmonton.
I expect to see them before spring possibly.
What did Ken say when you called him on the phone?
This is the thread and shows how long it has taken for everything to develop.
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=63102
Zena and her husband are house shopping at the moment so she has been a bit short on time with the work issues including travel as well.
She stored some of the seahorses here a bit ago in between aquarium club speeches she gave in different cities and the dwarfs were definitely cute.

[billb]

I called Blue World and Shannon gave me ken's e-mail address. I sent a couple of e-mails off and haven't heard back. Sent some pms to zena. Good to hear they are probably just busy.

I am going with a partitioned tank for when I eventually get them. I am just going to get it modded and have it cycled and waiting. Hopefully by spring when the weather warms a bit I can get some shipped.

[billb]

I've found a supplier who will ship from the States. It will cost a bit of money for the paperwork and the shipping. The other side of the coin is the Dwarf Seahorses are really, really cheap $8 per horse for orders under 100 and $7 per horse over 100. When the time comes it might be very doable if I can get couple other people who are interested.

In the meantime I will still hope to find a Canadian supplier.

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Pisces and Red Coral in Calgary both have seahorses... saw them as of a few days ago. Pretty sure I have seen them at other stores in Calgary as well. Why not phone around?

[rayjay]

I've found a supplier who will ship from the States. It will cost a bit of money for the paperwork and the shipping. The other side of the coin is the Dwarf Seahorses are really, really cheap $8 per horse for orders under 100 and $7 per horse over 100. When the time comes it might be very doable if I can get couple other people who are interested.

In the meantime I will still hope to find a Canadian supplier.
The dwarfs sold at that price are wild caught, and I'm personally not interested in them.
I want only true captive bred.
When Zenafish gets her brood up to size again she will have more for sale.

[billb]

Pisces and Red Coral in Calgary both have seahorses... saw them as of a few days ago. Pretty sure I have seen them at other stores in Calgary as well. Why not phone around?

I've phoned everywhere. No one has dwarf seahorses. They are just too hard to get in Canada. I am on waiting lists at a few places. H. Erectus and H.Kuda can easily be had at the local stores.