Hippocampus bargibanti - Pygmy Seahorses

FateX8 · 02-03-2006, 09:24 PM

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with these guys, as in what was your set-up like?
I have a 7gal mini-bow just sitting there with 2x32w pc's so i thought a nice seahorse tank would be cool and since the H. bargibanti only gets to about 3cm I figured that would be perfect. I don't know much about them and when I try to search for them on a search engine I usually get stuff about their natural locations but nothing on care.
TIA,
Mike

cheeks69 · 02-03-2006, 10:10 PM

Mike I don't know if this site will have specific info your looking for but it's an excellent source for info on seahorses in general...hth.

http://www.seahorses.de/index.htm

mps9506 · 02-04-2006, 08:29 AM

Can try here also:
http://www.seahorse.com/Aquarium_Life/Care_Sheets/

kwajgal1990 · 04-03-2008, 02:25 PM

How did it go with your Hippocampus bargibanti? I'm just wondering where you got them. I raise dwarf seahorses, but it would be my dream come true to raise a pair of pygmies!!!

panmanmatt · 04-03-2008, 04:53 PM

H. barbiganti are not available in the hobby. They have a symbiotic relationship with the gorgonians on which they live and have not been successfully kept once removed from it.

Due to their small size it is not even known what their food requirements are as even rotifers are too large for them.

This is one of those species that are better off left in the ocean.

lcstorc · 04-03-2008, 06:07 PM

At a max size of 3cm they would be hard to keep out of filters and such anyway.

kwajgal1990 · 04-22-2008, 02:48 PM

That's a bummer. I have a lot of gorgonia in my tank already. I thought maybe I would be able to keep a pair.

kwajgal1990 · 04-23-2008, 12:53 PM

Oh, and it's easy to keep them out of the filters. I have dwarf seahorses who have babies all the time. They're tiny! I just keep a sponge filter over the intake spout. They need to live in a really small tank anyway in order to keep the density of live baby brine high enough for them to feed. The tank is small and low flow.

panmanmatt · 04-23-2008, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwajgal1990

Oh, and it's easy to keep them out of the filters. I have dwarf seahorses who have babies all the time. They're tiny! I just keep a sponge filter over the intake spout. They need to live in a really small tank anyway in order to keep the density of live baby brine high enough for them to feed. The tank is small and low flow.

H. barbiganti adults are about the size of H. zosterae babies. I wouldn't even imagine trying to find a sponge small enough to stop the babies from getting through and still moving water efficiently.

kwajgal1990 · 04-24-2008, 02:34 PM

Baby zosterae are not nearly small enough to get sucked through the filter. They're small, but not that small. I was surprised the first time I saw them. The babies are big enough to eat baby brine from the beginning.

My erectus pair had babies last year, and the zosterae babies are actually not that different in size. The zosterae give birth to fewer babies (3-35 typically) than the larger seahorses, but the babies are actually hardier and seem more well-developed at birth.

I'm not talking about the sponge filters that go on the inside, like the Fluvals. The pores on those are too big, even if you cut one to use on the intake. I use black cylindrical small-pored sponges. Most of the fish stores in my area sell packs of one or two of them. Lots of people around here use them in their fry tanks. They are commonly used in ponds, also.

I'm at work right now, but if you need one, I can look up the brand name when I get home. Some of the baby brine do get sucked through, so a couple of times a day, I turn the filter off for about a half an hour while I feed them, and I clean the sponge very regularly. My seahorses are doing great. I have one batch of 3 week-olds and one batch of 1 week-olds as we speak. Let me know if you want more info on the sponge.

kwajgal1990 · 04-24-2008, 02:42 PM

I forgot to address the water movement. They need gentle flow, which I achieve with a mini combo skimmer/filter ("Nano"-something) with the sponge attached to the intake. The water flow is low enough for the ponies but strong enough for the corals and macro algae I have in with them.

In my other pony tank, I use an Elite 5 with a sponge on it. The flow in that one is lower, but it still works well as long as I keep it clean.

SubRosa · 06-30-2008, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by panmanmatt

H. barbiganti are not available in the hobby. They have a symbiotic relationship with the gorgonians on which they live and have not been successfully kept once removed from it.

Due to their small size it is not even known what their food requirements are as even rotifers are too large for them.

This is one of those species that are better off left in the ocean.

Bargibanti are indeed available in the hobby.Just today I received info on a variety of tropical and temperate species that are available to me as tank raised specimens.Included was H. Bargibanti.I can have them as of 7/7.Doesn't mean I will, but they are indeed available.

John

panmanmatt · 06-30-2008, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SubRosa

Bargibanti are indeed available in the hobby.Just today I received info on a variety of tropical and temperate species that are available to me as tank raised specimens.Included was H. Bargibanti.I can have them as of 7/7.Doesn't mean I will, but they are indeed available.

John

I highly doubt they are truly TR bargibanti. At least 75% of seahorse on the wholesale lists are mislabeled. If they are indeed bargibanti, I would love to get some info on who is breeding/raising them.

John, where are you located?

SubRosa · 06-30-2008, 08:35 PM

I'm outside of Norristown PA.I haven't been able to contact the supplier to ask for further details,but I definitely will tomorrow.FWIW this wasn't a normal list,just a flyer he sent out announcing the new supplies.Other species on the list were Minotaurs, Barbouris and Kudas of course, and Abdominalis and Breviceps for temperates.The list included photos, and Bargibantis are pretty hard to mistake for anything else.I 've been pretty happy in the past with this guy, so for now I'll take him at his word.

John

panmanmatt · 06-30-2008, 09:52 PM

Thanks John. I would definitely be interested in any further info you can get. Minotaurs and bargibanti are not something you see/hear of often. I would love to get some ore info on the breeding of them.

02-03-2006, 09:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
FateX8 Star Polyps Join Date: May 2004 Location: VA Posts: 153 View Gallery Karma Komment	Hippocampus bargibanti - Pygmy Seahorses I was wondering if anyone has any experience with these guys, as in what was your set-up like? I have a 7gal mini-bow just sitting there with 2x32w pc's so i thought a nice seahorse tank would be cool and since the H. bargibanti only gets to about 3cm I figured that would be perfect. I don't know much about them and when I try to search for them on a search engine I usually get stuff about their natural locations but nothing on care. TIA, Mike

02-03-2006, 10:10 PM	#2 (permalink)
cheeks69 Wannabe Guru Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Northeast Posts: 6,620 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Hippocampus bargibanti - Pygmy Seahorses Mike I don't know if this site will have specific info your looking for but it's an excellent source for info on seahorses in general...hth. http://www.seahorses.de/index.htm __________________ Robert My Cube “A spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe—a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble.” Albert Einstein

02-04-2006, 08:29 AM	#3 (permalink)
mps9506 They misunderestimated me Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 7,143 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Hippocampus bargibanti - Pygmy Seahorses Can try here also: http://www.seahorse.com/Aquarium_Life/Care_Sheets/ __________________ Mike "The Bandwith Bandit" Help Build Reefpedia Premium Membership Available! Support Reef Sanctuary Sponsors

04-03-2008, 02:25 PM	#4 (permalink)
kwajgal1990 Tunicate Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Posts: 5 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Hippocampus bargibanti - Pygmy Seahorses How did it go with your Hippocampus bargibanti? I'm just wondering where you got them. I raise dwarf seahorses, but it would be my dream come true to raise a pair of pygmies!!!

04-03-2008, 04:53 PM	#5 (permalink)
panmanmatt Acropora Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Waretown, NJ Posts: 1,904 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Hippocampus bargibanti - Pygmy Seahorses H. barbiganti are not available in the hobby. They have a symbiotic relationship with the gorgonians on which they live and have not been successfully kept once removed from it. Due to their small size it is not even known what their food requirements are as even rotifers are too large for them. This is one of those species that are better off left in the ocean. __________________ The mind is like a parachute, it only works when opened. (\__/) (='.'=) (")_(")

04-03-2008, 06:07 PM	#6 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 18,469 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Hippocampus bargibanti - Pygmy Seahorses At a max size of 3cm they would be hard to keep out of filters and such anyway. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

04-22-2008, 02:48 PM	#7 (permalink)
kwajgal1990 Tunicate Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Posts: 5 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Hippocampus bargibanti - Pygmy Seahorses That's a bummer. I have a lot of gorgonia in my tank already. I thought maybe I would be able to keep a pair.

04-23-2008, 12:53 PM	#8 (permalink)
kwajgal1990 Tunicate Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Posts: 5 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Hippocampus bargibanti - Pygmy Seahorses Oh, and it's easy to keep them out of the filters. I have dwarf seahorses who have babies all the time. They're tiny! I just keep a sponge filter over the intake spout. They need to live in a really small tank anyway in order to keep the density of live baby brine high enough for them to feed. The tank is small and low flow.

04-24-2008, 02:34 PM	#10 (permalink)
kwajgal1990 Tunicate Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Posts: 5 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Hippocampus bargibanti - Pygmy Seahorses Baby zosterae are not nearly small enough to get sucked through the filter. They're small, but not that small. I was surprised the first time I saw them. The babies are big enough to eat baby brine from the beginning. My erectus pair had babies last year, and the zosterae babies are actually not that different in size. The zosterae give birth to fewer babies (3-35 typically) than the larger seahorses, but the babies are actually hardier and seem more well-developed at birth. I'm not talking about the sponge filters that go on the inside, like the Fluvals. The pores on those are too big, even if you cut one to use on the intake. I use black cylindrical small-pored sponges. Most of the fish stores in my area sell packs of one or two of them. Lots of people around here use them in their fry tanks. They are commonly used in ponds, also. I'm at work right now, but if you need one, I can look up the brand name when I get home. Some of the baby brine do get sucked through, so a couple of times a day, I turn the filter off for about a half an hour while I feed them, and I clean the sponge very regularly. My seahorses are doing great. I have one batch of 3 week-olds and one batch of 1 week-olds as we speak. Let me know if you want more info on the sponge.

04-24-2008, 02:42 PM	#11 (permalink)
kwajgal1990 Tunicate Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Posts: 5 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Hippocampus bargibanti - Pygmy Seahorses I forgot to address the water movement. They need gentle flow, which I achieve with a mini combo skimmer/filter ("Nano"-something) with the sponge attached to the intake. The water flow is low enough for the ponies but strong enough for the corals and macro algae I have in with them. In my other pony tank, I use an Elite 5 with a sponge on it. The flow in that one is lower, but it still works well as long as I keep it clean.

06-30-2008, 08:35 PM	#14 (permalink)
SubRosa Tuxedo Urchin Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 293 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Hippocampus bargibanti - Pygmy Seahorses I'm outside of Norristown PA.I haven't been able to contact the supplier to ask for further details,but I definitely will tomorrow.FWIW this wasn't a normal list,just a flyer he sent out announcing the new supplies.Other species on the list were Minotaurs, Barbouris and Kudas of course, and Abdominalis and Breviceps for temperates.The list included photos, and Bargibantis are pretty hard to mistake for anything else.I 've been pretty happy in the past with this guy, so for now I'll take him at his word. John __________________ Life is a comedy to those who think and a tragedy to those who feel.HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

06-30-2008, 09:52 PM	#15 (permalink)
panmanmatt Acropora Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Waretown, NJ Posts: 1,904 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Hippocampus bargibanti - Pygmy Seahorses Thanks John. I would definitely be interested in any further info you can get. Minotaurs and bargibanti are not something you see/hear of often. I would love to get some ore info on the breeding of them. __________________ The mind is like a parachute, it only works when opened. (\__/) (='.'=) (")_(")

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