Transitioning fry onto frozen mysis?

vlangel · 12/09/2014, 07:16 AM

My baby seahorse fry will be 6 weeks tomorrow. Most of them are over an inch to an inch and a half long. I feel like they could handle shaved mysis so what is the best way to entice them into trying it? This morning I offered it as their first meal of the day figuring that they should be pretty hungry and might eat anything. I also had a little adult brine shrimp and bb with it so they associated it with being food. They were not thrilled. Maybe 1 or 2 fry tried one piece. Do I offer it with every meal,...when do I give in and give them live food? I don't want them to get weakened from not enough food but I am not sure how to entice them into eating.

rayjay · 12/09/2014, 09:01 AM

I've had some batches take to it in a few days, while others took weeks.
With my H. reidi, most of those batches took more than a month to get onto the shaved mysis.
I'm now using freeze dried copepods from Brine Shrimp Direct, soaked overnight in salt water, to start an earlier transition to non live foods.
I've just started it with my now 17 day old fry but being in a muck bucket I can't tell if they are eating it or not.
Might have to take a bunch of fry out and put in small tank to be able to view their eating if any.
I have some 6 day old fry that I will start at the two week mark and they are in a tank so I'll be able to see them eat (or not).

vlangel · 12/09/2014, 04:30 PM

I will look for the FD copepods and try that. Tonight I tried some omega enriched frozen brine shrimp mixed with the live just to see what they would do. A few tried it but they made a big production of it.

vlangel · 12/09/2014, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayjay

I've had some batches take to it in a few days, while others took weeks.
With my H. reidi, most of those batches took more than a month to get onto the shaved mysis.
I'm now using freeze dried copepods from Brine Shrimp Direct, soaked overnight in salt water, to start an earlier transition to non live foods.
I've just started it with my now 17 day old fry but being in a muck bucket I can't tell if they are eating it or not.
Might have to take a bunch of fry out and put in small tank to be able to view their eating if any.
I have some 6 day old fry that I will start at the two week mark and they are in a tank so I'll be able to see them eat (or not).

Wow, how many fry are you raising at any given time? It sounds like a lot. You must spend your whole day just feeding and cleaning! LOL

rayjay · 12/09/2014, 10:20 PM

The fry I've been getting from a friend who can't handle all her erectus are producing so I do the overflow.
She only lives an hour away from me so I drive there and pick them up when available.
I'm long time retired (read old) so I don't have anything else to do.
You've probably read her posts on the "org" where she posts as yveterinarian.

vlangel · 12/10/2014, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayjay

The fry I've been getting from a friend who can't handle all her erectus are producing so I do the overflow.
She only lives an hour away from me so I drive there and pick them up when available.
I'm long time retired (read old) so I don't have anything else to do.
You've probably read her posts on the "org" where she posts as yveterinarian.

Yes, I have seen her posts. What do you do with the fry when they are mature? I am even worrying about what to do with mine as I don't like the idea of selling them to lfs that may not put them in a healthy enviroment. I figure I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

rayjay · 12/10/2014, 11:10 PM

Well you post on local aquatic forums and sell locally as much as possible, and you educate the LFS's as to how best to handle them until sold.
Also, there is a "Trading and Classified" on the org but would likely entail shipping the seahorses if you've a mind to.

12/09/2014, 07:16 AM	#1
vlangel Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 2,409	Transitioning fry onto frozen mysis? My baby seahorse fry will be 6 weeks tomorrow. Most of them are over an inch to an inch and a half long. I feel like they could handle shaved mysis so what is the best way to entice them into trying it? This morning I offered it as their first meal of the day figuring that they should be pretty hungry and might eat anything. I also had a little adult brine shrimp and bb with it so they associated it with being food. They were not thrilled. Maybe 1 or 2 fry tried one piece. Do I offer it with every meal,...when do I give in and give them live food? I don't want them to get weakened from not enough food but I am not sure how to entice them into eating.

12/09/2014, 09:01 AM	#2
rayjay Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 3,969	I've had some batches take to it in a few days, while others took weeks. With my H. reidi, most of those batches took more than a month to get onto the shaved mysis. I'm now using freeze dried copepods from Brine Shrimp Direct, soaked overnight in salt water, to start an earlier transition to non live foods. I've just started it with my now 17 day old fry but being in a muck bucket I can't tell if they are eating it or not. Might have to take a bunch of fry out and put in small tank to be able to view their eating if any. I have some 6 day old fry that I will start at the two week mark and they are in a tank so I'll be able to see them eat (or not). __________________ Seahorses. Culture nanno, rotifers and brine shrimp. Current Tank Info: Seahorses

12/09/2014, 10:20 PM	#5
rayjay Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 3,969	The fry I've been getting from a friend who can't handle all her erectus are producing so I do the overflow. She only lives an hour away from me so I drive there and pick them up when available. I'm long time retired (read old) so I don't have anything else to do. You've probably read her posts on the "org" where she posts as yveterinarian. __________________ Seahorses. Culture nanno, rotifers and brine shrimp. Current Tank Info: Seahorses

12/10/2014, 11:10 PM	#7
rayjay Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 3,969	Well you post on local aquatic forums and sell locally as much as possible, and you educate the LFS's as to how best to handle them until sold. Also, there is a "Trading and Classified" on the org but would likely entail shipping the seahorses if you've a mind to. __________________ Seahorses. Culture nanno, rotifers and brine shrimp. Current Tank Info: Seahorses

12/09/2014, 04:30 PM	#3
vlangel Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 2,409	I will look for the FD copepods and try that. Tonight I tried some omega enriched frozen brine shrimp mixed with the live just to see what they would do. A few tried it but they made a big production of it.