Sea Horses! non-herp coolness...

Here’s some photos from our recent Hawaiian trip. We visited the first & only Sea Horse farm in the US, Ocean Rider www.OceanRider.com & it was my favorite tour on our trip. These are true pioneers in raising CB Sea Horses & their efforts is helping to protect the wild populations, many of which have been over collected & are now endangered.

These are not the frail specimens you may see in a local aquarium; they are larger for one thing… and VERY colorful too.

The Sea Horses were very happy to see us. We got to feed them their favorite treat after all. We also got to “hold” them- that is to allow them to “hitch” to our submerged hands. I was lucky enough to have the most photographed Sea Horse in the world wrap his tail around my hand!







I hope you enjoyed the photos & will give their site a visit. IMHO, they are the “Bob Clark’s” of the Sea Horse world.

Ocean Rider is the pioneer of the captive bred seahorse world. However, they are known to NOT impart information unless one buys from them. They also charge some 5-10 times the amount per seahorse(which is their right of course) and naysay the other captive breeders in the hobby. There are several other breeders in the U.S., just none that term themselves a "farm". There is also about 4 other "farms" that raise and sell captive bred species. One thing NO ONE can dispute is the QUALITY of their seahorses, although they tend to sell and ship very very young ones.
I've dealt directly with them, and others, when I was raising seahorses myself. The advice they gave me on how to raise seahorse fry?
"Don't bother, just feed them to your tankfish or flush them."
That really didn't set well with me, any better than someone telling a boa owner to freeze any babies that his boa had.
JMHO
Wolfy

Originally Posted by Wolfy-hound

The advice they gave me on how to raise seahorse fry?
"Don't bother, just feed them to your tankfish or flush them."
Wolfy

Of course they don't want you to bother, then you'd be competition.
It's not surprising considering the wording of their purchase terms.

Ocean Rider Mustangs®, Sunbursts®, Fire Reds®, Gigantes®, Brazileros®,Mo'olios® Pintos®, and Pixies® are proprietary lines that are a registered trade mark ® Offspring cannot be sold or traded. There are NO exceptions to this policy.Violators will be prosecuted.

I was looking into seahorse breeders a couple of years ago and noticed that line in their terms. I especially liked the "violators will be prosecuted" part. Was good for a laugh. As if they could actually enforce that.

Originally Posted by Clay Davenport

Of course they don't want you to bother, then you'd be competition.
It's not surprising considering the wording of their purchase terms.


I was looking into seahorse breeders a couple of years ago and noticed that line in their terms. I especially liked the "violators will be prosecuted" part. Was good for a laugh. As if they could actually enforce that.

Do they say anything about breeding to another seahorse that is not of their lines? then its not really THEIR seahorse anymore as YOU bred and raised them :P youve still got the original...

They make no distinction on that.
Regardless, it's a foolish statement that cannot be enforced. I could understand a prohibition on using their trademarked names, but they cannot legally stop you from breeding them and selling the babies just because they want to keep the market cornered as much as possible.

Yikes,
Didn't know this side of it... only that I enjoyed the tour of their place & that their stock seemed far better than anything I've seen.

A far as their forums, I viewed only the last few months worth... they seemed to help whoever asked for assistance... I still enjoyed the trip, but thanks for giving me a bigger picture. -Deb

Its like microsoft trying to monopolize the PC market. they DONT like competition plain and simple :P

Just as a little-known factoid...
Ocean Rider HAS sicced their lawyers on innocent people who have had their horses breed, and then attemtpted to adopt out, or sell the babies as being "from Mustang parents" (Mustang being one of thier trademarked names for Hippo. erectus). They really would prefer everyone to flush the babies, so that no one can compete.
They DID turn over a new leaf about 3 years ago, in that they became aware that their PR was LOUSY, but that just meant they put up a nice front.
Again their STOCK is awesome. It's their people that are rude and policy that is bad.
Wolfy

Originally Posted by Wolfy-hound

Just as a little-known factoid...
Ocean Rider HAS sicced their lawyers on innocent people who have had their horses breed, and then attemtpted to adopt out, or sell the babies as being "from Mustang parents" (Mustang being one of thier trademarked names for Hippo. erectus). They really would prefer everyone to flush the babies, so that no one can compete.
They DID turn over a new leaf about 3 years ago, in that they became aware that their PR was LOUSY, but that just meant they put up a nice front.
Again their STOCK is awesome. It's their people that are rude and policy that is bad.
Wolfy

Well then its time to start making peoples OWN names for these animals. Then they cant really say much... how will they prove, if you have over 100 seahorses or something whos genes what stuff came from, once you breed out (and you dont have to make it publicly known that you are) and breed those babies to other morph babies or normal seahorses, theyre your own! Too bad there isnt competition on this ( im sure seahorses are harder than most to raise and breed) i bet it would be an interesting battle :P :P

If i am wrong and they CAN do something ( other than a legal contract that you would actually sign... they dont do that right? ) will somone make that known? i wouldnt want people getting crazy ideas from me :P but if they cant do anything... well...cool ^_-

Other people do breed and sell their own seahorses, and IF they have OR blood, they just don't mention it I'm sure. Most have their own lines. BUT... it is VERY difficult and expensive to raise seahorses, especially if you have to make your own seawater. OR pipes in theirs, then filters it.
There was one lady who had dwarf seahorses, in the Pinto style colors, they were totally the most magnificent EVER. I don't htink she is active anymore due to health issues. But hers were quite sought after, above and beyond OR dwarfs by far.
OR has plenty of customers,a nd will continue to have plenty of customers. I just refuse to buy from them until they fix their personal relations with the hobby.
BTW I STILL have my red lava shrimp colony, which I started with red shrimp from them over 5 years ago.
Wolfy