Reef Nerd got bit by the Seahorse bug too. It’s very similar to the mangrove bug.
I used to do this and sell them when I was going to college in Galveston 15 years ago. It's super easy. Get a fine net, scoop up some Sargassum seaweed and shake it out in a bucket. Super fun to do even if you arn't looking for pets/merchandise just to see all the animals. As far as fish, my most common find was pipe fish, find dozens a day, but I'd get a couple seahorses every time. Best finds were Frogfish, rare but they sold high. Untold thousands of fancy shrimp, crabs, snails, and starfish. Was amazing as a college kid, now I feel bad. So many fish that I doubt people could take care of well at the time. I haven't tried since before Hurricane Ike though, lost everything and moved up to Houston.Saw where someone caught 1 in Galveston recently. That would be cool.
I used to do this when I lived in the pac nw... not the selling part though... just for fun. Always catch and release. I didn’t know this was possible down here. Which part of the island and what time of year were you doing this?I used to do this and sell them when I was going to college in Galveston 15 years ago. It's super easy. Get a fine net, scoop up some Sargassum seaweed and shake it out in a bucket. Super fun to do even if you arn't looking for pets/merchandise just to see all the animals. As far as fish, my most common find was pipe fish, find dozens a day, but I'd get a couple seahorses every time. Best finds were Frogfish, rare but they sold high. Untold thousands of fancy shrimp, crabs, snails, and starfish. Was amazing as a college kid, now I feel bad. So many fish that I doubt people could take care of well at the time. I haven't tried since before Hurricane Ike though, lost everything and moved up to Houston.
Last spring/early summer seemed the best. There is almost always sargassum out there so you can really do it whenever, just not as many animals in the colder months. Late spring you could find ultra rare stuff like shark eggs and small turtles, which we never kept but cool to see. I'd literally just go off the seawall. I usually went to one of the sections with no sand, just rock at the bottom of the seawall, less people this way.I used to do this when I lived in the pac nw... not the selling part though... just for fun. Always catch and release. I didn’t know this was possible down here. Which part of the island and what time of year were you doing this?
Yeah unfortunately I haven't been back to Galveston much in the last decade and can no longer attest on the sarrgassum and this method, but it was amazing back then. Have to see if I can make it down some this summer.Sargassum comes in heavy in the summer months- May June July August Sept. Huge Mats. Other months are hit and miss and some years are heavier than others. Some years it doesn’t come in that much. I agree with @reeftopia it hasn’t came in very heavy in the last few years.
Was just there 2 days ago.Yeah unfortunately I haven't been back to Galveston much in the last decade and can no longer attest on the sarrgassum and this method, but it was amazing back then. Have to see if I can make it down some this summer.
Do you have any pics that you can share??I keep seahorses. Fairly new to it but did a ton of research before I started. Alyssa seahorse savvy is definitely the way to go imo! Wildcaught are much bigger, but its a pain to train to frozen and expensive to do live unless your breeding your own. I personally wont do wild caught again, i have one now that refuses to properly switch and its heart breaking (usually females in my experience). My experience has 2 big things to keep in mind: bio load is very high, recommend 30 gallons for one pair, and 15 more for each additional pair. They don't have a stomach, so their waste creates alot of ammonia.. which leads to number 2: be prepared to feed ALOT 2x a day at least, 3 is preferred. Because they don't have a stomach, they only absorb 30% of what they eat, so starvation can happen very quickly. Seahorses are wonderful, like puppies that swim, but I always tell people don't enter into it lightly and be prepared to WORK.