Most people are startled to discover that I keep seahorses. The reaction doesn’t surprise me. For most of us, seahorses inhabit a mental space somewhere between sharks and dragons–real, but almost mythological, and exotic enough that we see them in public aquariums, if at all. Even then, it’s sometimes difficult to catch a glimpse, between the crowds in front of the tank and the seahorses’ expert skills at camouflage. I’ve adored seahorses all my life, but decided to start keeping them in 2010–eighteen months after my father died. After doing “responsible things” with most of the money I inherited from him, my husband suggested
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He Wobbles…But He Won’t Fall Down–and We Won’t, Either.
During my keynote at last weekend’s Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Colorado Gold Conference, I told the story of one of my special needs seahorses…little Weeble. He’s now a healthy, happy seahorse, “one of the gang”–and has no idea he’s different from the others in any way. Wherein lies a lesson (actually, many, but only one I’m going to highlight here today): When I discovered my writing herd at Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, my dreams of a writing career were lying, curled and broken-tailed, on the bottom of my own proverbial tank. I’d worked and written for over a decade, churning out
Read moreCuriosity Kills the Seahorse Too*
* (All of mine are fine. It’s just a title.) Before I started seahorse-keeping, I had no idea just how curious (see also: foolish) these little exotic fish could be. They start exploring the minute they hit the tank… Seahorse keepers know (or learn, often tragically) that a seahorse doesn’t belong in a “mixed reef” tank. In the wild, seahorses live in highly specialized environments. Mostly, they hide in sea grass or live in “gentle” reef environments, with peaceful, slow-moving fish and corals that lack the ability to sting. The plated armor that covers the seahorse’s body is a bit deceptive. Despite their rugged appearance,
Read moreDominance on the Reef
As a rule, seahorses are fairly peaceful creatures. In my tank, Kirin has established herself as the dominant female–and the dominant seahorse–in the group. While generally peaceful, she’s not above wrestling, or grabbing heads, if someone gets out of line or happens to hitch to a coral she wants to hitch on. After considering this for a moment, Kirin swam up and hitched to Rygel’s tail. Rygel didn’t struggle, and didn’t seem too bothered by Kirin’s aggression. She simply waited until Kirin finished eating (at which point, Kirin released Rygel and swam away) and then moved back up to the bowl and
Read more4 Ways to Make Us Fall in Love with a Character: Magellan Edition
Please welcome Delilah S. Dawson, author of the new YA thriller HIT (www.hitbookseries.com), the popular BLUD series (for adult readers), and SERVANTS OF THE STORM. 2. Give us an intricate and compelling world that challenges your characters. Susan’s beautiful reef of corals and fans is the backdrop to every image we see, almost a character itself. Why should worldbuilding factor into character? Because your character is shaped by your world. Even if your story is set in our regular world, the small corner that you choose as the setting for your story will have quirks, unique beauty, strangeness, and difficulties. Your
Read moreNever Forget the Simple Joys
This morning my young male seahorse, Moya, discovered a piece of mysis that had floated away from the feeding station and lodged on the rocks. His body language needed no translation: Baby grapes appearing on the vines in the neighborhood garden I pass on my evening walks: And the gentle tickle of a cleaner shrimp as it tries to clean me instead of the fish and corals: And don’t forget to pass it on..or share your observations in the comments. I’d love to know…what simple joy did YOU experience today?
Read moreSmall Fins, Big Eyes, and Open Hearts
Captive seahorses know we’re watching. Many people seem surprised to learn that “seahorse watching” is a two-way street. My seahorses spend at least as much time observing me as I do staring in through the glass at them. Two years ago, at Christmas, I decorated a little tree and put it in my office. Every evening, my male seahorse, Cygnus, clung to the front of the tank to watch the lights. They quickly learn to recognize the camera (in my case, an iPhone) and usually peek out to investigate when it draws near. I watch them, they watch me–and I see intelligence in
Read moreMagellan: Pixie of the Reef
Those who follow my Facebook page have also followed the saga of Magellan, the Little Seahorse That Could, but in the interest of getting his story all in one place, I’m sharing it here today. Last December, I purchased four baby captive-bred seahorses from Seahorse Source* in Florida (who I consider the best of the captive-bred seahorse suppliers in the United States). When the babies arrived, a couple of them hadn’t tolerated the shipping well, so after a brief introduction to the reef–in which the smallest and most curious baby acquired the name “Magellan”– Shortly after Magellan returned to the reef,
Read moreYour Day Needs More Baby Seahorse – And Murder
I try to post aquarium photos every day on my Facebook feed, as well as on Twitter, and starting this year, I’m going to try to share them at least weekly on the blog as well. When I first started blogging, I shied away from posting photographs of my seahorses or the other inhabitants of my reef. I doubted anyone cared very much about fish, and I didn’t want to become the kind of blogger whose entries focused on cute pet photos and gushing about the personal topics no one wants to hear. Ironically, the reef inspires the opposite reaction. To my surprise,
Read moreFeeding Time on the Reef
I purchase my baby seahorses “captive bred,” from a breeder in Florida called Seahorse Source (aside: if you’re in the market for seahorses, Seahorse Source has high-quality, healthy stock, and I recommend them highly). My large male, Ghillie, has three feeding stations he utilizes. I built them from clam shells, which have about the right size and depth to fill with the mysis Ghillie eats. Seahorses are smart, and learn quickly. Fortunately, they also learn by watching other seahorses. I hoped I could get Ghillie’s help in teaching the babies to eat from a feeding bowl, and fortunately I work from home, so I could train
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