During this time of the year, the captive seahorses really jump up because the fishing is really easy down here in the tropics as the seahorses move into really shallow water, you can literally pick them up by the hundreds scouting out the right tidepools- (Seahorses are very easy to catch, but being able to catch them while wading allows the collector to cover more distance and really improves catches).

Because of this the suppliers are running huge discounts, and the stores are picking them up as fast as they can - (Retail for a wild caught should be no more than $20 right now with the price of the supply). A lot of stores know the captives are worth more, so they just advertise them as such, not a great practice, but as a retailer I know it is being done by some places, as I know there suppliers personally. (Don't know of this practice in Texas LFS though - only Florida stores).

I had wild seahorses before, (they are still living, now with a friend who takes great care of them), trust me you will save hundreds on captives that eat frozen mysis or similar foods. I used to catch live shrimp for them, which was easy, but just the driving and the time spent catching I was spending quite a bit on the ponies. I then switched to live ghost shrimp, they liked it, but I spent nearly $150 a month keeping them fed. Better to pay $50 more or so off the bat, you will save money the first month.