Seahorses - The Basics
Seahorse Aquariums
Introduction:
Seahorses have an almost mythical appeal to them and seem to captivate us, making us wonder what is really "out there" in our vast viscus world. They can make superb inhabitants to small and medium sized aquariums, and something quite unique to anything else available in the hobby.
Tank requirements:
Tanks for seahorses will vary on their size depending on two factors:
i) the species of seahorse being kept, as some are large (up to 30 to 35cm long) and other quite tiny (from a few centimeters and up). Therefore it is essential the species is determined before you purchase them.
ii) the number of seahorses being kept per tank. Most people will buy a pair, however keeping them in pairs is not essential for many species. The size of the tank will determine whether you add a signle individual, a single pair, or several pairs.
Mixing of species is not advised. Hybrids have been know to occur in closely related species. Having said this, you can absolutely keep seahorses with their allies, pipefish.
One important note which can be quite a shock to some aquarist, is that the bigger the aquarium isn't better. It has been documented that a single pair of seahorses being kept in a 400L aquarium do not do so well as if they were kept in a 200L aquarium. The reason behind this is not understood, but has been suggested the excessive volume leaves them feeling too exposed, making them feel stressed, and potentially turning them off their food. Food is another reason why smaller aquariums work better, as there is less volume for the food to disperse in, making it easier for the seahorse to find it.
Another note is that seahorses are very poor swimmers, and will struggle to swim against and even moderate current. Therefore excessive flow is not required. Somewhere along the lines of a freshwater aquarium turnover is all that is required, that being between 2x to 4x the total volume being turned over per hour.
Water conditions:
Seahorses have been famed for being "delicate". In fact they are not as delicate as some corals or clams. They are quite resilient to water conditions within reason. Parameters should be kept the same as in other marine aquariums. Temperature is the main factor in keeping seahorses as some species are either from temperate (water temperatues from 14° to 18°C) or sub-tropical (water temperatures from 17° to 22°C) waters. Again knowing exactly what species you are looking at helps in this respect.
Tank mates:
Ideally seahorses should be kept on their own, in their own species aquarium. They can potentially be mixed with small fish species such as coral gobies, hulafish, fire gobies, and pipefish. The main reason being that they are slow moving, and slow feeders. When kept with more boisterous (by seahorse standards) species they can very quickly lose out on food and become malnutritioned.
Feeding:
This is the major factor in keeping seahorses and their allies. They require regular small feeding of anything up to once per hour. They can be fed less than this if they are not being conditioned for spawning, but still require feeding at least 4 to 5 times per day. Often newly aquired specimens will only eat live food in the form of brine shrimp. Once acclimatised they can be weaned onto frozen foods such as brine shrimp and mysis shrimp, and often the best method for feeding them is to defrost the cube in a small container along with a small amount of tank water and using a syringe or eye dropper to squirt to food directly in front of them. They do not have huge appetites so try not to overfeed or risk polluting the water.
Breeding:
Seahorses will often breed in home aquaria if a pair is present. However, it is also common for two males to "breed" with eachother. In other words the will act the same as a male and female pair. The female takes control of the breeding ritual and deposits her eggs into the males brooding pouch, where the eggs are fertalised. The pregnant male will often not feed whilst holding the eggs. Hatching times vary between species and temperature. Upon hatching the male ejaculates (gives birth) to newly hatched young. The fry are miniature clones of the adults and most species fry will feed almost immediately. Feeding the fry presents the biggest problem as they require even smaller foods then the adults, but can be done successfully. The also require more regular feedings of around once or twice per hour. The young grow resonably quickly and many will reach approximately 1/4 of adult size in the first few weeks.
Common species:
The most common species seen is the Kuda or Yellow Seahorse (Hippocampus kuda) which is one of the larger species growing to around 25cm long. Others include the Pot-bellied Seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis synom bleekeri), the Short-headed Seahorse (Hippocampus breviceps), the Zebra-nosed Seahorse (Hippocampus barbouri), and the White's Seahorse (Hippocampus whiteii). The most commonly bred species is the Pot-bellied Seahorse.
Special requirements:
Other than being somewhat difficult to feed there are no real special requirements needed to keep seaahorses, other than whats outlined above. Below are some links to some great Seahorse sites.
Seahorse Australia: http://www.seahorse-australia.com.au/
Seahorse World: http://www.seahorseworld.com.au/
Seahorse Sanctuary: http://seahorsesanctuary.com.au/
