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Seahorses have a very potent reputation in the aquatic world. Not only do they stand out with their unique appearance, but their unique nature also contributes to their popularity. Their unique appearance and pattern make them excellent additions to fish tanks.
However, since they are pretty different from fish, taking care of them requires special knowledge. The overall care is quite a unique experience for an aquarist, not just the breeding part.
More than your average fish, a seahorse needs a lot of special attention and care throughout. This article will explore everything you need to know about a sea horse and its habits and care.
Seahorse Basics
When it comes to seahorses, knowing about their types is crucial. H. Erectus, H. Reidi, and H. Kuda are the most common choice available in the market. All of these are beginner-friendly and easily accessible.
Keep in mind that every seahorse species has specific requirements. Most of the seahorse species grow between 5-8 inches in length. Unlike the other bony fish species, seahorses fall short on several aspects. The biggest of them all is the structure and function of the gills. They are less potent, with differences in the method of gas exchange.
Another difference is their digestion process. Unlike other fish species, the food passes very quickly through their digestive tract, making them hungry often.
Seahorses also lack the typical fish scales on their body. They have a unique exoskeleton covering their body, which is naked too. This puts them at heightened risks of contracting bacterial and viral infections. So, if you witness prominent sores and redness on the seahorse, it is likely a sign of infection.
A seahorse also has an elongated snout that helps catch prey. They prey on small shrimps and aquatic creatures, so make sure you find suitable tankmates for them.
Seahorse Diet
As we mentioned, a seahorse has faster digestion and metabolism. So, you could feed them an hour ago, and they could scrounge for more food in the next hour. The feeding schedule is very hectic when you house a seahorse in your aquarium.
A healthy and mature-sized seahorse should eat between 3-5 times a day. A minimum of three feedings per day keeps them nourished throughout the day.
Also, when choosing tankmates, ensure the tank has enough copepod or amphipod in the tank. These tiny aquatic creatures make good snacking options.
Seahorses are heavily dependent on shrimps for their feeding needs. From live shrimps to the frozen Mysis shrimp, everything works for them. Also, make sure you include the necessary phytoplankton in their diet.
Moreover, a balanced diet with live and frozen feeding maintains optimal nutritional balance for these aquatic creatures.
Seahorses are very methodic eaters. So, leaving the food randomly won’t suffice for them. Instead, you can either hand feed or spot feed them in the tank. The use of turkey baster during feeding is widespread too. When feeding, keep the count of shrimps between 8-10 per day.
You can also set up feeding stations in the fish tank if you aren’t comfortable hand feeding your seahorse. This will take them a little guidance and support to get started, but it is a very lucrative feeding practice in the long run.
Seahorse Breeding
Seahorses are sporadic breeders. However, the unique trait of a seahorse is that the male gives birth to the young ones. In captivity, they breed very rapidly and can give birth to fries every month or every other month.
Although seahorses breed quite quickly in captivity, they require additional assistance with the proper water parameters to support the breeding process. Seahorses, after breeding, produce a large number of fries too.
When kept in optimal water conditions and clean and filtered water, seahorses take the breeding task to themselves. They form designated pairs in captivity and indulge in courtship. The male typically approaches the female, turning brighter in color during the process.
Once the male is lined parallelly with the female seahorse, it starts vibrating. The female seahorse will vibrant if they are ready to spawn too. The female inserts the ovipositor into the male’s pouch during the breeding process and transfers the eggs there.
Once the spawning is complete, the male seahorse makes a potent rocking movement to distribute the eggs evenly in the pouch. The eggs develop and mature inside the male’s pouch and take between 14-18 days.
Once the fries are mature enough, the male delivers the babies more reserved from the pouch.
How to take care of the Fries?
Following the birth of the fries, the difficult part starts. Raising a fry is never an easy task. Unlike most aquatic species, seahorses aren’t predatory on their fries. The fries are either born individually or in groups.
The newborn seahorse fries are phototrophic, which means they incline towards light sources. Since there is less space in captivity, the newborn fries get tangled in the tank, forming a large mass.
If you notice something similar happening in your fish tank, get to the problem immediately and separate them from getting tangled further. Also, ensure that the fries stay submerged in the tank all the time.
Seahorse Care
Seahorses aren’t very demanding with their requirements. The only factor worth considering is the space you are providing them.
A 30-gallons fish tank is optimal for a pair of seahorses. Depending on the number of seahorses, you can add 10 gallons per seahorse. So, if you have four seahorses, a 50-gallon tank should suffice.
Also, if you keep them in community tanks, pair them with fish species that live in low-current water. A High current water stream will suck them into the filter. Spray bars are optimal for seahorse fish tanks.
Since seahorses aren’t the most active swimmers, adding rocks, algae, and artificial decoration is ideal too. Also, instead of the horizontally bigger aquariums, they perform optimally in the taller aquariums, so plan accordingly.
Seahorse Tank Requirement
The tank setup and requirements for a seahorse is quite diverse. A minimum of 30-gallons tank is a must for a pair of seahorses. Anything less than that will result in putting them under stress and discomfort. Much like how they don’t thrive in less water, excess water can result in more errors.
Keeping a check on the water parameters in the tank is crucial. Excess levels of ammonia and nitrite result in the death of the seahorse immediately. The high ammonia levels fry the gills, leading to their death. Also, since they have an exoskeleton and no scales, their body is susceptible to drastic water changes.
Another essential seahorse tank requirement is a protein skimmer. This handles the bioload in the tank and prevents it from dirtying the water excessively. The water flow in the tank should be optimal according to the requirements of the seahorse. If the water flow is too fast, the seahorse will get sucked into the filter. Similarly, if they are stuck in dead areas, they can die.
If you are worried about the water temperature and basic requirements, the optimal temperature is 69-72 degrees Fahrenheit. This keeps the seahorse healthy and manages the bacterial growth as well.
Also, since seahorses have very delicate skin, rough gravel and rocks in the bottom can result in complications and injury. So, ideally, keep the bottom bare and prevent unnecessary substrate build-up at the bottom.
The water also needs to be cleaned every few days to keep the ammonia levels in check. The last thing you want is to lead the seahorse to an untimely death.
What type of tank do seahorses need?
Seahorses need a minimum 30-gallons tank. However, instead of horizontally larger tanks, they prefer the longer aquariums. They need to stay in pairs or groups, so increase the tank capacity.
What size tank do you need for a seahorse?
A minimum 30-gallons tank is a must for a pair of seahorses.
How to Set up a Seahorse Tank?
When setting up a seahorse tank, be mindful of a few factors:
- Maintain optimal water flow
- Keep the bottom of the tank bare
- Keep the water clean
- Add supportive decorative items to the tank
Seahorse Compatible Tank Mates
Although seahorses are very disciplined and calm in the tank, they don’t make good tankmates for every species. This is why they are specifically best kept in a same-species tank. Their somber and peaceful nature doesn’t stick well with aggressive fish species.
However, since seahorses eat a lot and produce a lot of biowastes, we’d recommend adding a clean-up crew. Snails and crabs make good additions. Adding shrimps won’t be ideal since the seahorses will eat them as snacks.
As for other fish species, there is a handful that blends in well with a seahorse, including:
Since these species are calm and peaceful, they make good additions to a seahorse tank. They won’t compete for the food and stick to their food sources, maintaining harmony in the tank.
Also, if you are adding corals to the tank, look into mushrooms and zoanthids. They are safer for seahorses. Introduce macro-algae to the tank too. Since seahorses aren’t good swimmers, the algae serve as natural hitching spots.
Common Tropical Seahorses for Your Aquariums
Choosing the right seahorse for your aquarium is a big headache. Some types are commonly accessible, while others need a fair share of practice. You want to consider the captive bred seahorse since they are more adaptable. Wild caught seahorses require advanced expertise, which everyone doesn’t have.
Some of the most common tropical seahorse types include:
- Brazilian seahorse
- Dwarf seahorse
- Gorgonian Pygmy Seahorse
- Lined Seahorse
- Smooth Seahorse
- Tiger-Tail Seahorse
Amidst them, the Hippocampus Kuda or the spotted seahorse is the most common. Compared to the other variants, it is beginner-friendly and effortless to care for.
Seahorse Common Diseases & Prevention
When you buy a seahorse, just depending on your purchase on the color will land you nowhere. This is where most of the sick seahorses come from. You want to be mindful of the buying journey because that’s where the diseases commonly come from.
Simply picking up a yellow seahorse because it looks nice doesn’t suffice. If you want to prevent adding diseased seahorses, you need to be vigilant during the buying journey.
The easiest way to track the health of your seahorse is by checking its color. If a seahorse changes their body color radically, it is a sign of stress. This involves changes to the saddle markings on their body too. If these markings fade away, it is a sign of poor health of the seahorse.
The most common disease that seahorses contract is Ich. This is a parasitic infection that affects most fish species. It is very difficult (sometimes impossible) to get rid of ich. However, an aquarist can prevent ich in the water tank with proper vigilance and care. Unclean and unmaintained fish tanks are breeding grounds for such parasitic infections.
Another common issue is skin lesions. Since seahorses have a fragile exoskeleton, they are prone to damage and skin infections. Keep an eye on the seahorse and notice signs of injuries or inflammation on the body. In case there is one, you might have to treat the lesion immediately before it gets worse.
The male seahorses suffer from pouch emphysema too. This results from air bubbles stuck inside their pouch that alter their buoyancy in the tank.
We’d recommend keeping basic medical supplies handy when you are housing seahorses. Since they are susceptible to many diseases, keeping a separate 10-gallons tank with an air pump is ideal. This allows you to convert the spare tank into a hospital aquarium immediately.
FAQs
Small and peaceful fish species like gobies, dartfish, wrasses, Anthias, etc., make good tankmates for seahorses.
Buying a seahorse isn’t a cheap affair. Some of these can cost between $30-$100 and more, depending on the type of seahorse you are getting. Besides the actual purchase, there are many other accessory expenditures involved in caring for a seahorse. It includes their food and their medical needs.
Taking care of a seahorse is surprisingly easy and manageable once you know the basics. They aren’t any different from other staple fish species when it comes to their care. Just ensure that you maintain the water parameters and be mindful of their habits and movements.
The lined seahorse and Hippocampus Kuda are very easy to care for. They are also quite easily accessible in the market.
Conclusion
Unlike fish species, seahorses are pretty interactive. You can feed them by hand, interact with them, and watch them skirt around the tank throughout the day. Housing them is a gratifying experience. They are pretty active in the tank and will respond to your movements and instructions from the outside too.
However, they come with their fair share of challenges too. If you fail to care for them the right way, it can lead to a lot of complications about their overall health and well-being. However, you can always learn and optimize your skills along the way.
We hope this article gives you all the answers you are looking for and more. If you have further queries, leave them for us in the comments down below.
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