A seahorse diary

On Keeping Seahorses

First, think about it.

The fact that you have found this site shows that you are already doing so. And that's great, because seahorse keeping is not something to take lightly. It should be entered into only after a lot of study and thought.

Successfully keeping seahorses in the home aquarium requires specialized knowledge and rigorous care, especially because aquarists are becoming increasingly responsible for the survival of seahorses in our world. In fact, there is one species of seahorse, hippocampus capensis (the tank-bred version is called Zulu-Lulu®), which is so gravely endangered that it now exists almost only as an aquarium pet.

This is an awesome responsibility for the seahorse fancier, but it's possible to have fun and meet this responsibility at the same time. That is what this site is about. Please browse at your leisure, (see the Site Index paragraph below for contents), and enter the magical world of seahorses.

Site Index

Webs managed to lose this paragraph on me, but eventually I'll reconstruct it. It will consist of different topics that you can click on, and be taken the page on this site where the topic is addressed. Be sure to scroll down on the page to find the subject (the link will not take you to the exact paragraph). Here are some examples:

Brine Shrimp Hatching (under Dwarf Seahorses heading, Feeding paragraph) with more
detail here
Captive-Bred
Captive-Raised
Decapsulation of brine shrimp cysts
Dwarf Seahorses (H. Zosterae) also here and here and here
Dwarf Seahorse Care and also here
Endangered status and also here
Hatching Dish, or
Longlife Brine Shrimp Hatchery Dish
Pygmy Seahorses (H. Bargibanti, H. Debelius, H. Denise, H. Pontohi, H. Severnsi, H. Satomiae, H. Walea) under Dwarf Seahorses heading,Terminology paragraph
Seahorses (in general)
Tank-Bred
Tank-Raised
Threatened status and also here
Zulu-Lulu® seahorse and here

Dwarf Seahorses

Part of this site will be devoted to the dwarf seahorse. Historically this has been the seahorse most abused in the pet trade. We have arrived at the point where we can no longer afford to do this.

There is a lot of good information on dwarf seahorse care now available, but opinions on the ease of keeping these fish vary widely. This site will attempt to clear up this confusion for beginning seahorse keepers.

The opposing opinions about the difficulty of keeping dwarf seahorses (also known as hippocampus zosterae) came about because keeping dwarf seahorses is both easy and difficult at the same time.

It's easy because you don't need a big elaborate marine tank with lots of up-to-the-minute equipment and fancy water. In fact, now that bottled seawater is available at many pet shops, keeping these little guys is easier than ever. All you need is the water, a cycled aquarium of 10 gallons or less, a sponge filter, a lot of hitching posts, and a herd of 4 to 20 ponies (this depends on the size of your tank; more detail is provided on the Seahorse 101 page).

It's difficult because dwarf seahorses will usually eat nothing but live food, and unlike other aquatic carnivores they must eat almost continuously because they don't have much of a digestive system. Their favorite food is baby brine shrimp, which you must hatch every single day while you own the ponies. This does not sound difficult, and it really isn't -- but it can get tedious, and your own life can get in the way very easily. It is something you really have to consider before buying these fish.

Also, a marine tank is considered more challenging to keep than a freshwater tank, and a small marine tank -- one under 30 gallons -- is often thought to be the most difficult of all. Since dwarf seahorses must usually be kept in tiny tanks, this adds to their perceived difficulty.

Please read through this site for quick pointers on keeping the little seahorses. Also, it is absolutely required that you read Dwarf Seahorses in the Aquarium by Alisa Wagner Abbott. This book is widely available and not expensive.

A very helpful online community for seahorse keepers of any experience level can be found here:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Ultimate_Seahorse/

Larger Seahorses

Sometime in 2009 I will take a chance on keeping either "Mustangs," officially known as hippocampus erectus or the Erectus (or Lined) Seahorse, or hippocampus fuscus, commonly known as the Sea Pony. The Lined Seahorse is usually about 6" tall and are quite hardy, and will eat frozen food. The Sea Pony is usually around 3 to 5" tall. I'll be detailing my experiences with them when this adventure starts!