Seahorses have long held a place in myths and legends with greek gods and the fantasy land of mermaids.  These fantastical looking creatures are very real and are as amazing as their history.  Maybe because they are the only male on the planet that carries and gives birth to their young that they have become so immersed in mythology....

That is right, you read correctly...the male seahorse is the only male to actually carry and give birth to their young!   That alone is reason enough to be fascinated and want to learn more about the seahorse.

Let's start with our Pet Rating of ...not to discourage but to let you know that they are very difficult to keep in captivity, let alone breed.   They can be picky eaters, temperature sensitive and susceptible to other tank mates torture.  If you can provide the optimum captive environment, you will be successful with seahorses.

Tank:  Since most seahorses bought in a pet store are from the Indo-pacific region, this environment is temperate/tropical coastal waters, therefore, tanks should maintain a constant temperature between 78-80 degrees.  Because seahorses prefer calm and shallow water, water flow is crucial.  Do not use a high powered water filtration system which will cause undue stress to your seahorse.  For example:  we recommend a tank no smaller than 20 gallons (with no other tank mates) with a filtration system that turns over 40gph (gallons per hour).  A general rule of thumb is water turnover of about double your tank size per hour.  Seahorses should be kept with other seahorses, starfish, small shrimp, live corals and other small invertebrates.  Tank mates that should not be kept with seahorses include:   aggressive fish such as triggers, butterfly fish, as well as sea anemones.   In the wild, seahorses spend a majority of their time floating in the shallows attached to corals, seaweed and grasses waiting for food happen by.  Therefore, it is important to provide as many places as possible for your seahorse to attach itself.  Our favorite is the black or red coral fan.  Be sure to provide different grip types from hard corals to soft grasses.

Food:  Seahorses are notorious for being picky eaters (at first), however, if you find the right mix, you will have no problems.  Live brine shrimp is the best choice as a base, along with a mix of mysid shrimp and copepods....yes, you will have to raise them yourself.  Most good specialty aquarium shops will carry these specialty foods.  Seahorses need to be feed several times per day.  Most fish are grazers searching for food along the bottom or coral all day....but seahorses on the other hand are opportunists waiting for food to come by.  Therefore, you need to be sure they have a steady supply swimming by.  As you and your seahorse become friends, your seahorse may even feed from your hand...try tiny pieces of frozen shrimp wiggled in front of your seahorse's nose.

Breeding:  Seahorses will breed in captivity when given an optimum environment.  The courtship is beautiful to watch because the male and female wrap their tails together and do a intimate dance.  The female deposits the eggs into the male's pouch and her part is over!  The male fertilizes, carries and gives birth to the fry in about 15-30 days depending on species and temperature of the water.  When the male is in labor, you may notice he is antsy and may have small contractions for about a day...ultimately he will produce 100 to 200 small fry.

Please do as much research as possible to ensure the health of your seahorse.  For more information check out these websites:

http://www.seahorse.org/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/seahorse/

http://seahorses.netfirms.com/care.html

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DISCLAIMER:  The information contained in this website is not intended to be a substitute for Veterinary Care.  If you have any questions or problems, always consult with your Veterinarian.