CARE AND ENVIRONMENT
It is widely rumored that seahorses are "delicate" and not "tolerant" of a wide variety of water parameters.
While this may be true for some fish, for others it is not. And it is a fish-to-fish basis upon which we have found this. We can cycle a tank with some of our fish, while with others, we wouldn't want to think about letting any of the water parameters get out of control at all.
Of course, you should actually probably just follow the rule of thumb that you use for any of your fish (and yourself for that matter) - just keep their environment clean and you shouldn't have very many problems with them.
They have been kept at a wide range of temperatures, specific gravities, and in a wide range of environments - everything from a huge reef complete with rock, to a mostly bare tank with a few plants and a bare bottom.
Regardless of how you keep your
fish, it is recommended that you keep them in an environment that keeps
them happy, that is easy for you to maintain, and that is clean.
This will make your life easy, and your fish happy.
The tank for your seahorses can range anywhere from the simplest to the extreme. A simple setup consists of artificial hold fasts and a sponge or power filter with no substrate on the bottom. This design adds for easier tank maintenance and cleaning however isn't that appealing to the eye. The next step up would be something more along the lines of an undergravel filter.
The pygmy seahorse-H. zostrae by Alisa Abott
Seahorses are fun and exciting to keep. They are very graceful and one of the most beautiful creatures of the sea. The Dwarf Seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae) happens to be one of the smallest of all seahorse species, measuring at adulthood from 1 1/2 - 2 inches long. When kept in a healthy environment, dwarf seahorses will reproduce prolifically. Their smaller broads make them easier candidates for successful breeding. One, however must be prepared to understand that there is no “easy” keepers as far as seahorses and dwarf seahorses must receive daily feedings of live artemia, hatched from your home from decapped brine cysts.
Companions:
Companions for the Dwarf are generally avoided, as they are
easily out competed for food and make obvious targets to be picked
on. However, tiny hermit type crabs, red shrimps (The ones from
Hawaii) and snails make suitable tank mates and will help provide a
healthy tank balance.
Housing:
Seahorses spend most of their day hitched to plants so they will
need plastic plants such as sea grass or live marine plants such as
Caulepra to hold on to. Dwarfs do best in smaller tanks.
You can happily house them in anything from a fishbowl with
filtration all the way up to a 10 gallon. The use of the
10-gallon is not recommended for beginners due to feeding
concentrations. Newly hatched brine shrimp are very small!!
The larger the tank, the more brine shrimp that is needed to
concentrate feeding. When using the 10-gallon tank you would also
need to house at least 10 dwarfs to even out the concentration so
there is less die off. I find a 2 or a 5-gallon to be the best
size and food concentration is easier. A 2-gallon tank can
easily hold 5 pair including any babies that they may have.
Substrate:
After considerable research and trial I find sand to be the best
choice in substrate. Although rumor may indicate differently
associating that dwarfs may snick up sand, I personally find this
folly because if you consider their natural environment sand is
unavoidable. I presently use black sand, which really significantly
improves the tank aesthetically and allows better visualization of
the dwarfs making them a lot more noticeable. Other substrate such as
crushed coral or sand may be used alone or with sand as well. Live
rock and sand should highly be avoided as they may hide creatures
that may harm or pick on the dwarfs and also may house and abundance
of hydroids, which may not be visible to the eye, but add some newly
hatched brine and presto you now have a happy colony of hydroids that
will plague your tank.
Filtration:
I find that sponge filters work best. I do not recommend
bio wheel filters or power filters unless modified, because they are
too strong and will suck up the baby brine and fry and even adult
dwarfs. However, if you personally feel the need to use these types
of filters, either placing filter floss in the intake cap or using a
sponge filter over the intake may be used to modify them. You also
need to consider the outflow current as well. There are ways to
modify this by placing dead rock (which will in time be live rock
without the unwanted critters) under the outflow or even a breeder
container/net. There are other ways of modification as well, but I
find the sponge filter to be virtually maintenance free outside
bi-monthly rinsing in tank change water.
Feeding:
Feed your seahorses daily with live brine. You can hatch
your own in a small clear separate container in salt water. I
use a juice container with the spout (the kind you get at Wal-Mart,
please see my hatching method) and add some decapsulated eggs into
it. There are many other ways to hatch brine, just find a system that
works best for you. I do not recommend the use of the little black
box with the brine cysts kits because the cysts are not decapsulated,
the black box maybe used to hatch brine cysts that you have
decapsulated yourself. You can also buy or raise brine to
adult, however they seem to enjoy the smaller ones most of all.
Brine takes about 18-32 hours to hatch. For the first 48 hours
the brine still have yolk sacs and do not have mouths so enriching is
not needed, but after this I encourage enriching the brine because
the really do not provide enough fatty acids as a staple. There are
many preparations on the market to do this, algae pastes, green
water, Naturose (www.petwhse.com)
and Vibrance (www.oceanrider.com)
are my favorite choices.
If you plan to be away for a few days you can add some decapsulated brine eggs to the tank, which will hatch within 24-36 hours. I like to add some decapsulated brine the night before and right as I leave because this will provide different hatch times. I also supply a liberal amount of live brine as well.
For adult brine try this:
Take any size clean container fill with salt water
Keep outside under a covered area and drop some decapsulated eggs in
4 weeks later presto you have adult brine
No need to feed them as the pollen and fallen leaves and algae will feed them however, you can throw a few pieces of flake food in there
Do not do water changes on the brine as it seems to kill them off, but do add fresh water as needed to maintain proper salinity
Brine
Shrimp Note:
During my independent study and work with Dwarfs
I found a correlation with hydroids (colonial polyp type critters
with stinging nematocysts) to undecapsulated brine. I
decapsulate all my brine cysts prior to feeding and have actually
noticed a decline in hydroid infestations. This is an easy
extra step that may look intimidating at first, but truly is an easy
procedure that offers many benefits. Outside the decreased risk
of hydroids you will have much cleaner water without the hassles of
shells. I also notice a higher hatch rate with this.
Please see my instructions on brine decapsulation. Basically
you soak brine cysts in aerating (using an air pump and allow to
aerate during the whole process) tap water for an hour or so.
Add some bleach about 1/3 of the amount of water they have soaked in
and in about 7 minutes when they are a yellowish orange you rinse
until the bleach odor is absent. Use of dechlor or Sodium
Thiosulfate if you have may be used to speed up the rinsing
process.
After completion you may hatch the eggs right away in whole or in
part. Leftover eggs may be stored in the refrigerator for about a
week in a small amount of salt water. Try using your water change
water to hatch brine.
Tank
care:
As with any tank whether fresh or salt water, monthly
water changes are essential. This is because debris and waste
get collected and accumulate over a period of time creating an
increase in nitrates which may harm your fish thus a 10%-25% monthly
water change is essential. I recommend bottled distilled water
or RO/DI. for water changes and to mix your salt water 24 hours prior
to water change. I use Instant Ocean and although they say you
can use this mixture right away I feel that mixing ahead of time
allows for better oxygenation and settlement of essential trace
minerals. I have also heard freshly mixed synthetic salt water
contains a small amount of ammonia. For this reason I usually
keep a several gallons of premixed salt water at all times. On
top of monthly water changes, fresh water needs to be replaced as
evaporation occurs. To watch this I mark my tank at the top of
the water line with a grease pencil or eyeliner and as water
evaporates I add in fresh water. Do not use water straight from
your tap. Salt does not evaporate so do not add extra
salt. I usually keep my specific gravity at about 1.019 and
basically the ratio of 1/2 cup of synthetic sea salt to one full
gallon of water will meet this standard. You can purchase a
hydrometer, which is essential in proper salt-water maintenance.
This will measure the correct SG/salinity.
Breeding:
Breeding is very common with Dwarfs. Just get a couple pair
and watch them court. They typically will only breed in groups
of at least 4 but not always the rule. I recommend using trace
elements, although not necessary and supplied in good synthetic sea
salt they seem to be happier with trace elements. I use SeaLab#
28, 1/2 pound box in small blocks. One pack will last a very
long time. I get it from www.petwhse.com.
However, again, this is not necessary and if you use trace elements
you can get them at most marine fish stores.
Courting:
Courting rituals are very fascinating to observe. It begins by
the male approaching the female and turning a very light color
(seahorses will often change outfits many times to match their
environment or favorite plant). I have seen them go from a dark
brown to a pale yellow or white to a pea green and very light
pink!
He will then start to shake and raise his head over his mate’s;
she will return his courting by doing the same. Courting may
take from a few hours to several days. You will notice at this
time the pouch of the male will balloon up and fill with water and he
will start pumping to cleanse his pouch and prepare for the transport
of eggs. YES!! The males get pregnant. Mamma will
usually look plump as she prepares her eggs for the male. It
only takes a female a few hours to do this and you will notice the
happy couple hold tails and dance their way to the top of the tank
and down a few times. She will then deposit her eggs into the
pouch of the male. Gestation is typically from 10-14 days,
although I had a male wait 18 days! Fry are born alive and are
totally independent at birth. Normal birth rate is from
3-30.
Fry success rate is 60% or more depending on water quality and good
care and plenty of food. Just like with any fish fry. The
male will be ready to mate again in 3- 4 days. It is
recommended during breeding to carefully monitor bubbles from the
filter as they can enter into the male pouch and cause
complications. I usually face the bubbles towards the glass or
just don't run the filter during this time.
Dwarf
Seahorse Fry Care:
If you have Dwarfs you will most likely
have babies. When they are born they are tiny exact miniatures
of their parents and are totally independent at birth. Most
will hitch right away and some will seem to hang down at the
gravel.
You can keep them in the same tank with the parents. Provide
them with plenty of newly hatched brine less then 18 hours old for
the first few days. With proper care you can enjoy them and
watch them have babies as well. Maturation for them is
approximately 3 months old.
Important
Items to Have on Hand:
Turkey baster for cleaning the bottom of smaller tanks, water changes on smaller tanks, drawing up brine and moving dwarf fry
Brine shrimp nets
Containers for hatching and decapsulating brine.
Medications such as Kanacyn, Paragon II, Neomycin and Malachite green or Formalin in case of illness.
Caution:
Avoid sudden temperature changes. Do not keep your tank
near the window or heat source. Do not use soap or other
detergents remember what is on your hand as well, if needed, highly
diluted bleach to clean supplies can be safely used, but must be
rinsed off thoroughly until there is no odor of bleach. Do not
use beach sand and avoid colored gravel. Do not use metal
objects in tank as salt corrodes metals leaving behind toxins.
Conclusion:
Seahorse keeping is a very enjoyable hobby, however it is a
responsibility and proper tank management is vital. Should you
feel that you might become bored or even have the possibility of
being over whelmed with the work involved please do not indulge in
this hobby. Seahorses are threatened and the vast majority are
collected and depleted from their natural environment. Please
make all efforts to purchase tank-raised horses. These horses
are healthier and are acclimated to living in tanks. Wild
caught horses are more prone to disease and most hobbyists are unable
to properly care for them. If you do decide you are ready for
the challenge of seahorses you will be rewarded with timeless amounts
of pleasure. They are sociable and all seem to have their own
personalities. They enjoy the company of each other and it is
one of the most spectacular sights to watch them court. We as
seahorse keepers have a great responsibility to educate and offer
this species the best of care. Reproducing healthy tank raised
species is a goal that all seahorse keepers should consider.
Let us try to keep nature healthy with seahorses and not deplete
them. It would be a dreadful conclusion if one day our children
read a book, "Once upon a time there was a creature called the
Seahorse..." Let us be responsible and help this wonderful
fish.
Please feel free to contact Alisa at seawhorse@mail.com