Lined Seahorse
From ReefPedia
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[edit] Lined SeahorseScientific Name: Hippocampus erectus Max. Size: 5-7 inches Tank Size: at least 20 gallons Aggression: very peaceful Hardiness: fair, not for beginners Reef-Safe: Yes - but seahorses may do poorly in a reef environment Available as captive-bred: Yes Life Span: 4-5 years |
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H. erectus - lined seahorse
Introduction:
The lined seahorse are perhaps the easiest of the seahorses to care for as they are generally the most hardy. These fish have a lot of personality and although they seem inactive, they will surprise you by how they move about and interact with each other. Seahorses in general should be obtained from sources as captive bred for protection reasons as well as ease of care.
Habitat:
Aquarium should be at least 20 gallons per pair, and they prefer taller aquariums as they like to swim in a more vertical pattern. The tank should contain some elements of hitching posts, whether real or fake plants/corals. The tank should be fully cycled and stable before purchasing the fish. Pristine water conditions are a must. These horses prefer water temperatures 72-75 F. A set-up as a fish only tank is ideal, although some small soft corals may be appropriate tank mates. Also note when using live rock as filtration/decoration that hitchhikers may be dangerous (eg. Hydroids, aiptasia)
Selection:
There are several sources of captive bred seahorses along with hobbyists who raise fry at home. Wild caught seahorses tend to be difficult to train to eat frozen prepared foods, while captive bred seahorses are raised on frozen as they grow.
Tank-Mates:
Most fish tend to be aggressive and may out-compete the seahorse for food. Scavengers such as gobies or blennies may be appropriate as well as hermits or snails. Many aggressive corals and anemones may sting the seahorse.
Feeding:
Frozen mysid shrimp are the best, recommend supplementing with a vitachem or selco supplement to add nutrition. Seahorse guts are primitive tubes that are relatively in-efficient and have been known to starve to death despite feeding heavily. This is why foods high in nutrition/mass are optimal. Brine shrimp generally do not contain enough nutrition to sustain them. Generally a small inverted shell or small dish may be used as a feeding station, that the horses quickly learn as their source of food. This enables them to feed at leisure through the day. Feeding should be 2-3/day. It is recommended to remove any food not eaten after an hour or two to help preserve the water quality. This is made easier with a turkey baster suctioning out the feeding station.
Breeding
H.erectus seahorses generally become sexually mature at around 8-9 months, although occasionally will breed sooner. If a male and female are well fed in good tank conditions, they will often pair up. The pair usually will pair in the morning and evening as a ritual often changing colors to lighter shades. When the time is right, the female pushes her eggs into the male's pouch where they will incubate and be kept safe for the 2-3 week gestation period. When mature the male will contract pushing the contents of his pouch outwards, giving birth to live seahorse fry. These fry are often just 4-7mm long, but unlike some species can hitch at birth.
--Forestal 17:03, 14 January 2006 (CST)
