6. Seahorse Anatomy
Armored fish
Head of a horse
Crown like unicorn
Independent eyes
like chameleon
Tail like a monkey
Male gives birth in
pouch like a
kangaroo
7. Husbandry
Wild caught (WC) vs. Captive Bred
(CB) vs. Tank Raised (TR)
Must get terminology straight
Wild caught - same problems as with
other fish
QT!!!!!!!!!!!
No mixing
Captive Bred - not taken from the
wild + healthier, easier to feed fish =
no brainer!
8. Husbandry
Tank size
Height important
25g min. (IMO)
Tank setup
Low flow
To skim or not to
skim?
affects fish
coloration?
9. Husbandry
Tank mates
rule of thumb -
nothing that
competes for food,
stings, or moves too
fast
corals - gorgonians,
mushrooms, leathers,
etc.
fish - firefish,
mandarins, etc.
10. Husbandry
Feeding
they have no stomach
or teeth
they “snick” their
food
Eat mostly small
crustaceans
Fascinating to watch!
11. Husbandry
Breeding
Many species are believed
to be monogamous
The courting “dance”
Change color
MALES carry eggs & give
birth!!!!!
Often give birth to hundreds
of fry who are independent
from birth
13. Dwarf Seahorses
Hippocampus zosterae
smallest SHs available in the hobby
Max. of 2”
Found mainly off coast in Gulf of
Mexico
Largely collected in FL
Prolific breeders
14. Husbandry
Wild Caught vs. Captive Bred
CB hard to find and expensive
Not as many issues with WC dwarfs
Still quite abundant in the wild
15. Husbandry
Feeding
Perhaps most difficult aspect
Require live food - even CB!!
Live baby brine shrimp (BBS)
Live enriched brine shrimp
pods & rotifers (thus, cultures)
On RARE occasions - frozen cyclopeeze
Don’t count on this!!!!
16. Husbandry
Tank size
Conventional wisdom not so conventional
Smaller is better!
Why? Dwarves are very small and don’t
hunt food well
Need sufficient amount of food to float by
Thus feeding density (livestock to
available food ratio) is paramount
Max. size of 5g is best
easily fits a dozen + offspring
17. Husbandry
Enemy #1 - Hydroids
Sting dwarves to death
Eat same food, so they reproduce
quickly
Hitchhike in on LR, LS - virtually
anything
so these things must be “dead” or
treated
even then, treatment may be
necessary
