Seahorses
It takes a special aquarist to maintain these delicate beauties. A potential keeper must be dedicated and willing to throw artistic creativity to the winds- as what seahorses need isn't always beautiful. They require taller tanks, live/frozen food, and many hitching posts, as well as very peaceful tankmates. In fact, beginners would be well-advised not to mix seahorses with any other species until they have more experience. Seahorses found in stores are generally Captive Bred, but occasionally one might find a Wild Caught specimen. WC Seahorses should only be purchased by Seahorse experts who are going to breed them, as they tend to be finicky and most are endangered in the wild. One of the advantages of Seahorses is that many species stay small and can (in fact, some should) be kept in smaller tanks, making them idea for aquarists who are pressed for space or money.
The longsnout seahorse or slender seahorse (Hippocampus reidi) is a species of fish in the Syngnathidae family. It is found in the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, the United States, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is shallow seas.
Also known as the Longsnout Seahorse, tank raised Tank Raised Reidi Brazilian Seahorses are generally far easier to maintain than their wild collected counterparts. They are best kept in a species tank or with only docile bottom dwelling fishes such as Gobies, or other types of fishes that are not food competitors. Seahorses will not get enough to eat if they perceive any threat from tankmates or if they are kept with bold feeders. Coloration of the Tank Raised Reidi Brazilian Seahorse is typically dark brown to black, and coloration of all seahorses can change dramatically in the aquarium.
The big-belly seahorse or pot bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, is one of the largest seahorse species in the world with a length of up to 35 cm.
The large-belly seahorse has a forward-tilted, long-snouted head, distended but narrow pot belly, and a long coiled tail. It swims using its dorsal fin with a vertical stance - when not swimming it coils its prehensile tail around any suitable growth, such as seaweed, waiting for planktonic animals to drift by when they are sucked up by the small mouth set at the tip of the snout much like a vacuum cleaner. Seahorses are voracious feeders, eating mainly crustaceans, such as shrimps, and other small animals living among the seaweed such as copepods and amphipods. They do not masticate so they can eat to excess because of their small gut tract. Each eye moves separately making it easier for them to see food and predators.
It is quite easy to distinguish males from females. The male have a smooth soft pouch-like area at the base of its abdomen between where the stomach meets the tail on the front side. Males also have a fin here but it is less obvious. The female will have more of a pointed stomach with a very obvious fin at the base of the stomach.
Large-belly seahorses have a very intricate social life every morning, the female travels to her mate and they entwine tails and 'dance' together for six to 10 minutes, changing colour and promenading across the seabed. In wild seahorse populations, monogamy appears to be the rule rather than the exception. It is thought that such pair bonding is reinforced by daily greetings which are performed only with an individual's partner.
The pygmy seahorse, Hippocampus bargibanti, is a seahorse of the family Syngnathidae in the western central Pacific. It is tiny, no larger than 2.4 cm. There are two known color variations: grey with red tubercles (on gorgonian coral Muricella plectana), and yellow with orange tubercles (on gorgonian coral Muricella paraplectana).
This species is known to occur only on gorgonian corals of the genus Muricella, and has evolved to resemble its host. The tubercles and truncated snout of this species match the color and shape of the polyps of the host gorgonian, while its body matches the gorgonian stem. The camouflage is so effective, the original specimens were discovered only after their host gorgonian had been collected and placed in an aquarium.
The pygmy seahorse is found in coastal areas ranging from southern Japan and Indonesia to northern Australia and New Caledonia on reefs and slopes at a depth of 10-40 m. Well-camouflaged pygmy seahorse on a gorgonian coral Muricella plectana. See this image to identify the pygmy seahorse.
On the lower portion of the abdomen, males have a brood pouch in which the female lays her eggs. They are fertilized by the male, and incubated until birth.
The New Holland seahorse, Sydney seahorse, or White's seahorse (Hippocampus whitei) is a species of fish in the Syngnathidae family. It is found in Australia and the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitat is subtidal aquatic beds.