Guide to Keeping Pet Seahorses Healthy

Seahorses have lived in our oceans for millions of years and are one of the easiest fish to recognize. You may have seen seahorses while visiting an aquarium or zoo, but they are also becoming increasingly popular pets among advanced fish enthusiasts.

Here's what you need to know before buying a pet seahorse.

Pet Seahorse Tank

Tank installation and maintenance are the most essential elements of keeping pet seahorses healthy. Water quality, filtration, tank size and lighting play a vital role in the health of a seahorse.

Here are important things to consider when setting up your seahorse aquarium:

Cleaning and maintenance

Monitoring is part of effectively maintaining an aquarium with healthy seahorses. The temperature should be checked daily, while the water quality can be checked weekly. If your aquarium water parameters are not within the normal range, monitor the water quality more frequently until they stabilize.

Top off water levels as necessary to maintain consistent salinity. Perform partial water changes of 25% or less of your aquarium's total quantity every two to four weeks, or based on water quality parameters. Avoid larger volume water changes to keep healthy bacteria in your seahorse's environment. Avoid waiting until your water parameters are abnormal to perform water changes; this makes it more difficult to return to healthy parameters.

Tank Decor

Seahorses use their prehensile tails to grab onto objects in their environment, using them almost as an anchor. Because seahorses are not good swimmers, it is essential that their aquarium contain plants and decor that they can grasp horizontally with their tails.

Artificial and live plants are common objects for seahorses to cling to, but other decorations, such as ropes, can also be used. Do not use any decor that has metal or sharp points that could potentially injure your seahorse.

Some live corals may be suitable in your seahorse's tank, but they can potentially harm your seahorses, and vice versa. Many corals can sting seahorses, and seahorses can break corals with their tails, so both species may be at risk of health problems from living together.

Pet Seahorse Tank Mates

Seahorses are fairly social fish, so it's best to keep at least two together. When selecting a pair of pet seahorses, make sure they are the same sex to avoid baby seahorses (they can have up to 1,000 in a single clutch!). Juvenile seahorses may not be old enough to be identified as male or female when purchased. Only purchase pet seahorses from a supplier who can properly identify sex.

Even though seahorses are social creatures, they can only share an aquarium with a few other aquatic species. Peaceful fish like gobies or invertebrates like snails can be housed with pet seahorses, but supervision is crucial: Because seahorses are not good swimmers, they cannot compete with most fish for food. If your seahorse is not eating or if another fish is aggressive towards your pet seahorse, remove it from the aquarium.

When adding fish to your seahorse aquarium, add them slowly in small amounts. Ideally, all fish should be kept for the first two to four weeks in a quarantine aquarium to avoid potentially infecting your established aquarium with diseases.

Seahorse Food for Pets

Seahorses are carnivorous and eat a variety of crustaceans. Mysis shrimp should be a staple in your pet seahorse's diet, not frozen shrimp. Allow frozen food to thaw before feeding it to your seahorse. Avoid microwaving and refreezing foods, as this may allow bacteria to form and taint nutrients.

Other shellfish, such as brine shrimp, are suitable as treats but have little nutritional value. Baby brine shrimp may contain more nutrients due to their yolk reserve and can be used as live prey treats.

Since seahorses digest food quickly, it is ideal to give them small, frequent meals. Pet seahorses should be fed two or three times a day, and they can be fed in different ways:

• Free food: Pour the food into the reservoir and remove the leftover food later. This method can be a simple way to feed your pet seahorses, but the food may remain and potentially spoil. If you have a large colony of seahorses, free feeding can make feeding time easier.

• Power station: Designated feeding stations can help better maintain tank cleanliness. Typically, your seahorse will learn to eat at a feeding station within a few weeks. You can use a turkey baster to add food to the bowl of your feeding station.

• Manual feed: Similar to the feeding station, hand feeding may take some time as your seahorses get used to being closer to you. This is a fun way to feed your seahorses and can sometimes make it easier to see possible health problems. Hand feeding can also be helpful in transitioning a pet seahorse from live food to thawed food because it allows you to move the food around, making it look more natural and realistic. This option is generally better for small seahorse colonies.

Pet Seahorse Health

Seahorses are susceptible to some common diseases seen in other types of fish. These conditions include:

Pet seahorses can contract diseases from you and vice versa. Always wear gloves when handling food or objects that have come into contact with your aquarium water for the safety of you and your aquarium.

Many health problems in pet seahorses, as in other animals, can be avoided by properly caring for their environment. However, even with the best husbandry, seahorses can still get sick, so it is essential to monitor them for possible changes in their health.

Although you may not need a veterinarian if your aquarium is healthy, it is crucial to find a local aquatic veterinarian so that you are prepared if your seahorse becomes ill. If you notice any of the following symptoms in your seahorse, contact your veterinarian immediately.:

• Abnormal swimming patterns or floating on the surface

• Rapid breathing

• Decreased appetite

• New growths, bumps or lesions

• Difficulty grasping with the tail

• Opacification of the eye

• Flared gills

• Color changes

• Itching/rubbing against decoration and other objects