A guide to keeping your pet seahorse healthy

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

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

pet seahorse aquarium

Aquarium setup and maintenance is the most important part of keeping your pet seahorses healthy. Water quality, filtration, tank size and lighting all play a vital role in your seahorse’s health.

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

Cleaning and Maintenance

Monitoring is essential to effectively maintain an aquarium with healthy seahorses. Water temperature should be checked daily and water quality should be checked weekly. If any of your aquarium’s water quality parameters are not within normal ranges, monitor the water quality more frequently until it stabilizes.

Refill the water level as needed to keep the salinity constant. Perform partial water changes of no more than 25% of the total tank volume every 2-4 weeks, or based on water quality parameters. Avoid large water changes to maintain healthy bacteria in your pet seahorse’s environment. Avoid waiting until water quality parameters are abnormal before performing a water change, as this will make it more difficult to bring it back to healthy parameters.

Tank decoration

Seahorses use their prehensile tails to grab hold of objects in their environment, almost like an anchor. Because seahorses are not good swimmers, it is essential to fill their tank with plants and ornaments that they can grasp horizontally with their tails.

Artificial or live plants are popular items for seahorses to grab onto, but other decorations such as ropes can also be used. Avoid using decorations with metal or sharp edges that could injure your seahorse.

Although some live corals are fine to have in a pet seahorse’s tank, they can harm the seahorse and vice versa. Many corals can sting seahorses, and seahorses can break the coral with their tails, so there is a risk of health problems developing if both species live together.

Pet Seahorse Aquarium Mates

Seahorses are social fish and are best kept together in at least one pair. When choosing a pair of pet seahorses, be sure to choose seahorses of the same sex to avoid baby seahorses (up to 1,000 seahorses can be born in one birth). Young pet seahorses may not be mature enough to be identified as male or female when purchased. Only purchase pet seahorses from suppliers who can properly determine sex.

Seahorses are social creatures, but only a few other aquatic species should be kept in the tank with them. Peaceful fish like gobies and invertebrates like snails can be kept with pet seahorses, but supervision is essential. Seahorses are not good swimmers and will not compete with most fish for food. If your seahorse isn’t eating or if other fish are acting aggressively towards your pet seahorse, remove it from the tank.

When adding fish to a seahorse tank, add them in small amounts, and ideally, all fish should be kept in a quarantine tank for the first 2-4 weeks to avoid the possibility of introducing disease into the existing tank.

Pet Seahorse Food

Seahorses are carnivorous and eat a variety of crustaceans. Your pet seahorse’s main diet should be mysis shrimp, not frozen shrimp. Frozen food should be thawed before feeding your seahorse. Do not microwave or refreeze food, as this can cause bacteria to grow and alter the nutrients.

Other crustaceans such as brine shrimp are fine as a snack but have little nutritional value. Juvenile brine shrimp are nutritious due to the egg yolk remaining and can be used as a snack as live prey.

Seahorses digest food quickly, so feeding them small, frequent meals is ideal. Pet seahorses should be fed two or three times a day, and there are a few different feeding methods.

• Free feedingPour the food into the tank and remove any leftover food afterwards. This method is an easy way to feed your pet seahorses, but there is a chance that some food will be left over and spoil. If you have a large school of seahorses, free-feeding them can make feeding easier.

• Feeding Station: A dedicated feeding station helps keep your tank clean. Pet seahorses usually learn to eat food from the feeding station within a few weeks. You can use a turkey baster to put food in the feeding station bowls.

• Hand feeding: As with feeding stations, hand feeding also takes time for your seahorses to get used to having you close by. It’s a fun way to feed your seahorses and may also give you a better view of potential health issues. Hand feeding can also help transition your pet seahorses from live food to thawed food, as it appears more natural and lifelike because you can move the food around. This option is usually better for smaller seahorse colonies.

Pet Seahorse Health

Seahorses are at risk for contracting common diseases found in other types of fish. These diseases include:

Pet seahorses can catch diseases from their owners and vice versa, so for your safety and the safety of your aquarium, always wear gloves when handling food or items that have come into contact with the aquarium water.

Many health problems in pet seahorses, like any other animal, can be prevented with good care of their environment. However, even with the best care, seahorses can still become ill, so it is essential to monitor them for potential health changes.

If your tank is healthy, you may not need to take it to the vet. Find a local aquatic animal vet This is very important in case your seahorse gets sick. If you notice any of the following symptoms in your seahorse, contact your veterinarian immediately::

• Unusual swimming patterns or floating on the surface

• Rapid breathing

• Loss of appetite

• New tumors, lumps, or lesions

• Difficult to grasp by the tail

• Cloudy eyes

• Expanded gills

• Color change

• Itching/rubbing against jewelry or other items