Seahorse
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 is not 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 (WC) 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 ideal for aquarists who are pressed for space or money.
Seahorses are among the few popular marine aquarium species that can be temperate. Species vary in their temperature requirement, so here an extra category has been added.
TR=Tropical ST=Sub-Tropical TM=Temperate
| Common name | Image | Taxonomy | Reef safe | Temp. | Care Level | Description | Max size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazilian seahorse | Hippocampus reidi | Caution | ST | Difficult | Usually bright yellow, with a particularly long snout. | 700117000000000000017 cm (6.7 in) | |
| Spotted seahorse | Hippocampus kuda | Caution | TR | Difficult | Generally yellow, but can also range from tan to dark black. | 700130000000000000030 cm (11.8 in) | |
| Great seahorse | Hippocampus kelloggi | Caution | ST | Difficult | Light tan, with some darker specimens. | 700128000000000000028 cm (11.0 in) | |
| Pot-bellied seahorse | Hippocampus abdominalis | Caution | TM | Difficult | Light colored with dark spots and a large abdomen. | 700125000000000000025 cm (9.8 in) | |
| Pygmy seahorse | Hippocampus bargibanti | Caution | TR | Difficult | White with pink (occasionally yellow) knobby protrusions. | 70002400000000000002.4 cm (0.9 in) | |
| Short-snouted seahorse | Hippocampus breviceps | Caution | TM | Difficult | Grayish to tan with short snout and a spiny head. | 700115000000000000015 cm (5.9 in) | |
| Tiger tail seahorse | Hippocampus comes | Caution | TR | Difficult | Varying colors with dark striped tail. | 700118000000000000018 cm (7.1 in) | |
| Lined Seahorse | Hippocampus erectus | Caution | ST | Difficult | Dark colored with ligher belly and white ridges. | 700119000000000000019 cm (7.5 in) | |
| White's Seahorse | Hippocampus whitei | Caution | TM | Difficult | Fuller bodied with a comparatively larger head. | 700113000000000000013 cm (5.1 in) | |
| Dwarf Seahorse | Hippocampus zosterae | Caution | ST | Difficult | Similar to H. reidi but much smaller. | 70005000000000000005 cm (2.0 in) | |
| Thorny Seahorse | Hippocampus histrix | Caution | TR | Difficult | Varying colors with distinctive spines all over body. | 700117000000000000017 cm (6.7 in) |
Read more about this topic: List Of Marine Aquarium Fish Species