Seahorse Ownership: Challenging and Yet Rewarding
| Keeping a seahorse in captivity as a pet is a challenging affair. They normally do not do very well except under the most meticulous and vigilant conditions; and every precaution must be taken to safeguard these delicate creatures while they are under your care.
First and foremost is to obtain a healthy specimen right from the very start. Once a seahorse becomes ill, it's extremely difficult to turn it around. It is recommended that you start with a captive-bred specimen from a reputable dealer because they have been raised and thus acclimatised in a captive environment and specific food types. However, if you do obtain a wild seahorse, there are certain species that can do very well. They are H. erectus, H. zoestrae and H. reidi. These species are reasonably disease-resistant and while H. zoestrae and H. reidi require live food, H. erectus can thrive on frozen food. Once you have your seahorse, it will require a very specific type of habitat to live in and flourish. For starters, it will need to live in a slow and quiet environment. It has been found that seahorses tend to do the best and even thrive living without other fishes in the tank with them. Seahorses will also need wide-open space to move around. The seahorse tank should be at least 3 times the height of an adult seahorse; or at least 20-gallons per specimen. A seahorse will be happy with just a little live rock and ‘hitching posts’ placed strategically around the tank. All in all, owning a seahorse can be challenging but once you master all of its specialized requirements, the enjoyment of the pet seahorse will be well worth it. |