Fact About Seahorses and the Seahorse Habitat
Seahorses have always been fascinating creatures, and the seahorse habitat is also very interesting. A seahorse is actually a boney fish, and there are about 33 different species of seahorses in the world.
These fish will swim upright, like a horse and actually resemble a horse a little. They like to live in the shallows near algae, but the more colorful the seahorse habitat, the more colorful the seahorse is as well. Seahorses will also change color when they are ready to mate. Unlike most animals, the male is the one that carries the eggs, after the female has transferred the eggs to him during mating. After a few weeks of gestation the male seahorse will give birth to live young. Although a gestation period of about three weeks is average, it is not the case with all seahorse species.
Seahorses will swallow their food whole as they do not have teeth; the different foods that these fish eat include larva fish, and crustaceans, as well as plankton. In most cases seahorses do not have to worry a lot about predators, as they have the unique ability to camouflage with their surroundings. The one predator that seahorses do have to deal with is crab, as crabs and the seahorse habitat are the same and they must share it. As a result crabs do sometimes tend to be aggressive with seahorses.
Seahorse populations are increasingly dwindling, and some species have been put on the endangered list. One of the main reasons this has happened is that so many seahorses are harvested for the Asian market as they are used in natural medicine to treat a variety of ailments. Another reason the seahorse populations are declining is because they are in high demand as aquarium pets.
Although keeping a seahorse and recreating a seahorse habitat in an aquarium can be done, it is notoriously difficult. Today it is often necessary to buy seahorses from breeders; in any case, it is usually best to buy seahorses that are tank bred.
A tank bred seahorse will easily accept frozen food, where if you try and feed frozen food to a wild seahorse it will likely not accept it and end up dying from starvation. Breeding seahorses that were raised in a tank is also easier; it is very difficult to get wild seahorses to breed in a tank setting. Also, it is less likely that a tank raised seahorse will be carrying disease when you introduce it to your tank; wild seahorses are known for spreading disease in a tank setting.
One of the biggest problems with buying a tank bred seahorse is that it is very expensive and may actually cost twice as much as buying a seahorse that has been captured in the wild. The main reason for the price increase is that the breeders have spent a great deal of time and money to breed and raise the seahorses, as well as recreating the seahorse habitat.
If you decide to keep seahorses in your aquarium, you will want to recreate the seahorse habitat as closely as possible. You will need a tank that is large enough to accommodate the seahorse and any other types of fish you have; it is also important that you keep fish that will not be a threat to your seahorses. Always watch the water temperature, as well as the water quality. Good water quality will help keep your seahorses healthy.
For the best chance of success with your seahorses, make sure that you learn all you can about seahorse habitat before you invest in buying these fish for your tank.
Related Resources: