Tank Bred Female Erectus Seahorse, Hippocampus erectus, also go by the name lined seahorse. These fish make are great options for marine tanks and are fun to keep.
Seahorses get their name from their elegant, elongated snout and curved neck which resembles a horse. In fact, their Etymology is “horse” (hippos) and “sea monster” (kámpos)
Seahorse, pipefish and sea dragons all belong to the Syngnathidae family. These ray finned fish have an unusual body plan. For instance, Female Erectus Seahorses swim vertically in the water, rather than horizontally. An adaptation thought to help them to hide in seagrasses. Seahorses use their dorsal fin for forward motion, while other ray finned fish use their tail and caudal fin. Instead of a caudal fin, Seahorses have a flexible tail they use for grasping.
Erectus Seahorse Female Tank Bred or Lined Seahorse, Ecology
Our Erectus Seahorse have been born in captivity. In the wild, Female Erectus Seahorses occur in the Western and central Atlantic. They live in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as around: Canada, Nova Scotia and Panama. Possibly around the ascension islands as well. They live mostly coastally, although they do move to deeper waters in winter, where it is more stable. They attach themselves to seagrass, gorgonians or around manmade objects. Erectus seahorses have also been seen living in floating Sargassum. Those that do have flesh tabs to help them hide.
Arguably, seahorses are most famous for their unusual reproduction. Courtship can include dances and colour changes depending on the type. The Female Erectus Seahorse will deposit her eggs in to a brood pouch on the males ventral side. He will then fertilize and carry his eggs. For Erectus Seahorses, it takes around 20-21 days for the babies to be born, although temperature does have an effect.
Hippocampus erectus, in the aquarium
It is important to have plenty of nooks or crannies where your Tank bred Female Erectus Seahorse can anchor itself and feel at home.
Seahorses do best when fed a varied diet. Here they are eating frozen Mysis, frozen brineshrimp, frozen copepods, ocean nutrition fish eggs. We enrich all our frozen food with seachem garlic guard and Atvitol vitamins. These are great for keeping fish healthy, by giving them the nutrition otherwise lost in frozen food. In doing so, these additives support their immune system and increase longevity.
In addition, A Tank bred Female Erectus Seahorse will also eat live foods, such as copepods and amphipods, that can be cultivated in attached refugium. They will even occasionally go after river shrimp, which can be interesting to watch. Our seahorses are adapted to aquarium life before being offered up for sale. Meaning they are eating frozen food when they leave us.
You can keep Female Erectus Seahorse in pairs or groups. They are not the fastest of swimmers so keepers may wish to use a feeder or tweezers. Feel free to give us a call for advice on a seahorse set up and keeping.
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