Seahorses are a fun addition to any aquarium and rank high on the list of favorites for many hobbyists. While they are a valued addition to any salt water aquarium, special care must be taken to ensure the health of your seahorse.
Seahorses have a poor digestive system; in fact they have no stomach, and must eat almost constantly to stay alive. Because of their small size and lack of teeth, they require a particular diet consisting of several types of miniature crustaceans and live copepods. They are also known to be picky eaters and prefer a constant food source. Once a seahorse in introduced into a saltwater aquarium, it can become a true test of devotion to keep the creature alive.
Live Seahorse Food is available. First, there is the option of dead frozen Mysis. This option is quick and easy, but depending on how the seahorse was raised (captive bred, or tank raised) your seahorse might not like this source. The dead food may take time to become appetizing, and since they need to eat between 30-50 times a day, starvation can become an issue if your seahorse doesn’t like the food.
A second, better option is live seahorse food. You can buy live phytoplankton and copepods to feed your seahorse. Live food most closely mimics their natural eating environment and it is easier to get your seahorse to eat live pods than frozen food. By using live food, the seahorse instinctively hunts for its meal like it would in the wild. Also, by using live plankton and crustaceans an ecosystem is formed, creating a sustainable aquarium. Even the best seahorse eaters can’t eat all the food, which allows the lifeforms to hide, establish a presence and reproduce. Using live food becomes a perpetual feeding cycle for the seahorse. The outcome for the seahorse is a happier fish with fresh food and a closer to normal environment. For the seahorse owner, the fear of your seahorse eating enough is erased, leaving you to enjoy your aquarium.
Switching to live seahorse food saves a lot of headaches. With regular supplements of additional live organisms the food chain remains constant and the seahorse remains healthy. With a little planning and preparation, your seahorse will be a fun, healthy, low stress addition to your aquarium.
