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You are here: Home / White Papers / The Benefits of Live Seahorse Food
Live seahorse food, sustainable aquarium with seahorse

The Benefits of Live Seahorse Food

by Lan

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.

Live seahorse food, sustainable aquarium with seahorseSeahorses 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.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anthony says

    August 7, 2019 at 4:05 pm

    Always wanted to do a seahorse tank!

    Reply
    • Stefan Bladen says

      August 28, 2019 at 5:36 am

      That makes it sound so easy

      Reply
  2. robert vice says

    August 7, 2019 at 4:07 pm

    I would assume if you digestive system was horrible I would want live food in the tank especially if they eat 50 times a day

    Reply
    • David says

      August 7, 2019 at 8:29 pm

      Wow. Didn’t know seahorses needed to eat so often.

      Reply
      • Jon Dimitri Andrianos says

        August 12, 2019 at 4:09 pm

        Same

        Reply
  3. esear14 says

    August 7, 2019 at 4:09 pm

    phenomenal

    Reply
  4. Tony Mutti says

    August 7, 2019 at 4:09 pm

    Nice treat for them and something for them to chase between feedings, but if you get tank raised sea horses there is more nutrition in frozen.

    Reply
  5. Josh hiltabiddle says

    August 7, 2019 at 4:16 pm

    I want seahorses someday

    Reply
  6. devon says

    August 7, 2019 at 4:21 pm

    I like seahorses

    Reply
  7. Terrence Harrison says

    August 7, 2019 at 4:29 pm

    Love algae barn!!

    Reply
  8. Martin Gundel says

    August 7, 2019 at 4:56 pm

    My wife wants a sea horse tank…..nice reading for her.

    Reply
  9. artaa1988 says

    August 7, 2019 at 5:03 pm

    nice treat , cant wait to try a seahorse tank myself

    Reply
    • Noah says

      August 7, 2019 at 6:36 pm

      ?

      Reply
  10. Mohamad says

    August 7, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    I love seahorse

    Reply
  11. James says

    August 7, 2019 at 5:26 pm

    I have always thought that seahorses could only have live food anyways.

    Reply
  12. Allen Fagard says

    August 7, 2019 at 5:43 pm

    Seahorses are so finicky as it is, you have to have to correct food.

    Reply
  13. Carl Brown says

    August 7, 2019 at 5:43 pm

    Would love to have a seahorse tank.

    Reply
  14. mikerosa1965 says

    August 7, 2019 at 5:50 pm

    some great seahorse info, thanks for posting this

    Reply
  15. Brooner says

    August 7, 2019 at 5:53 pm

    I would love to put seahorses in my refugium, but I’ve always been intimidated.

    Reply
  16. Andy says

    August 7, 2019 at 6:17 pm

    A seahorse tank is in my future.

    Reply
  17. Tiffanie says

    August 7, 2019 at 6:30 pm

    Awww I want a couple.

    Reply
  18. Alex says

    August 7, 2019 at 6:55 pm

    Nutrition is very important

    Reply
  19. Brandi says

    August 7, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    My 3 dream aquariums are a giant tank, a nem tank and a seahorse tank.

    Reply
  20. Christopher Burns says

    August 7, 2019 at 7:14 pm

    great info

    Reply
  21. Tara says

    August 7, 2019 at 7:30 pm

    I always loved seahorses . I would love to have one

    Reply
  22. Hailey Weir says

    August 7, 2019 at 7:38 pm

    [email protected]

    Reply
  23. Sean Simkins says

    August 7, 2019 at 7:39 pm

    Interesting

    Reply
  24. professorcanswanky says

    August 7, 2019 at 7:46 pm

    Amazing source of info

    Reply
  25. ANDREW WELSH says

    August 7, 2019 at 7:57 pm

    Pods make so much sense here: constantly eating animal with a constantly reproducing live food source.

    Reply
  26. Ross Bennett says

    August 7, 2019 at 8:17 pm

    Maybe I’ll have a sea horse tank next

    Reply
  27. Doug Smith says

    August 7, 2019 at 8:47 pm

    no brainer here. live food is always a better option.

    Reply
  28. darksorcerer0530 says

    August 7, 2019 at 8:57 pm

    I used to have a dwarf seahorse tank. Live feed always seemed like the best option for them.

    Reply
  29. Angela Revell says

    August 7, 2019 at 10:04 pm

    Great info here

    Reply
  30. Marc Raupp says

    August 7, 2019 at 11:04 pm

    maybe i should try seahorses. They don’t sound as hard as they once did with great options like Algae Barn to keep them fed.

    Reply
  31. Juan Gonzalez says

    August 8, 2019 at 12:19 am

    Would love a seahorse and now Know its demand

    Reply
  32. Anthony Ferrelli says

    August 8, 2019 at 3:20 am

    Keep them galloping

    Reply
  33. jeffreyfelter says

    August 8, 2019 at 7:32 am

    Great read

    Reply
  34. Michael Kessler says

    August 8, 2019 at 7:59 am

    One day I’ll own a seahorse

    Reply
  35. Andrew Bilodeau says

    August 8, 2019 at 8:04 am

    Never knew this!

    Reply
  36. kalihankerd says

    August 8, 2019 at 9:37 am

    Good read

    Reply
  37. Savoury Kem says

    August 8, 2019 at 10:06 am

    Whoa

    Reply
  38. Deborah Najm says

    August 8, 2019 at 10:40 am

    Seahorses are beautiful! You want to feed them right.

    Reply
  39. Tim Jones says

    August 8, 2019 at 12:20 pm

    Dont have any but they would be cool to have one day

    Reply
  40. Ricardo Munoz says

    August 8, 2019 at 1:02 pm

    Very cool

    Reply
  41. erik says

    August 8, 2019 at 9:01 pm

    Ive always wanted a seahorse or two, maybe 7

    Reply
  42. Gino says

    August 9, 2019 at 3:29 am

    Too cute

    Reply
  43. James says

    August 9, 2019 at 5:22 am

    Makes sense

    Reply
  44. garethb9 says

    August 9, 2019 at 11:04 am

    Great information

    Reply
  45. Brent Cox says

    August 9, 2019 at 12:59 pm

    My wife loves seahorses she will love this article.

    Reply
  46. Robert Paniagua says

    August 9, 2019 at 1:01 pm

    Food is the most important to keep them healthy

    Reply
  47. Max Williquette says

    August 9, 2019 at 2:12 pm

    My most recent copepod order from AlgeaBarn was for my new seahorse tank! My seahorses are loving them!

    Reply
  48. brent says

    August 9, 2019 at 2:32 pm

    😀

    Reply
  49. Tom Giddens says

    August 10, 2019 at 6:15 am

    easier to feed

    Reply
  50. John key says

    August 12, 2019 at 12:06 pm

    Good info! I didn’t realized seahorses needed to eat so often. I’ve not kept them yet 🙂

    Reply
  51. Kristoffer Hamann says

    August 12, 2019 at 3:22 pm

    Everythings better fresh

    Reply
  52. danieoue says

    August 12, 2019 at 4:55 pm

    Looking hard to keep seahorse

    Reply
  53. danieoue says

    August 12, 2019 at 4:56 pm

    It look Lui a hard To jeep seahorse

    Reply
  54. danieoue says

    August 12, 2019 at 4:56 pm

    Hum seahorse

    Reply
  55. danieoue says

    August 12, 2019 at 4:56 pm

    Hum seahorse

    Reply
  56. danieoue says

    August 12, 2019 at 4:57 pm

    Dehors!!!!!

    Reply
  57. Sean Beaver says

    August 12, 2019 at 8:57 pm

    I need a seahorse tank.

    Reply
  58. Itzel says

    August 12, 2019 at 10:30 pm

    I want a seahorse

    Reply
  59. blk250r says

    August 12, 2019 at 11:07 pm

    Love the action of them. So beautiful! Didn’t know they needed to eat so much

    Reply
  60. Ellen S Imbrie says

    August 13, 2019 at 4:33 am

    someday

    Reply
  61. Kristopher Kasarda says

    August 13, 2019 at 5:33 am

    Seahorses are awesome creatures!

    Reply
  62. Derek says

    August 13, 2019 at 6:26 am

    Now I just need some seahorses 🙂

    Reply
  63. chrissyhexd says

    August 13, 2019 at 6:29 am

    Sweet! Love the artical!

    Reply
  64. Justin says

    August 13, 2019 at 7:40 am

    Good I fo

    Reply
  65. Jeremy Hunsberger says

    August 13, 2019 at 10:53 am

    Sweet

    Reply
  66. Bennett Sheppard says

    August 13, 2019 at 11:15 am

    I’m so glad this blog exists! My wife wants a seahorse tank and this information will be critical in their success.

    Reply
  67. William Schimmel says

    August 14, 2019 at 11:28 pm

    Great information

    Reply
  68. btack206 says

    August 18, 2019 at 3:16 pm

    I know it isn’t exactly a seahorse, but our pipefish took to the frozen copepods almost immediately and they hung around for a while so we didn’t have to worry about overfeeding!

    Reply
  69. btack206 says

    August 18, 2019 at 3:16 pm

    I know it isn’t exactly a seahorse, but our pipefish took to the frozen copepods almost immediately and they hung around for a while so we didn’t have to worry about overfeeding!

    Reply
  70. Paul R Cote says

    August 19, 2019 at 3:19 pm

    Awsome article

    Reply
  71. Ryan M. Vaughan says

    August 19, 2019 at 4:31 pm

    Great info

    Reply
  72. Branden Hess says

    August 19, 2019 at 9:20 pm

    Love these. Are basically a must have for your tank.

    Reply
  73. Max says

    August 19, 2019 at 9:34 pm

    Good info?

    Reply
  74. stoph70 says

    August 20, 2019 at 8:13 am

    Seahorses are an annoying amount of work – especially if you’re planning on leaving town.

    Reply
  75. ian m mahoney says

    August 20, 2019 at 11:15 am

    Would love to own Seahorses someday, amazing animals.

    Reply
  76. glenzemke says

    August 23, 2019 at 8:50 pm

    I plan to one day have a seahorse tank!

    Reply
  77. Frank says

    August 24, 2019 at 7:11 am

    It’s not just for seahorse’s

    Reply
  78. Logan Kreider says

    August 24, 2019 at 7:49 am

    Good read

    Reply
  79. Kyle Frame says

    August 24, 2019 at 8:06 am

    I just ordered 4 seahorses for my tank. Impatiently waiting their arrival lol.

    Reply
  80. Nicholas says

    August 24, 2019 at 10:28 am

    Good info

    Reply
  81. zadok jollie says

    August 24, 2019 at 2:33 pm

    After reading this I’m even more tempted to start a seahorse tank

    Reply
  82. Jose Pacheco says

    August 26, 2019 at 12:07 pm

    I think seahorses are not for me

    Reply
  83. Dylan says

    August 26, 2019 at 8:44 pm

    Cool read

    Reply
  84. Ricardo Munoz says

    August 27, 2019 at 3:58 pm

    I don’t have seahorses but nonetheless very informative info. Good luck to all seahorse keepers out there!

    Reply
  85. Lisa says

    August 29, 2019 at 3:22 pm

    Planning my first seahorse tank now. Great info.

    Reply
  86. castrommaritza says

    August 30, 2019 at 10:42 pm

    Awesome read. Seahorses are high maintenance so knowing my OCD I rather not have them lol I will be worried most of the time for its health

    Reply
  87. castrommaritza says

    August 30, 2019 at 10:44 pm

    Awesome read. They are hog maintenance so i rather not because with my OCD I would be worried all the time and that Is haha

    Reply

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