Seahorse

Hippocampus kuda

Seahorses mate for life, greet each other with a daily dance – and it is the males who give birth.

A peaceful saltwater fish that grows to 14 cm, lives in the middle of the tank in groups of 2 or more and needs 22–26 °C, pH 8.0–8.4 and an aquarium of at least 100 L.

Care at a glance

Water

Saltwater

Temperature

22–26 °C (72–79 °F)

pH

8.0–8.4

Adult size

14 cm (5.5 in)

Aquarium

100 L or bigger (26 US gal)

Temperament

Peaceful

Group size

2 or more

Swims

Middle

Diet

Carnivore

Wild home

Seagrass meadows of the Indo-Pacific

Good to know

• Delicate. Sensitive to poor water quality.
• Slow eater. Out-competed by fast fish at feeding time.

Tank mates

Good company: Banggai Cardinalfish, Firefish Goby, Flame Hawkfish, Golden Dwarf Moray, Green Chromis, Harlequin Shrimp, Mandarin Dragonet, Neon Goby, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Yellow Watchman Goby.

Eaten by: Clown Triggerfish, Lionfish, Snowflake Moray.

Attacked by: Clown Triggerfish.

Eats the newborn fry of: Harlequin Shrimp.

Its fry are eaten by: Flame Hawkfish, Golden Dwarf Moray, Lantern Anglerfish, Ocellaris Clownfish, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Porcupine Puffer, Psychedelic Frogfish, Six-Line Wrasse.

Colours and breeding

• Yellow rare
• Orange rare
• Black rare
• Pink epic
• Ghost epic
• Ruby epic

In Aquarius a grown male and female breed in a healthy tank. Their young are born about 0.7 cm long and take after one of the parents.

Some pairs give a colour neither parent has:

• Yellow × Orange can give Pink

The care values are the ones Aquarius uses, based on how these animals live. Tank mates follow the game's rules: water type, temperature and pH, who can swallow whom, fin nipping, temperament and territory.