Care Guide for Dwarf Seahorses

Dwarf seahorses are diminutive, subtropical members of the Zosterae species. In the wild, they can be found hiding in deep within the thick sea grass beds of oceans, which afford them protection from both vigorous currents and predators. In captivity, many salt water tank aficionados keep them as pets. While they are not difficult to raise, dwarf seahorses do have specific needs regarding their care.

  1. Supplies for their Habitat

    • Obtain a five to ten gallon aquarium for their salt water habitat. While most fish require larger living quarters, dwarf seahorses only grow to about one inch in length and do not need a vast amount of space. Before adding any seahorses, the tank will need to be outfitted with an inch to an inch and a half of substrate (aquatic sand), a small sponge or HOB filter, heater and faux plants as well as decorations. Cycle the water in the tank for two to four weeks to ensure that the pH of 8.1 to 8.5 has been achieved and that the temperature in the tank is in the high 60s to low 80s. In order to keep the tank clean, it is important to change out about 10 percent of the water on a weekly basis.

    Feeding

    • Prepare a plan for keeping your seahorses fed a healthy, nutritionally sound diet. Dwarf seahorses thrive best on live food. While one of the most common diets suggested for dwarf seahorses is brine shrimp, it does not provide sufficient or complete nutrition. As a result, it always needs to be supplemented with other types of food. Copepods, red shrimp, mysis shrimp and glass shrimp offer significantly higher nutrition than brine shrimp and are more suitable options. When fresh, live food is not readily available, many dwarf seahorses can be trained to eat frozen mysis shrimp.

    Purchasing Dwarf Seahorses

    • Purchase a pair or multiple pairs of seahorses at your local pet store or speciality tropical fish shop. Be sure to shop only at reputable establishments whose employees are knowledgeable about dwarf seahorses and their care. If you are unable to buy them locally, dwarf seahorses can also be ordered online from websites such as seahorseworld.com or seahorsesource.com. When looking to buy dwarf seahorses, it is important to look for any signs of illness, weakness, disease or distress. Reject any that have white or downy patches, lay listlessly or appear tilted or have odd projections below the surface of the skin. If possible purchase so-called captive seahorses, meaning that they were bred in captivity. Captive bred dwarf seahorses are generally healthier and do not suffer the same stresses and pathogens as wild caught seahorses. If you opt to buy wild caught seahorses, you may wish to use a separate "hospital" tank for them to quarantine them temporarily and treat them with antibiotics to ward off any potential problems with parasites.