Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: South Africa to Hawaii, north to China and Japan and south to Tahiti and New Caledonia.
Size: 7 inches (17 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits shallow coastal reefs and seagrass beds and often associated with sponges and sea squirts, and feeds on minute crustaceans.
General Husbandry: Somewhat common in the trade and requires an environment that is well-suited to these slow moving fishes, i.e., having slow moving water currents, preferably low light, and structures or large macroalgae growths that can be used to grab-on and support itself.
As to diet, meaty foods consisting of enriched live adult brine shrimp and/or enriched frozen mysis shrimp, and fed several times daily.
Taxonomy:
Order: Syngnathiformes
Suborder: Syngnathoidei
Family: Syngnathidae
Genus: Hippocampus
FYI: Tankmates should be limited to species such as pipefish/mandarins.
Experience Level: Intermediate
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: Yes
Invertebrate Safe: Yes
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Their own private environment/special tankmates
Tankmates: Peaceful
Minimum Tank Size: 50 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 – 28°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5