Hippocampus ingens

Girard, 1858

Pacific Seahorse

Range: Eastern Pacific Ocean: Southern California and the Sea of Cortez, south to northern Peru and the Galapagos Islands.

Size: 11 inches (28 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits shallow coastal waters containing seagrass beds, sea-whips and gorgonians and feeds on minute crustaceans.

General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the trade and has yellow or grey/reddish maroon or brown bodies. 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: 75 gallons

Temperature Range: 60 - 78°F (16 – 26°C)

Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5