Hippocampus spinosissimus

(Weber, 1913)

Hedgehog Seahorse

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Sri Lanka to Taiwan, south to Australia.

Size: 7 inches (17 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits muddy or sandy areas on coral reefs in protected bays and feeds on minute crustaceans.

General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade and usually a pale whitish or yellowish body wih a reddish tail. 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 microalgae 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.

Dried and sold to the Oriental medicine trade.

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