Hippocampus barbouri

From RTAW Reefpedia

Common Names

• Barbour's Seahorse
• Tiger-Snout Seahorse
• Zebra-Nosed Seahorse

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Characteristics

Description

Variety of colours. Captive bred colours often yellow with white spots. Striped snout. Captive bred individuals tend to be smaller than wild caught individuals. Maximum recorded age in captivity 5 years. Developed sharp eye spines. Double cheek spine. First trunk ring spines enlarged and curved backwards.

• Fry: Demeral (benthic)
• Trunk rings: 11
• Tail rings: 34-35
• Pectoral fin rays: 17-18
• Dorsal fin rays: 19

Similar Species

H. subelongatus also has striped snout but is substatially larger.

Maximum Size

15 cm

Associated Organisms

H. barbouri are one of the few seahorses commonly associated with corals. They appear largely unaffected by stinging corals unlike other species.

Behaviour

H. barbouri use a prehensile tail to grasp holdfasts as do other seahorses. H. barbouri do not swim as actively as other seahorse species such as H. abdominalis.

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Captive Care

For general seahorse care, please see the guide on the Hippocampus page.

H. barbouri is a tropical seahorse species requiring a stable tank temperature of between 22-24 degrees centigrade. In the past, it has been thought that H. barbouri could be kept in tank temperatures of up to 27 degrees centigrade. Resent research (Seahorse.org, 2005) suggests that H. barbouri are susceptible to a variety of pathogens at these temperature thus 24 degrees has become the new standard maximum aquarium temperature.

H. barbouri are slightly more susceptible to fluctuations in water quality than other commercially available species and therefore should not be attempted by a beginning keeper. Beginning keepers, please see H. reidi, H. kuda, H. whitei or H. procerus for an appropriate beginner seahorse.

Tank Size

H. barbouri, 1 pair/30 litres - minimum size 80 litres

Water Flow

2-3 times the tank volume per hour

Lighting

N/A

Feeding

A variety of foods must be provided 2-3 times per day. Frozen mysis should make up the bulk of the diet. Brine shrimp alone, (frozen or live) does not provide the seahorses with adequate nutrition. A variety of live foods may be offered weekly and include live mysis shrimp, brine shrimp or ghost shrimp.

• A New Feeding Strategy for Hippocampus sp., and Other Fishes by Paul Baldassano - Journal of Maquaculture

Diseases

Please see the disease guide. For urgent advice, please visit the Seahorse.org Emergency Forum

Gallery

Female

Female

Female

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Compatability

Please see compatiablity guide.

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Reproduction

H. barbouri fry are demersal (commonly also referred to as benthic). This means that the fry hitch from birth. H. barbouri fry are capable of eating live baby brine shrimp from birth.

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Local Ecology

Distribution

Which oceans and reefs it is found.

Habitat

Where it is found on the natural reefs, the reef zone.

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Additional Information

Known Synonyms: H. aimei (arnei) (Roulé, 1916)

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Resources

• Hippocampus barbouri - Fishbase
• Seahorse.org

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References