BrackishSaltwater
Big-belly seahorse
Hippocampus abdominalis
Syngnathidae, Syngnathinae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 35 cm
- Body shape
- Other
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 1,044 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
More about the species
Description
Found in large rock pools at low tide. They remain motionless amidst seaweed. Juveniles are pelagic or attached to drifting seaweeds. Feed on minute crustaceans (e.g. copepods and amphipods). Nocturnal. Ovoviviparous. The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch which is found under the tail. Seen in groups at night. Also around jetties and other man-made objects; attached to sponges and colonial hydroids in deeper water. Length measurements refer to height (= TL - head length). This is the largest seahorse species in southeastern Australia, and has more dorsal fin rays and tail rings than any other seahorse. Sold locally and internationally for the aquarium trade. Dried and sold to the Oriental medicine trade as a tonic and aphrodisiac.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Hippocampus agnesae
- Hippocampus bleekeri
- Hippocampus graciliformis
In other languages
- Storbuget søhest
- Pullukkamerihevonen
- Big-bellied Seahorse, Bigbelly seahorse, Eastern potbelly seahorse, Pot-bellied seahorse
Articles
All articles
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.
From freshwater to saltwater3 min read
What is different in a saltwater aquarium: salt, refractometer, live rock and corals. An introduction for anyone thinking of giving it a try.