Sea Horse...

[bogwood]

Are there freshwater varieties... or marine only?

 

[Fella]

Are there freshwater varieties... or marine only?

Marine only I think, but if you like them, you should check out pipefish from the same family.

 

[Dragonscales]

There are a handful of species that inhabit brackish waters and may well be found in freshwater on occassion but this isn't a longterm habitat for them nor an indication of them being a freshwater fish and as such they shouldn't be kept this way in the home aquarium.

Not too long ago there was alot of debate going around over a seahorse called H. Aimei which was thought to be a freshwater species, however it has since been declared a synonym of H. Barbouri which is definitely not a freshwater species.

In short however, you are best off looking into marine tanks if you are interested in seahorses or researching freshwater pipefish if marine isn't something you are keen on getting into.

 

[onemisterchristian]

Aside from that, from what i've heard, seahorses are ridiculously hard to care for. Extremely sensitive to changing water conditions. They seem to be a lot more work than most of us are accustomed to. Although they are fascinating. And if I were skilled and devoted enough, or even had the time to maintain a setup for them, I would in an instant. Who knows, maybe the marine section will be sing a lot more osf you in the future.

 

[Genesis]

went to the national aquarium in birmingham the other day, they have a breeding programme which you can see and there are about 1600 babies

 

[Dragonscales]

Aside from that, from what i've heard, seahorses are ridiculously hard to care for. Extremely sensitive to changing water conditions. They seem to be a lot more work than most of us are accustomed to. Although they are fascinating. And if I were skilled and devoted enough, or even had the time to maintain a setup for them, I would in an instant. Who knows, maybe the marine section will be sing a lot more osf you in the future.

That is true of wild caught species. In the case of captive bred seahorses however, I would go so far as to say they are no more "hard" to care for than any other marine tank, they just need alot of research and a 100% commiting outlook from their owners. In general the parameters are the same to any other marine tank, the same problems can crop up and we all should be thoroughly researching any fish (and marine keeping basic/intermediate/advanced techniques as we progress) we want to keep regardless. As with anything in life, knowledge is the key to success and with plenty in hand and the will to commit completely then they are more than a viable option to the average marine keeper.

That said however, they should be avoided by the casual fishkeeper who isn't going to invest alot of time researching and/or only wants to toss some food in the tank ever other day while passing the tank on the way to work, etc. Likewise though, this is true of any marine tank really, again emphasising the similarities in amount of "hard work" needed for both aspects of the hobby.