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I have a small 20 gallon short tank that I was thinking about setting up for some Zulu-lulus. Is this shorter tank okay or should I use a taller tank? What is the best kind of hitching posts that you recommend? If I use brightly colored hitching posts will I be able to see my Zulu-lulus in a yellow or orange phase? Is there anything else that I should do to keep them happy and colorful?
The short 20 gallon tank will be just fine, in fact many hobbyist report that the Zulu-lulus seem to do better in tanks that are not so tall. This is probably because, unlike the larger breeds of seahorses which are more oriented to swimming vertically (up and down), the H. capensis seems to be more horizontally oriented preferring the substrate more than other breeds. We also notice that here on the farm they really love to hang out in clumps of macro-algae such as the thicker Hawaiian Ogo (gracilarius sp) whereas the larger breeds are not interested in it all after they are a few months old. This is probably due to not only their smaller size but to the fact that in their natural habitat they find the best camouflage in low growing algae’s and corals common to the area off South Africa where they originate from. Many of the larger breeds are found in areas with very tall sea grass beds and taller corals so this is part of the reason for the difference in behavior between the two. This behavior has something to do with the way they eat as well. We see that the H.capensis eat very very easily off the bottom… hence the tendency to “hang out” in the substrate where as many of the large breeds… especially the larger and older males… like to sit up higher on their hitching posts in hope that the food will flow past them so they can eat as they remain perched on top of the world looking at their empire!! One could say they are “lazy” compared to the Zulu-lulus which seem to do a bit more swimming and searching for their food! As far as color… take a look at this photo from Leslie Leddo! It is another beauty! We have seen the many extraordinary seahorse photos by Leslies published in FAMA over the years and we all know she is an expert at bringing out the most extraordinary colors in seahorses and here you can see she has done it again! This male Zulu-lulus is absolutely stunning!! I would suggest definitely using as many colored hitching posts as possible to bring out these colors. But hitching posts alone will not do the trick . It is equally important to remember to manage your tank properly, keep excellent water quality and to feed only the best to your seahorses avoiding live artemia, guppies and other foods that are not high in the long chain fatty acids or vitamins and minerals. The best seahorse diet that I know of remains the frozen mysis with Vibrance and occasional live treat of those fancy red Hawaiian shrimp! This will surely keep them healthy, happy and colorful! |
