Seahorse Breathing Question - 2008/06/02 06:04I'm new to seahorse keeping and have a bio-cube setup with a female "spiny seahorse",or that's what i was told she was, and i wanted to know what the normal breathing rate is for seahorses. Sometimes she breathes slow and other times she breathes quickly. Also where can i get a male spiny seahorse? Thanks Grant
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Your spiny seahorse is probably Hippocampus barbouri, a species which is commonly known as the prickly or spiny seahorse, zebra-snout seahorse, or simply as "barbs," for short. All seahorse keepers are familiar with these thorny beauties. They are the pretty, prickly, tropical seahorses we all used to know and love as Hippocampus histrix until the histrix complex was revised and taxonomists officially changed their name to H. barbouri (Abbott, 2003). They are readily identified by their sharp, very well developed spines, their prominent five-pointed crown, and their boldly striped snouts (Abbott, 2003). The latter is one of their most attractive features and is responsible for one of their common names -- the zebra-snout seahorse. Cultured specimens range from pale yellow to a brilliant red-orange, often further adorned with reddish brown spots and lines.
There is no easy answer to your question regarding the normal breathing rate of seahorses, Grant. Their respiration rate varies according to the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the aquarium, the water temperature, their metabolic rate, their activity level, and their emotional state.
Unlike human beings, which are homeothermic and maintain homeostasis at all times, seahorses are of course cold-blooded creatures, so their metabolic rate is determined largely by the water temperature. The warmer the water temperature, the higher their metabolism and the greater their oxygen demand becomes, and their breathing rate goes up according. At lower water temperatures, the seahorse's metabolism and oxygen demand are reduced, and their breathing rate slows.
The level of oxygen in the atmosphere that we breathe is quite stable and constant, but that's not the case with the level of oxygen in an aquarium. For example, the warmer the aquarium water is, the less dissolved oxygen it can hold, and the higher the salinity of the aquarium water, the less dissolved oxygen it can hold. So the amount of oxygen in the water varies with the aquarium temperature and specific gravity.
Likewise, the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in an aquarium varies from day to night due to the photosynthesis performed by macroalgae and zooanthellae. When the aquarium reflector is on, providing plenty of light, the algae and plants in the aquarium take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. As a result, the pH of the water and the dissolved oxygen levels rise throughout the day, while the level of dissolved carbon dioxide drops.
On the other hand, during the night when the aquarium light is turned off and no photosynthesis takes place, the plants will begin to take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. This has exactly the opposite effect -- the pH of the aquarium water and the level of dissolved oxygen drop at night, while the amount of dissolved carbon dioxide rises. This can occasionally become a problem in a small, poorly circulated, closed-system aquarium that is very heavily planted if the oxygen levels drop so much during the night and the carbon dioxide levels rise so high that the seahorses have difficulty breathing and getting enough oxygen.
So in an aquarium where they dissolved oxygen levels are low and/or the carbon dioxide levels are high, seahorses will exhibit very rapid respiration. They will often be pale in coloration and perch near the surface of the aquarium, often with their heads directly in the outflow from the filter, where the oxygen levels are highest.
Seahorse setups are often more susceptible to such problems because hobbyists are so conscious of their seahorses' limited swimming ability that they tend to leave their aquariums undercirculated. Poor circulation and inadequate surface agitation can lead to inefficient oxygenation and insufficient offgassing of carbon dioxide, aggravating the situation.
Seahorses are more vulnerable to the low O2/high CO2 levels than most fishes because of their primitive gills. Unlike most teleost (bony) fishes, which have their gills arranged in sheaves like the pages of a book, seahorses have rudimentary gill arches with small powder-puff type gill filaments. Seahorses are said to have "tufted" gills because they appear to be hemispherical clumps of tissue on stems. Their unique, lobed gill filaments (lophobranchs) are arranged in grape-like clusters and have fewer lamellae than other teleost fishes. Because of the difference in the structure and efficiency of their gills, seahorses are thus especially vulnerable to low oxygen levels and asphyxia.
Warm water temperatures exacerbate such problems in the aquarium. Elevated water temperatures increase the metabolism of seahorses, and therefore their consumption of oxygen, at the same time that the rise in temperature is reducing the amount of dissolved oxygen the water can hold. That double whammy creates a dangerous situation for seahorses and may well result in respiratory distress and rapid, labored breathing.
For best results with your seahorses, Grant, strive to maintain stable water conditions in your Biocube within the following aquarium parameters at all times:
Provide good surface agitation and aeration in order to promote better oxygenation and facilitate better gas exchange at the air/water interface.
Your seahorses' respiration rate may increase naturally when they are feeding, actively courting, being handled, or excited in general, and then return to their normal resting respiratory rate afterwards, Grant. That's natural and nothing to be concerned about. Symptoms of respiratory distress are ordinarily pretty obvious and you should have no trouble determining when your seahorse is laboring or struggling to breathe.
For example, seahorses that are stressed or suffering from gill disease or parasites that attack the gills will exhibit rapid respiration, labored breathing, huffing, panting, yawning or coughing behavior, and other indications of respiratory distress. So familiarize yourself with your seahorse's normal respiration rate when they are comfortable and healthy, which will vary somewhat with water temperature and their activity level or degree of arousal/excitement as we have been discussing, and any subsequent changes in their normal breathing pattern can alert you to a possible problem.
Ocean Rider markets a strain of captive-bred-and-raised Hippocampus barbouri under the trade name of Spikeys, Grant, but they are currently out of stock. You might try Oceans, Reefs and Aquariums (ORA) to see if they have a male zebra-snout seahorse (H. barbouri) available, sir. Otherwise, keep a close eye out wherever you obtained the female to see if a male may become available through them.
Best of luck with your spiny seahorse, Grant!
Respectfully, Pete Giwojna
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BigGrantman
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Re:Seahorse Breathing Question - 2008/06/03 05:47Thanks for the info and the examples. I think that I would notice it when she would feed. Also I have a picture to confirm her Species,Genus. How do I attach it? I looked up the name and it doesn't look like her. She has almost tenticals coming off of her. Is she Hipp. erectus? Thanks Grant
Post edited by: BigGrantman, at: 2008/06/03 05:51
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Here are John's instructions explaining how to post a picture on this forum:
<Open quote> 1st you have to host it somewhere like photobucket or in my case AOLmyspace but you must make it small as the board will only take a small photo.
You click on the orange Img tag in the reply window and add your address of the hosted PIC etc.. Wherever.com newseahorse.jpg
Make sure to hit the close all tags tab after you are finished and then preview your post to see if it worked that way you can keep trying till you get it right without posting.
An image resize tool is very helpful.
For a larger image you could add a link with URL tab to the hosted photo. In some cases it will not work for all people but will for others it will (I never understood that) prob an AOL issue in my case!
HTH,
John <end quote>
Best of luck with your new seahorse, Grant! If your spiny seahorse is indeed Hippocampus barbouri, it should be evident from the photographs. Try to include a picture that shows the crownlike coronet on the top of the seahorse's head clearly.
Happy Trails! Pete Giwojna
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That's a very pretty pony and the fancy fronds that adorn its head and back really give it a fancy appearance.
Those hair-like tentacles on the head and neck are known as dermal cirri, and are an attractive adornment possessed by certain seahorses. Dermal cirri are fleshy tabs or branching outgrowths of the skin that serve to break up the seahorse's outline and allow it blend into its weedy habitat all the better, a sort of natural camouflage. Unlike spines, cirri are not permanent structures in most cases. Up to a certain age at least, seahorses appear to be capable of growing or shedding these fleshy filaments as the occasion demands in order to better suit their surroundings. For example, specimens that are rafting in clumps of Sargassum are apt to have well-developed cirri, giving them an appropriately shaggy appearance, while a seahorse inhabiting the mudflats of an estuary will be smooth skinned. Cirri grow most commonly on the head and neck region and are more common in juveniles than adults.
The presence of cirri is a highly variable trait and some species never have them. They are very rare or nonexistent in many seahorses, while in other species they are relatively common. For example, Hippocampus comes and H. reidi are smooth-bodied seahorses that never seem to develop cirri (Giwojna, Oct. 2003). Consider them cue balls -- the Kojaks of seahorses. On the other hand, Hippocampus guttulatus are famous for their cirri and many Pot-Bellies (H. abdominalis/H. bleekeri) also sport fancy headdresses (Giwojna, Oct. 2003).
But even in seahorses where cirri are not uncommon, such as Hippocampus zosterae and H. erectus, the occurrence of cirri varies greatly from individual to individual (Giwojna, Oct. 2003). Most dwarf seahorses have no cirri, but some of them are regular little fuzz balls. That's the case with Hippocampus erectus as well. Most Lined Seahorses (H. erectus) lack these appendages altogether, some have just a few, and the individuals with really extravagant cirri are relatively rare (Giwojna, Oct. 2003).
It's a shame seahorses with well-developed cirri aren't more commonplace because they can be quite breathtaking. A heavy growth of cirri can transform an ordinary specimen into a real show horse, making them appear as if they were adorned with a fancy mane or wearing an Indian war bonnet. A seahorse with extravagant, well-developed cirri can indeed be very exotic looking, but sometimes it has the opposite effect, lending them a comical appearance instead (Giwojna, Oct. 2003). I've seen shaggy specimens that looked like they were having a bad hair day, sporting a Mohawk or spike hairdo (Giwojna, Oct. 2003). Voila -- a punk-rock pony, going through its rebellious teenage phase! Either way, they dress up the seahorses and give them a little extra pizzazz, and that's what makes seahorse keeping so much fun!
Unfortunately, in this case, the heavy growth of cirri on the head of your seahorse obscures the coronet and make it difficult to identify with any certainty. I agree that it does not appear to be Hippocampus barbouri -- the snout is not striped and it lacks the sharp spines that are so characteristic of this species. Neither is it H. reidi, H. kuda, H. comes, H. ingens or H. kelloggi.
The seahorse has the robust, deep-chested body of Hippocampus erectus, and erectus is one of the species that sometimes developed extravagant cirri, but it lacks the lined coloration pattern that is so characteristic of H. erectus. It's not uncommon for the lined pattern to be obscured or difficult to detect on some specimens of H. erectus, though, so we can't rule out that identification.
I might be inclined to think it was a specimen of H. guttulatus, which are so well known for their beautiful cirri, but we never see that species on this side of the pond.
I'm sorry to say that I can't identify the seahorse from your picture with any degree of certainty. I believe the dealer you got the seahorse from called it a "spiny seahorse" because of its well-developed cirri, and not because of its spiny exoskeleton, which is why common names are very often misleading and useless for purposes of identification.
In any case, it's a very beautiful seahorse and I would suggest trying to obtain another specimen of the same kind from the same source where you got this pony.
Best of luck with your new seahorse, Grant!
Respectfully, Pete Giwojna
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