All fish / Syngnathidae

Japanese seahorse

Hippocampus mohnikei

Also known as japanese dwarf seahorse, mohnike's seahorse, lemeer seahorse, bullneck seahorse, mohnikei seahorse, ม้าน้ำแคระ, kuda laut, サンゴタツ, 日本海马, 莫氏海马

A small seahorse with a short snout, low coronet and a stocky neck, usually brown, black or mottled with paler markings. It lives in shallow seagrass beds and estuaries, often in cooler water than tropical species, and is kept by keepers who want a compact seahorse for a dedicated species tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

18 to 26 °C

pH

8 to 8.4

Smallest tank

60 litres

Keep as

Pair or small group of the same species

Diet

Carnivore: live or enriched frozen mysis, copepods, amphipods and newly hatched or enriched brine shrimp

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

1 to 3 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Pacific: Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines

Breeding

As with all seahorses, the female puts her eggs into the male's brood pouch, and he later gives birth to fully formed young. Pairs breed fairly readily in captivity, but raising the tiny fry means supplying copepods and enriched rotifers or brine shrimp, so it takes some work.

Good to know

All Hippocampus species are listed on CITES Appendix II and H. mohnikei is assessed as Vulnerable, so buy captive-bred stock. Keep it only with slow, peaceful tankmates, because faster fish will outcompete it for food.