All fish / Syngnathidae

West Australian seahorse

Hippocampus subelongatus

Also known as tiger snout seahorse, tiger snout, west australian seahorse, western australian seahorse, tigersnout seahorse, tiger-snout seahorse, ウエストオーストラリアンシーホース, 西澳海马, 虎鼻海马

A fairly large seahorse with a long snout often banded or speckled, and a body that ranges from yellow and orange to brown or grey with darker mottling. Captive-bred stock from Australia is sold under the name tiger snout and is valued for its striking snout markings and readiness to take frozen food.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

15 cm

Temperature

16 to 23 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Pair or small group of the same species

Diet

Carnivore: frozen mysis shrimp, enriched live or frozen brine shrimp, small crustaceans fed several times daily

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Southwestern Australia, from about Shark Bay to Albany

Breeding

The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch and releases fully formed young after about three to four weeks. It breeds readily in a cool, calm tank, but raising the fry needs a steady supply of live foods such as rotifers and newly hatched brine shrimp.

Good to know

Listed on CITES Appendix II, so only buy legally traded captive-bred fish; it needs cool water, often a chiller, and should not be kept with fast or nippy tankmates or stinging corals.