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Quality Marine Receives Aquacultured Tiger Tail Seahorses

Pet Age Staff//September 28, 2017//

Quality Marine Receives Aquacultured Tiger Tail Seahorses

Pet Age Staff //September 28, 2017//

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Quality Marine announce the arrival of aquacultured tiger tail seahorses for the first time since 2015. Quality Marine’s partner’s culture facility has supplied the company with other high quality livestock in the past, but has recently expanded to allow for this culture.

The tiger tail seahorse is found in the Indo-Pacific. They commonly inhabit shallow coral reefs. Juveniles are often found in the protection afforded by seagrass beds and macro-algal habitats; while adults are primarily found hiding in the structure of coral reefs during the day and will emerge during the evenings and nights. Their primary food source is zooplankton.

Seahorses have long been considered a sensitive species that needs a more experienced hobbyist; however, aquacultured specimens are more hardy. Like all seahorses, tiger tails have specific aquarium needs: consistent water quality, gentle flow, timid and peaceful tank mates like other seahorses and pipefish, and branchy structure for them to hold onto.

The tiger tail seahorse’s wild populations have been depleted due to habitat degradation, incidental catch and targeted harvest for traditional medicine, as well aquarium collection which has led to them being categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. This listing makes their successfully aquaculture even more important as it reduces pressure on the wild populations, and Quality Marine says it is proud to have them available to its customers again.