Possible silly question about seahorse colour

[Moort82]

Just wondering if the colouration of seahorses like erectus is to aid camouflage why do they turn yellow or bright colours in aquaria and is this a natural phenomenon.
We have some Wild giant reidi and two are the brightest orange you could see and the other two are a nice yellow. I know colour isn't set and they will change but why those colours, what are the blending in with?

TIA

 

[mtc1966]

no silly ?'s It is a a natural phenomenon. however the exact reasons are some what unknown part camouflage but also mood health stress in males breeding are all things said to trigger changes. this is why you should never buy a horse based on color .

 

[Moort82]

I never would buy for the colour as i understand they change depending on mood and health. These were much less vibrant when they came in but since we've got them feeding on frozen and in breeding condition, they have really shone.
A few of the little reidi were really black for a long time as babies. As soon as we grew them on and added them to their parents, the change in colour was pretty quick. They are now a really nice yellow colour like mum and dad.

Your reply triggered a synapse. I'm sure i've read something about it being due to their natural diet in the wild. So i wonder if we are unwittingly recreating this in captivity?

 

[mtc1966]

which raises the question are you feeding something other then frozen mysis? what brand?

 

[Moort82]

They get a mixture of mysis. PE is the preferred brand but we've had a lot of problems getting it over here of late as shipping from the States has been stopped. Think it now comes from Holland, using the European loop hole.
So when we can't get that we have to use RS mysis which is no where near as good ime or some of the mass produced but much smaller/poorer quality blister packed brands which you probably don't have over there.
It gets mixed with brine shrimp very ocassionally which i understand acts like prunes in humans, plus the odd piece of cyclopeeze which is more for the pipefish and the odd treat of feeder shrimp which have been enriched (although we don't like to feed very much live food as they take frozen so well and don't want to cause issues).

 

[mtc1966]

i just switched to pe myself the difference is night and day from what i was using . i also give occasional live adult brine just as a treat . so they can hunt. and small feeder shrimp when i can

 

[Moort82]

Sounds a very similar diet then. How have yours coloured up?

 

[btreyes]

I think the yellow colors are to blend in with areas with lots of sponges and sometimes, especially with reidi, corals. I also think that yellow gives ones in seagrasses an advantage and they probably blend in a little being a similar shade as the bright greens of shoal grasses. I've also seen shoal grasses that have yellow stalks and leaves. There might be certain predators that can only see so many colors and yellow and green might look very similar, especially since light attenuates with depth (things start losing reds, oranges, and yellows, etc with depth).

P.S. Can you please post pictures of your reidis?

 

[mtc1966]

Sounds a very similar diet then. How have yours coloured up?

I have 4 erectus each arrived black and have all changed . they ahve lightened up some almost white and black others more towards yellow with nice marking . but non of the bright colors you see on some seahorses. I just moved them all into a bigger tank with new surroundings and their colors have not changed.

 

[Moort82]

Ok here's a couple of recentish snaps as requested

these yellows are from a little while ago when they first arrived and they are much brighter now

and this is how the erectus have gone, from black to a beautiful golden, i'm guessing its the same as yours?

 

[mtc1966]

yes mine a similar to the last pic. your seahorses are incredible. i would love to have those colors in my tank. very impressive. what kind of macro are the yellows hanging on? looks like a cluster of mermaids fan

 

[Moort82]

Thanks

the macro is mermaids fan bought it as a halimeda species. It grows really well but occassionally crashes if not pruned heavily. Reaches a foot across and more high if its left.

 

[mtc1966]

I dont seem to have much luck with halimeda just when they start sprouting new parts mine seem to turn white over night. and i do not have any sps competing for calcium .

 

[btreyes]

Wow, your seahorses are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen!

 

[Moort82]

Thanks we're proud of them.

 

[kudagirl]

Hi Moort82,
What lovely sh i have 3 black/white and 3a darkgolden colour, hope my black change ro one like yours.
Sue