Seahorse Coloration

[TheZ]

From reading on this forum I was under the impression that basically, any seahorse could change their coloration based on mood, environment, health, etc..., but I've just been looking over a couple CB Seahorse websites that sell "colored" or "oddball" colorations for much much more than the "black" or "regular/plain" horses. In one case, all the seahorses sold are erectus - on the other site, the species of horse isn't even mentioned (but they charge the most).

Is this false advertising? Or, can/do some individual seahorses actually trend towards a stable color or pattern?


Another question: What if 2 "super colored" horses bred? Would the offspring all be "regular", or would a higher percentage of them exhibit brighter colors/patterns?

Just curious, thanks for the help.

 

[rayjay]

Don't buy seahorses for colour. They almost always change once you get them in your tank.

 

[WaGuy82]

Seahorses are known to change color. However, different strains and different lines of the same species of seahorses can possess the genes for different ranges of color.

When a seahorse is sold at a particular color, what you're paying for isn't a guarantee that a seahorse will stay that particular color, but the knowledge that the seahorses has the ability to change to that color.