Sea horse
LATIN NAME: HIPPOCAMPUS
COMMON NAME: Sea Horse, Hai Ma
The sea horse is one of the most extraordinary and beloved of the small fishes of the shallow seas, and its horse-like head, its curling tail and its slow, graceful movement have made it a treasure of the coral reefs and the seagrass beds across the warm oceans of the world. It grows as a small, bony fish of the pipefish family, reaching no more than a few inches, with a long, tubular snout, a horse-like head, a segmented, bony body without the scales, a curling, prehensile tail and a crown-like crest on the top of the head, while the male carries the eggs in a brood pouch on his belly until they hatch. It is a creature of the shallow, warm seas, found among the seagrass, the mangroves and the coral reefs, while it has been collected and used in the old traditions of the East for a very long time, and it is known as the sea horse or the hai ma.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The sea horse has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the marine biology and the fisheries science, since the sea horse is one of the most unusual of the shallow-water fishes, and the researchers have examined its biology, its reproduction, its behaviour and its conservation, while the study of the sea horses and their habitats has drawn attention in the international marine and conservation press. The creature has also been studied in the chemistry and the marine natural-products science, since the sea horses have been examined for their constituents and their composition, and the researchers have looked at the proteins and the other compounds, while the study of the marine-derived traditional materials has been of continuing interest, and the creature is best appreciated as a subject of study and a wonder of the shallow seas rather than a casual remedy. The species has also been studied in the history and the ethnopharmacology, since the sea horses have a very long history in the old texts of the East, and the researchers have examined the records and the traditional uses, while the place of the sea horse in the old traditions has been of interest to the historians. For a creature of such grace, the sea horse has a rich and distinguished record of study.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
To grow the Sea Horse from seed, ecologically, the sea horse is a creature of the seagrass beds and the mangrove roots of the shallow, warm seas. Its presence is an indicator of the health of the seagrass and the coral ecosystems, and its loss reflects the damage to these fragile habitats, while the sea horses are a part of the food web of the shallow seas, feeding on the tiny crustaceans and being fed upon by the larger fishes. Its economic value is real and fragile: the sea horse has been collected for the traditional trade and the aquarium trade for a very long time, and the over-collection and the loss of the habitats have made many species vulnerable, while the sustainable breeding in the aquaria and the careful conservation are the only responsible sources of the creature, and the sea horse is a treasure of the shallow seas that deserves the greatest care. To raise the sea horse, keep them in a well-filtered marine aquarium with gentle flow and live rock, and maintain the water clean and stable for the health of these delicate fishes.
keep the young sea horses in a well-filtered marine aquarium with gentle flow and live rock, and maintain the water clean and stable for the health of these delicate fishes.