Tiny Tails: Raising Seahorses at Birch Aquarium

Raising baby seahorses is no easy feat! But thanks to the incredible efforts of the seahorse care team, Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego welcomes thousands of baby seahorses each year. From monitoring seahorse feeding patterns, adjusting water flow, keeping habitats clean and more, discover what it takes to care for seahorses.

Miniature Marvels

One of the fascinating things about seahorses is that they resemble miniature versions of themselves at every life stage. Behind the scenes, the aquarium’s seahorse care room is home to numerous nurseries containing seahorses at various life stages, from just hatched to a few months old.

The first few months are the hardest when raising baby seahorses, or “fry.” During this period, they're particularly delicate, not the strongest swimmers, and, like most other newborns, they eat a lot! Also, the needs of newborn seahorses vary across species. Some seahorses grow at different rates, some prefer certain foods while others have varying habitat preferences. Our seahorse care team meticulously monitors each individual to ensure their wellbeing.

Just Keep Swimming

Since baby seahorses are not the strongest swimmers, they spend their first few weeks in small circular habitats. This unique design promotes a constant circular water flow, keeping them suspended in the middle of the water column, which helps strengthen their swimming muscles.  The shape of these habitats also ensures that their food is evenly distributed.

At Birch Aquarium we’re not only raising seahorses, we’re also growing their food. During the first few weeks, these little ones depend on a diet of tiny plankton – like copepods and brine shrimp – about the size of a grain of sand! As the seahorses grow, the team will slowly introduce them to larger foods like mysis shrimp.

A Legacy of Seahorse Care

For more than 25 years, Birch Aquarium has been at the forefront of seahorse care and conservation efforts, thanks to our dedicated team working tirelessly seven days a week to provide the best quality care.

Today, the aquarium houses seven species of seahorses: Lined, Spotted, Dwarf, White’s, Potbelly, Barbour, and the Long-snout Seahorse. Notably, two species –  Lined and Potbelly – are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan (SSP) programs. SSPs carefully manage species breeding to maintain genetic diversity within zoo and aquarium populations, ensuring their health and sustainability.

Over the years, the aquarium has shared thousands of seahorses with more than 100 accredited institutions to help promote seahorse conservation. These efforts help enhance the genetic diversity of seahorses in aquariums and play a crucial role in safeguarding their wild counterparts!