Summary
The seahorse is the most fascinating fish that exists, such an oddity that many people believe that the seahorse is a mythical creature. The seahorse it seems is a combination of animals, it has the head of a horse, a tail like a monkey, a kangaroo's pouch, independently moving eyes like a lizard and the ability to change colour which would turn a chameleon green with envy.
Many of the earlier biologists were so confused with the seahorse that they called it Hippocampus (hippos meaning horse and kampos meaning monster). It is estimated that there are approximately 35 species of seahorse found in both tropical and temperate areas worldwide. All of these species are listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals as endangered. It is estimated that in excess of 42 million seahorses are sold each year to the Traditional Chinese Medicine market. This demand, coupled with destruction of habitat has resulted in the seahorse being in the perilous position that it is in today.
Seahorses complete the confusion by virtue of the fact that it is the male that gives birth. Indeed, they are the only animals in the world where the male is responsible for giving birth to the juveniles. Seahorses are monogamous; during their life they will have only one mate, another fact, which is unique amongst most fish species.
Recirculation system:
Seahorse Ireland employs the use of re-circulating technology at their facility to ensure a stable environment with optimum water quality. An aquaculture recirculation system reuses the same water continuously by passing it through a series of filters, which are mechanical, biological and chemical. Each recirculation system is topped up with approximately 5% of new water each day to counteract water loss through siphoning and cleaning.
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