Virtual Tour of a Seahorse Recirculation System

What do they eat?

1. Seahorse Ireland, as with the majority marine larval culture operations, use Artemia when feeding juveniles.
   
   
2. Artemia are a brine shrimp found in salt lakes and are commercially available worldwide. They are available as cysts, which are then hatched to produce nauplii, which in turn are fed to the juvenile seahorses.
   
   
3. Seahorse Ireland is currently involved in research to investigate the use of alternate forms of live feeds to be used in conjunction with Artemia, or indeed to replace them as a live food diet. This would ensure that the seahorses receive food, which contains the correct balance of nutrients to optimise culture conditions and growth rates.
   
   
4. The seahorses are fed regularly throughout the day. The broodstock receive a mixture of live and frozen food on a daily basis. The juveniles are fed Artemia and an alternate live food.