Spotlight on Kirin

I’m returning to the old blogging schedule, which means that Tuesday is…tank day. And I’m kicking it off with a spotlight post about each of the seahorses. First up…Kirin. Ironically, Kirin arrived as one of the weakest of my current seahorse crew. She had with a wonky tail (most likely pinched in shipping from the breeder) and had to be hospitalized (in a separate hospital tank I keep for this purpose) almost immediately upon arrival. She was also the seahorse with the most cirri–the little projections that rise from the seahorse’s spine and crest–and the only one of the group to keep them into adulthood. In the

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Dominance on the Reef

As a rule, seahorses are fairly peaceful creatures. In my tank, Kirin has established herself as the dominant female–and the dominant seahorse–in the group. While generally peaceful, she’s not above wrestling, or grabbing heads, if someone gets out of line or happens to hitch to a coral she wants to hitch on. After considering this for a moment, Kirin swam up and hitched to Rygel’s tail. Rygel didn’t struggle, and didn’t seem too bothered by Kirin’s aggression. She simply waited until Kirin finished eating (at which point, Kirin released Rygel and swam away) and then moved back up to the bowl and

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Baby Seahorses on the Reef

Those who follow my Facebook Page already know, but in mid-December I bought some new baby seahorses to join my bachelor male, Ghillie, on the reef. The babies arrived two weeks before Christmas. One had a little trouble with the end of his tail (he couldn’t use it properly) After 14 days in the hospital, the two strongest babies were ready to enter the reef… The babies met Ghillie a few hours later–he was afraid of them at first, but quickly realized they didn’t mean him any harm. He even showed them how to use a feeding bowl: The other

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