Fire Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)
larvae
juvenile |
Ornamental fish and shrimp
populations around the world are declining due to habitat loss and
overexploitation. Coral bleaching, destructive fishing practices,
prop damage due to commercial and recreational boats, as well as pollution
run-off are responsible for significant loss of coral reef and seagrass
habitats needed to sustain healthy populations of fishes. In
addition, the popularity of coral
reef animals in the aquarium trade has increased in recent years, putting added pressure on natural populations. One way to
alleviate fishing pressure is to culture these animals in captivity and offer them to
hobbyist as alternatives to wild caught organisms.
However, successful culture of these species is limited by inadequate rearing
systems and a lack of prey items that are both nutritionally sufficient
and of the appropriate size. Currently, our lab is working on the
development of suitable environments and the use of alternative prey items to maximize spawning and larval
rearing. (For more information, see
our web page on Nutrition and Feeding.)
Our lab has successfully spawned
ten reef species
and reared the larvae of five including the fire shrimp (Lysmata debelius), peppermint shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni), cubbyu (Equetus umbrosus),
jacknife (Equetus lanceolatus), and comet (Calloplesiops altivelis).
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Fish and Shrimp spawned and raised at UTMSI |
Comet (Calloplesiops altivelis)
Video Clip of Comet Displaying
one day after hatching
twelve days after hatching
forty-three days after hatching |
Jacknife juvenile (Equetus lanceolatus)
Adult peppermint shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni)
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Seahorses are one family of fishes which
are experiencing considerable population declines due to both habitat loss and
overexploitation. Estimates for the decline in seahorse populations
have been as high as 50 to 70% in the last decade. Wild seahorses
are collected for aquariums, as souvenirs, and for use in traditional
medicines in China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and the
Philippines. Due to their short life span, need for a continuous
supply of live food, and susceptibility to disease, they must be replaced
in aquarium collections frequently. Because of these challenges,
they are a poor choice for home aquarists and we recommend that only
individuals who can meet their nutritional and habitat requirements
attempt to keep seahorses.
Currently, we are collaborating with the Texas State Aquarium to increase survivorship of seahorse young being bred there. These efforts will increase our knowledge of seahorse reproduction as well as the nutritional and habitat requirements of the young. Such information will benefit ecologists in their efforts to understand seahorse population dynamics and aide public aquariums in the rearing of seahorses for display. We have worked on rearing both the lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) and the pot-belly seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis). The lined seahorse on the left was bred at the Texas State Aquarium and reared in our lab. Because of his burnt orange coloration, we have named him Big Tex. |
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Check out Project Seahorse for more information on these amazing animals and world-wide efforts being made on their behalf. |
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