Alex Cliffe - Senior Aquarist
What does your job entail?
As Senior Aquarist my responsibilities include; maintaining the tanks, food preparation and monitoring water quality by testing the water and the filtration system.
Within your duties what is your main speciality?
Having looked after marine life for 10 years, my main responsibility here at ZSL London zoo is are the seahorses and in particular their conservation. As well as looking after the seahorses in the aquarium, I also coordinate the seahorse conservation programme.
How do you keep the seahorses here at London Zoo so healthy?
Seahorses are notoriously difficult to keep in captivity as they require strict water conditions and also have demanding dietary needs. Seahorses are a high maintenance species as they require 4 to 5 feeds a day (including a live feed) and have to live in very specific sex ratios. If for example there are too many males, this will lead to aggressive behaviour. The dietary needs of the seahorse are so important that detailed diet profiles have to be completed to ensure that the seahorse is receiving a diet that mirrors their natural diet in the wild. Furthermore, seahorses don’t have a stomach which means that their food travels at a greater speed through their system resulting in the need for multiple feeds.
How many species of seahorse are there?
There are 35 species of seahorse in the world, 2 of which can be found off the coast of the United Kingdom. Our native species are the Spiny (Hippocampus guttulatus) and The Short Snouted (Hippocampus hippocampus).
How big are seahorses?
The smallest seahorse is the recently discovered, Hippocampus Denise which is about 1cm long and the largest species of seahorse the large Australian big-bellied seahorse can grow up to 10inches!
Is it true that seahorses mate for life?
Generally speaking this is correct. However male seahorses have been known to accept other female’s eggs for fertilisation. The gestation period lasts approximately 12-14 days and the male seahorse will give birth to live young. Female seahorses can produce up to 1500 eggs.
How are you involved in the protection of these seahorses?
Since 2005, seahorses have been protected by the law; therefore it is now illegal to bring seahorses into the country without the necessary paperwork. At London Zoo, I am the primary contact for the seahorse confiscation programme. If therefore a seahorse enters the country customs will contact me and I will bring the confiscated seahorse to ZSL London zoo where they will undertake a six month period of quarantine before being sent out to other zoos.
Why is it such a problem for seahorses to be imported?
Seahorses have now been listed as an endangered species as they are highly sought after in the exotic pet trade due to their beauty. This combined with the fact that they are very easy to catch has meant that the numbers in the wild have dramatically declined.
Has the raising of awareness of the fragility of the seahorse had any noticeable results?
Over the past year or so, the number of seahorse seizures has dropped dramatically as people have become more aware of the very strict regulations that govern the importation of this species. Furthermore the seahorse programme works in partnership with local fishermen to reduce the fishing of these animals.