Saltwater Fish
Black Seahorse.
A black seahorse is a slow, mesmerizing fish that anchors its tail to hitching posts and sips tiny foods all day. Seahorses need a calm, specialized species tank with gentle flow and frequent feedings — best for a dedicated keeper. Call or stop by to ask about current care details and what's in the tank this week.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 7.5"
- Min tank size
- 30 gallons
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Scientific name
- Hippocampus sp.
Good tank mates
Seahorses are slow, gentle feeders best kept in a dedicated species tank or with very calm, slow tankmates, since faster fish outcompete them for food. Avoid clownfish, anemones, aggressive corals, crabs, and any quick or nippy fish that can stress or injure them. Because this is a general black seahorse listing, ask Sea Cave staff which species it is and what specific tankmates suit it before mixing anything in.
Good to know
Seahorses are among the only animals in which the male carries and gives birth to the young, brooding the eggs in a belly pouch until they hatch.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Firefish Goby
Confirmed by seahorse-specific authorities as an excellent seahorse tankmate — a passive planktonivore that hovers near the substrate, does not out-compete seahorses at feeding time, and shows no fin-nipping tendency (fin-nipping warnings in the literature apply to filefish, not firefish). Feed other tankmates first, then target-feed the seahorses.
Banggai Cardinalfish
Slow, deliberate feeder whose calm water-column behavior matches the seahorse's pace. Confirmed compatible across multiple seahorse-specific guides; does not harass or outcompete slow-moving tankmates. Keep in groups of three or more (one male) to prevent intraspecific stress; minimum 30-gallon tank.
Royal Gramma
Seahorse.com, the primary seahorse keeper authority, states Royal Grammas 'do great with seahorses and utterly ignore them.' Territorial bluff-charges (mouth-gaping, darting) are directed at conspecifics or visually similar basslets, not at unrelated slow-moving fish. Keep only one per tank; provide ample caves so territories do not overlap with seahorse hitching spots. Best in tanks 50 gallons or larger.
- Y
Yellowhead Jawfish
Multiple seahorse compatibility lists confirm this species as safe — it anchors itself to a burrow in the sand bed, is non-aggressive toward unrelated fish, and does not compete meaningfully with seahorses in the water column. Requires a 3–5 inch mixed-grade sand bed for burrowing and a tight-fitting lid (known jumper), but poses no compatibility risk to the seahorse itself.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.