Of course captive bred/tank raised (though not entirely the same thing)!
The entire Hippocampus genus went on the CITES Red List for Threatened status some time ago, but H. zosterae is actually listed only by association. There is currently not enough research information available for the fish to completely justify its listing on the Red List, though I imagine this will change as the fishery in the Florida Keys and the Caribbean is examined, as well as the life history and biology of these fish. They may actually be in a worse state than is believed because of the changing ecosystem in the Florida Keys due to nutrient problems and flushing of the Everglades system. Siltification in the Keys is particularly becoming a problem and species of algae, though not believed to be invasive, are growing in areas never previously seen. Since these issues impact zosterae's habitat it could be a further complication in their population's stability. I wanted the small group to start with for a research project actually. I know from the National Aquarium in Baltimore that this species is terribly prolific given ample WQ and food resources and I would like to see if there is a potential for farming these as is currently being done with clownfish and, on a much smaller scale, Banggai cardinalfish. Its a bit of a double edged sword, but it doesnt look like the aquarium trade's interest in the Hippocampus fishes is going to go away, so it may be worthwhile to look into how we can replace the wild caught sources.
Unfortunately it doesnt seem that most hobbyists have any luck in raising this species, and I still havent been able to find a private source for them. There are quite a few commercial sources, but, unfortunately, are all wild caught.
If anyone is reading and wants more info on the CITES regulations/status of any fish you can try this as a starting point..
http://www.redlist.org.. and H. zosterae at
http://www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=10089
Thanks for posting Ryan, I guess its a good idea to make sure everyone realizes these sorts of things.
