Increasing live food visibility for juvenile seahorses, Hippocampus kuda with colorants

Abstract

The study attempts to mcrease live food visibility for juvenile seahorses, Hippocampus kuda with edible non-toxic colorants by manipulating the prey and tank background colour. Effects of four different colours of dyed Artemia prey - red Ponceau 4R, brilliant blue, apple green and clear, nonnal Artemia - against three background colours: white, black and clear tanks, towards prey ingestion were determined. There were two experiments involved in this study: Experiment A, testing on the effects of mixed prey colours against three background colours towards H. kuda juvenile seahorses from 1 to almost 3 months old. Red prey colour was significantly more consumed (p<0.05) than clear Artemia in all tank backgrounds. There were no significant effects (p>0.05) of background colour toward prey ingestion. Experiment B was to test the effects of one prey colour against three backgrounds colours. No significant differences (p>0.05) were found between coloured prey ingestion in all background colours and in between background colours with respect to one prey colour (p>0.05). Two-way ANOV A tests also recorded no significant interaction (p>0.05) between prey colour and background colour. Prey colour preference sequence by H. kuda according to percentage of prey ingestion in experiment A was red > blue > green > clear while experiment B sequence was red > green > blue > clear.