Artificial sargassum

Dear Sally:

Yes, Bio Models certainly use to be a by far the best place to get artificial marine plant replicas, and that was the outfit all of the public aquariums and zoos used for that purpose. See the following link:

https://biomodelscompany.com/

Perhaps they did not survive the latest recession; I don’t know since I have not done any business with them recently.

I I also use to really like the SeaGarden Series by Aquarium Systems (i.e., their “Fancy Plants” line) because they are very lifelike and move naturally in the water currents. The seahorses can’t seem to tell the difference between them and the real thing, and the synthetic plants are very easy to maintain (just rinse them under warm running water before installation and periodically for cleaning).

They used to sell two types of artificial Sargassum which I liked because Hippocampus erectus is often associated with Sargassum in the wild and is famous for its rafting ability on mats of these plants. So it’s a natural biotype for erectus, and of course the Sargassum grows nice and tall. I used to order Large, Tall, and Extra Large examples of both the Sargassum fluitans (reddish brown in color) and the Sargassum platycarpum (green in coloration) they provided. They ranged in size from 12 to 20+ inches in height and may be very effective exhibit when grouped together, but that was many years ago, and I cannot say if they are still in business either.

Best of luck finding some good artificial Sargassum plants for your exhibits, Sally.

Respectfully,
Pete Giwojna, Ocean Rider Tech Support