Seahorses Sick

[chandler]

Hi all,

I've been keeping 3 H. Comes for the past 1 year and they had been eating frozen mysis. Recently, one by one, they started to miss their mysis when they tried to eat. As you know, seahorses snick or suck the food into their snout, but now they cant snick. I've used melafix for about 14 days already, and 1 recovered. The remaining 2 still cant snick and I have to hand feed them by placing a mysis into their mouth and then they can suck the mysis in. Anyone enocuntered this and are there any cures?

thks

[real]

hi chandler, welcome and glad to know you are an experienced SH hobbyist.

I have not good at SH diseases, but just to share some thoughts. I have not encountered or read about such problem. It sounds like your SH has vision problem, ie. they still have appetite but cannot aim/see properly.

I read that Melafix may cause SH to have breathing difficulty (hence panting), did you observe such problem?

maybe acedophin can help... he has more experience in curing SH.

[chandler]

Thanks Real. I've read about this sickness (maybe at seahorse.org) that it is due to some parasites travelling up the snouts and eating the tissues inside the mouths slowly. I really hope this is not the case. I could only pin point the cause to accidentally dropping a cube of thawed mysis into the tank and didnt remove it, causing the water conditions to worsen, thus stressed --> sick.

Melafix was added 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons continuously for 7 days, then changed 1/3 water and repeated for another 7 days. I observed some breathing difficulties but it was not very alarming, so I guess Melafix is still ok. But I've stopped medication already, my horses now learn to eat this way, but it is a real tricky business to feed them in this way...

[real]

this is interesting observation and valuable info sharing. But one cube of mysis shoudn't be that bad, isn't it? I always feed 2 cubes each in morning and night, but I rinse with tap water first.

you must be damn patient to feed them bit by bit

[acedophin]

Hello,

That's a rather new sickness I have come across so far, anyway how big is your seahorse at the monent? You mention that you had them for about a year. Are there any sign like white spot growing around body? What about the eyes? Any sign of popping out? I am rather worried that prolong staple food like frozen mysis alone is not a balance diet. I read somewhere in the net that fatty liver is the main cause of sudden death in SH which solely feed on frozen mysis.

[ong]

Eating tissues Parasites are very common sickness in SH world. I lost a few SH becos' of this bloody problem. Since than I had made a few water change and installed a UV filter and so far so good, able to stop the speading. As for the food, all my frozen food are enriched with Selcon before feeding since a mth. back, hope this will boost up them immu. system again paraites.

[acedophin]

Hi Ong,

Flesh eating bacterial is curable with Triple Sulfa. Most prominent sign is sores at the body itself (like an ulcer) with white patch. For snout rot, most started with white tip on the snout and suddenly, a third of its snout is gone. Anyway, wild caught SH are like time bomb. Can spread disease like wild fire to the rest of the SH.

[ong]

I still got one Female SH got it but seem the 'ulcer' start recovering by itself. Just incase, will appreciate if you can advise where to purchase and the price of Triple Sulfa. As for the snout rot, the speading is readi fast. This usually happen to pink tip SH.

Cheers....

[acedophin]

Hello Ong,

It will cost about US$50 to buy. US$30 for shipping and US$19.99(100pill). Crazy right. Freight cost more than the cost of product itself. Anyway the crazy 'me', have some to spare. :D

[ong]

Hi acedophin,

Crazy? No, me too brought a can of grade A brine shrimp egg from US for 60+....... also other some other coral food, freight charges cost is much much higher that the product!!!!......

That great for your offer , may be we can meet up when your phyto are ready?

[chandler]

Got no choice but to feed them bit by bit, else so gek sim to see them get skinny day by day.

I've not noticed any pop eye, whitespots etc. They have been living happily and spawning quite frequently. Just cant get the babies to grow up. Hopefully they will pull through...