Seahorse Help Needed!

[Hoo-ha-ha]

My seahorse (kuda) 1 of two is laying on its side and breathing heavily. She has been like this for about an hour or so and I am stumped on what is wrong!!! She is eating but not as much as usual... The other kuda is fine and swimming happily around the tank. Any ideas and advice??! Anything would be greatly appreciated!

Ammonia-0
Nitrites- Looks to be at 0
Nitrates- Looks to be at 0
PH- 8.3

Tank:
28 Gallon rimless cube with built in fuge
Skimmer but never run it

 

[BigDaddyStar]

Have you had high temp in the tank? seahorses usually prefer 72 degree water, not sure if its the same with the kudas

Other than that sounds ill...How long have you had them

 

[El Dude]

Hard to tell without seeing it in person. I agree with Paul...check the temp...they like it cooler. Other than that I would try to run the skimmer...aerate the water...then look at it's opercula, maybe it has something lodged somewhere it shouldn't be...what do you feed them?

 

[Hoo-ha-ha]

Well Kudas are part of the tropical group so they like their temperatures decently high lfs told me that 78 would be fine but I will drop it more over time just in case.

I've had the Kudas for only about a week so my experience with ponies is extremely limited so i'm very worried for my little horse.

I will start running the skimmer too aerate as well thanks for that advice didn't even think of it!

Another update. Her spots have become extremely dark, but I don't think she is losing color so im super stumped since color loss is suppose to be the first sign of stress?

Thanks everyone

 

[BigDaddyStar]

Ahhh...so they are newer...These were wild caught or tank-raised?

Could be a disease...I try to did all fish I receive.I use a combo of melafix and Iodine...air is definitely a must but with just those guys I would think there would be plenty of air...

 

[Hoo-ha-ha]

Tank also has a skunk clown a monti, xenias, and some zoas. Oh and two red starfish but there is plenty of oxygen from the way i set up the spray bar so I'm not sure what it would be.
...
I hope it isn't a disease, but I will be moving her to a hospital tank just in case. These horses were tank raised, still babies... or baby...ish

Would dipping help rid her of any sort of disease?

 

[BigDaddyStar]

Never hurts...i am guessing you dont see any sores on her...melafix helps any skin conditions iodine kills infections...seahorses have always known to be finicky...

 

[OGFrenchHorn]

how often do you feed? seahorses have no stomachs and need to be feed multiple times a day. Also, with the skunk in there they might not be fast enough to eat.

 

[Hoo-ha-ha]

I feed them three times a day. I first make sure the skunk is finally full, then he stops eating. Then I start feeding the horses afterward so they have enough to eat.

I just came back from the fish store & a worker there told me my horse might have sucked up sand while eating since that's common to seahorse deaths (or ich). If that's the case, there should be some swelling where the fins are because they can't process sand, but I'm not sure if I see any swelling.

 

[kiwigirl]

I have a couple of Hippocampus kuda that are nearing 8+ years old. I have been through my own set of trials with caring for sea horses. It'll be easier to chat in person as there is a lot of different info. Seahorses are really susceptible to diseases especially if stressed. I'll PM you my number so we can chat. I hope it isn't the case for you but I think your poor female is going to die if she hasn't already. This is usually a bad sign for any sea creature. I'm sorry.

 

[tdm850]

Ahhh...so they are newer...These were wild caught or tank-raised?

Could be a disease...I try to did all fish I receive.I use a combo of melafix and Iodine...air is definitely a must but with just those guys I would think there would be plenty of air...

What's the portion you would normally use? Thanks.

 

[Seaside Tropical Fish]

Most likely these seahorses were not treated before they were introduced to the store you got them from. When a bunch of seahorses are housed together, it is very likely that there are parasites on them, especially when they are fresh from the store's supplier. Were they eating to begin with? This aside, ALWAYS make sure whenever you purchase a seahorse from your LFS that it is eating frozen food and that they are active and not curled up on the bottom of the tank.

When seahorses lay on their sides, this is a very critical symptom of either gill flukes (that prevent them from breathing) or malnutrition or they may have been stung by a coral. You need to pull them out of your tank with some of your tank water and give it a bath in Hikari's Ich-X (formulin) with 1 tsp/gal of water. MAKE SURE YOU AERATE THE WATER; a powerhead or air pump will work fine as long as it doesn't produce a lot of microbubbles. Let them sit in this bath for about 45 minutes, but pull them out of they start laying on their sides. ALWAYS perform this procedure before introducing any seahorse to your tank to prevent unwanted flukes and parasites from entering your tank.

If the SH is not eating frozen food, you may give them live brine shrimp. For larger seahorses, you can try ghost shrimp. Always try some frozen food first before giving them live foods, so they can start distinguishing that the frozen mysis is edible. I highly recommend soaking the food in Selcon or Kent Marine's Zoecon to make sure the seahorses are getting all the nutrition they may need.

I have been handling ALL seahorses that have been in our store since I've worked here, and I've learned how to treat all of the different seahorses we've had the hard way, for both wild-caught and tank-raised seahorses from Kudas, Reidis, Erectus, Comes, to the tiniest Zostarae. If you get them from our store, I can ensure that they'll do well in your tank, and I can further walk you though how to take care of them in more detail. I've set up over 10 seahorse tanks in the last year, and have yet to get a complaint from my customers.

If you need any help, feel free to stop by the store anytime. My name's Christine. Good luck and I hope the little one makes it!