BIGUN Has A BOOBOO

[ann83]

Hi

Teresa and Tom have been spot on...
FWIW, it really doesn't look like just a scratch to me. That's definitely a lesion. As long as the seahorse is CB, I'd lean towards it being a bacterial lesion (correct me if it is wild caught or "tank raised", though).
Like Tom and Teresa said, your best hope of fighting it is to get the hospital tank water down to under 68*. If you're iffy on what exactly the temperature is, err on the side of cooler, so you're sure to get it under 68. If its a vibrio lesion, which is what tends to turn up most commonly in seahorses, that should help. You can drop the temperature by as much as 4 degrees every 24 hours.
Both of the antibiotic treatments recommended are valid. But make sure you pick only one set of treatments. You can either treat with Neomycin and Triple Sulfa according to Tom's instructions, OR you can treat with Furan-2 (one packet per 10 gallons every day for 10 days, doing 50% water changes daily). But, don't use both. Bio-bandage has neomycin in it, but it is a topical treatment and can't be used as a bath like Tom was instructing. It can be used in addition to either one of the treatments recommended, but shouldn't be used in place of the "neomycin" being recommended for the bath. Dan and Abbey (ShS) sell Neomycin, and you can also get it from livestock supply stores under the name "Biosol" (used for cattle). Being in Oklahoma, Biosol might not be too hard for you to get locally.
Hmmm... other things... you can go ahead and use water from your display tank for the hospital tank so that you don't have to wait for the new water to aerate and then acclimate the seahorse... oh, and ditto Tom's sentiment on the frogspawn (what's the deal with there not being a disappointed head shaking smiley).

 

[meowzer]

Hello I guess you are ANN...LOL
They are CB Yellow Reidi from swf...I have had them since October. I'm a little confused now on which way to go now...Where I live in OK...I have to order everything....So I will be calling SH tomorrow morning and getting what I need asap....
I hate to ask this....but which method do you recommend???

 

[meowzer]

OH...and should I be worried about Skinny????/(that's my other horse)

 

[ann83]

Well, first and foremost, I recommend the 68* water as soon as you can. If it starts to get better with the cooler water, that gives us an indication of what the lesion is being caused by. If it starts getting worse, again, an indication.
As for the Furan-2 vs. Neo+TriSulfa issue... depends. Have you ever medicated him for anything before? If not, I'd say it doesn't really matter too much which way you go as a first try, but, you may want to get all of them just in case whatever bacteria is causing it is resistant to one of them. Better safe than sorry, especially if you have to order every time you need something.

 

[ann83]

Oh, and another thing related to my last post. If you decide to also use bio-bandage, I would go with Neomycin+TripleSulfa. That way if you need to add an additional antibiotic, this time or later down the road, you haven't already introduced the potential for resistance to it.
As for Skinny, just keep a close eye on him/her for white spots, bubbles, loss of appetite, etc. As long as your temperature is already under 74 degrees and you have a regular water change schedule to keep the bacteria count down, Skinny should be fine where he/she is.

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by ann83
http:///forum/post/3052756
Well, first and foremost, I recommend the 68* water as soon as you can. If it starts to get better with the cooler water, that gives us an indication of what the lesion is being caused by. If it starts getting worse, again, an indication.
As for the Furan-2 vs. Neo+TriSulfa issue... depends. Have you ever medicated him for anything before? If not, I'd say it doesn't really matter too much which way you go as a first try, but, you may want to get all of them just in case whatever bacteria is causing it is resistant to one of them. Better safe than sorry, especially if you have to order every time you need something.
He has never been medicated before...I will buy all just to be safe...UGH I have been meaning to order stuff to have, but just never got to it...there was always something else

Do you think I should try to get him in tonight, or let my w/c water for the 24 mix some more...it has been aerating/mixing since 7 p.m.
ALSO...What do you mean if it starts to get better just by the temp? what does that tell us?

 

[meowzer]

Skinny is a she....the temp runs about 75....76 would be the highest it ever gets since I added the room a/c (central wasn't keeping room cool enough) Sometimes it gets to 74...but I would say 75 is the average.

 

[meowzer]

OHHH...should I get a power head too????

 

[ann83]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3052759
Do you think I should try to get him in tonight, or let my w/c water for the 24 mix some more...it has been aerating/mixing since 7 p.m.
I'd get him in tonight, 3 hours mixing is probably okay if it's been really heavily aerated/mixed... I'd use it for a WC on the display, rather than use all newly mixed water in the hospital tank though.
ALSO...What do you mean if it starts to get better just by the temp? what does that tell us?
It tells us it is more than likely bacterial, and more than likely vibrio. It doesn't say anything 100%, but its a good sign. On the other hand, if it doesn't start getting better with the lowered temperature, it could mean we're dealing with a parasite, or a harder to treat bacteria... or, it could mean its still vibrio and it would just take more time for the seahorse's immune system to gain visible ground fighting it... Down the road, if the antibiotics don't seem to work, it gives me a better background to work from.
Plus, seahorses can drop fast when they're sick, so every little edge you can give the seahorse as soon as possible is a good idea.
As for skinny in the display, for the next few weeks, I'd add an extra fan to keep temperatures under 74. If it's vibrio, the magic number 74 keeps bacterial reproduction rates low and keeps it from producing more virulent proteins. Higher than 74, and the reproduction rate increases dramatically and the bacteria mutate to produce more aggressive proteins, so its not as safe for the seahorses. Since we already suspect there is an elevated bacterial count in the water column, evidence: Bigun's lesion, the lowered temp is an more pressing issue than usual. Of course, Bigun could have just gotten stung by that frogspawn and then gotten a secondary infection

 

[ann83]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3052762
OHHH...should I get a power head too????
For? The display? The mixing water? I'd use an HOB filter or sponge filter on the hospital tank with some supplemental airlines. Sick seahorses can get weak.

 

[meowzer]

I was using the new water for a w/c in the display, and water from the dt to put into the hosp....
The PH question was for the hospital, but I guess that's a no..LOL...I just lowered the temp on the room a/c too...

 

[meowzer]

Well he's in...OMG when I picked him up...it was so weird...not at all what I thought he would feel like...I'm not sure he likes it though...I put a little plastic plant in there for him...he's doing flips and stuff...is this normal???

 

[meowzer]

Now I think Skinny is looking for him

There is no food or pods in to 10g...should I thaw some mysis and get a bowl and put it in????

 

[ann83]

Flips and stuff is okay a few times, so long as he settles down. He doesn't seem to be having any buoyancy issues, does he?
Not to ask a stupid question or anything, but you have aeration in the hospital tank, right?
If he hasn't eaten yet today, yes, you can give him a little food. If he's already eaten today, he'll be fine. Since the HT doesn't have biological filtration on it, you're going to want to remove any uneaten food, and also remove his feces, so that you don't have to do as many water changes to keep up with ammonia.

 

[meowzer]

If you mean like his balance...no..I don't think so....I think he is just wondering where all his beautiful rock and his friend went...I have a filter on the 10g, it's one of the tetra ones that come with a 10g set-up...should I add an airline?
He ate 2x today, and he ate very well..he always has....what happens if he starts losing his balance??
Now I'm getting nervous

 

[meowzer]

OH...The only meds I have in the house are mela fix, pima fix, para guard, (fungus tabs for FW LOL).....the temp seems to be 75....I have a fan on, but the 10g also has the type of lid that comes with a 10g set up....the light is built in, and I have to have a lid to keep my kitty out.
I am about to add my first ice cubes...

 

[ann83]

Buoyancy is his ability to regulate his position in the water. Problems with buoyancy would be floating or sinking (or parts of the body floating, like the tail or pouch). I'm not expecting it, I was just checking to make sure that wasn't the case.
Can you put egg crate over the top of the 10 gallon instead of that lid? That lid is going to keep the heat in.

 

[meowzer]

I have a sheet of eggcrate I can cut.....does a light matter though? The light is built in the lid to the 10g.....I think he is just confused cause he is always in the rocks, and in the qt he has nothing but a little plastic plant....can I put some other decorations in there? I have a few decos from other tanks

 

[ann83]

Yes, put as many fake saltwater-safe decorations in the tank as you can to make him feel more secure.
Light doesn't matter. Ambient light from the room is fine.

 

[meowzer]

OK....Thanks....I'm sitting here staring at him....