Combining Species

[rykna]

I'm pretty sure we had a thread somewhere about mixing seahorse species.....but what combos have/would you tried/try?
H. abdominalis Pot Bellied Seahorse
H. barbouri Barbour's Seahorse
H. breviceps Short Snouted Seahorse
H. comes Tiger Tail Seahorse
H. erectus Lined Seahorse
H. hippocampus European Seahorse
H. histrix Thorny Seahorse
H. kelloggi Great Seahorse
H. kuda Spotted Seahorse
H. reidi Brazillian Seahorse
H. zosterae Dwarf Seahorse
You would, of course, have to consider what water temperature each species prefers.
I have only mixed two species together~
H. zosterae and H. kuda
~Rykna

 

[rykna]

Awwwwwweeeeeee......come on people... Are you savey seahorse keepers or chum?

Many of us have pics posted with multi tank species. Don't be shy, you know who you are. So let's hear some experiences with mixed horse tanks

 

[teresaq]

I would only mix species if they came from the same source, or had a very long qt. too much chance of spreading pathigins.
Though I have seen hybred horses from mixing reidi and kuda
T

 

[rykna]

That was my thoughts exactly.
One question I do have is regarding pathogens. If we are purchasing captive bred seahorses( sometimes a big if unless we are confident and trust the seller we purchase our horses from) , what would the basic pathogens be that we need to look out for?
What steps can we take to prevent our seahorses from contracting these life threatening parasites/pathogens?
These are some of the common pathogens/parasites:
This list was made by Will Wooten.
Originally Posted by By Will Wooten

Ectoparasites (External Parasites)
Endoparasites (Internal Parasites)
Exophthalmia ("Pop Eye")
External Gas Bubble Disease
Flesh-Erosion Disease
Internal Gas Bubble Disease
Pouch Emphysema
Snout Rot

 

[teresaq]

I think the best ways would be-good home breeder or commercial breeder you trust. I can think of one. QT - everything you put into tank, even macros and rock.

 

[texasmetal]

We keep H. comes and H. erectus together without problems.

 

[cleve_seahorse]

Mixing species is generally a no-no....however , I do have 4 h.kuda and 1 erectus together in a 60g tank...I did a 3+ ,almost 4 week qt on my erectus using prazipro , waiting a week till treatment ended and then used panacur [for internal/external parasites ] eventhough I was assured my erectus was cb. Also, freshwater dips are always a good thing...no shorter than 8 mins.to help kill erxternal parasites,especially if there "tank bred".

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by Cleve_seahorse
http:///forum/post/2651011
Mixing species is generally a no-no....however , I do have 4 h.kuda and 1 erectus together in a 60g tank...I did a 3+ ,almost 4 week qt on my erectus using prazipro , waiting a week till treatment ended and then used panacur [for internal/external parasites ] eventhough I was assured my erectus was cb. Also, freshwater dips are always a good thing...no shorter than 8 mins.to help kill erxternal parasites,especially if there "tank bred".
What does your QT set up include? Tank size, filtration...etc.
I'm trying to develop a "step by step" plan that will guarantee the health and life span of all our seahorses. I have QT 2 of my seahorses....it did not seem to make a difference. And when I did need to treat them in a QT, the medicine did not help in any way. There are so many medications sold for seahorses, but which ones work? And which medicine for which sympton?
Formalin 3 and Neosporin (triple antibiotic ointment) as a topical solution.
(Betadine will do in a pinch.)
Kanacyn
Methylene blue
Furan-2 or Triple Sulfa
Tetracycline
Erythromycin
Metronidazole
Neomycin
Nitrofurazone
Optional:
Maracyn II
Furanase
Paragon II
Melafix
Malachite Green
Important meds that may be obtained through your veterinarian or MD:
Acetazolamide (Diamox)
Ceftazime (Fortran)
Praziquantel (Droncit)
Essential tools to have on hand:
Fine gauge IV catheter flexible tubing (without needle)
Tuberculin syringe with needle removed
Loose hairpin with soft plastic tip
I collected this list from various websites.
I have used :
Formalin
Neosporin (triple antibiotic ointment) as a topical solution.
Methylene blue
Furanase
Malachite Green
Melafix
None of these medications treated/healed my seahorses.
So which one works? And which med to use each time of illness?

 

[rykna]

PART 1:
This is the best description of Panacur I've been able to find(and I've been looking for years..)

Fenbendazole (Panacur)
Fenbendazole (brand name of Panacur) is an inexpensive anthelmintic agent (dewormer) used for large animals such as horses, and the de- worming granules can be obtained without a prescription from stores that carry agricultural products (e.g., farm and ranch equipment, farming supplies and products, veterinary supplies, livestock and horse supplies, livestock and horse feed) or via the Internet from places such as KV Vet Supply. The granular form of fenbendazole (horse dewormer granules 22.2%) is preferable to the paste for aquarium use, as the dosage of the granules is easier to regulate (Liisa Coit, pers. com.). It is available in packets of 5.2 grams or 0.18 ounces.

 

[rykna]

PART 2:
Fenbendazole is very useful for debugging live rock (LR) and eradicating bristleworms, hydroids and Aiptasia rock anemones. Because fenbendazole is essentially a de-worming agent, it will destroy any bristleworms, flat worms, spaghetti worms or the like. The FBZ or Panacur treatments are thus best administered to the live rock in a bucket or hospital tank before the LR is introduced in the main tank. Otherwise, the massive die-off of the worm population in the aquarium may require large water changes in order to prevent a dangerous ammonia spike!

 

[rykna]

PART 3:
Fenbendazole does not have any adverse effects on biological filtration, but be aware that it is death to many Cnidarians besides hydroids and Aiptasia. Mushrooms and related corals are generally not affected, but expect it to have dire effects on other corals (e.g., sinularias), polyps, gorgonians, and anemones. In general, any Cnidarians with polyps that resemble the stalked family of Hydrozoans are likely to be hit hard by fenbendazole, so don't use this treatment in a reef tank!

 

[rykna]

PART 4:
Also be aware that fenbendazole seems to soak into the porous live rock and be absorbed indefinitely. I know one hobbyist who transferred a small piece of live rock that had been treated with fenbendazole (Panacur) months earlier into a reef tank, where it killed the resident starfish and Astrea snails. So enough of the medication may be retained within treated live rock to impact sensitive animals months after the fenbendazole was administered. Don't treat live rock intended for reef systems with fenbendazole (Panacur)!

 

[rykna]

PART 5:
At the lower dosage recommended for nursery tanks (1/16 tsp. Per 10 gallons), fenbendazole normally does not harm cleaner shrimp and decorative shrimp. With the exception of Astrids (Astrea), Coit and Worden have found it does not usually affect the types of snails typically used as cleanup crews (e.g., Nassarius, Ceriths, and Nerites). It will kill starfish but copepods, hermit crabs, and shrimp are normally not affected.

 

[rykna]

PART 6:
Macroalgae such as the feathery or long-bladed varieties of Caulerpa or Hawaiian Ogo (Gracilaria) are not harmed by exposure to fenbendazole at even triple the normal dose. In fact, if you will be using Caulerpa in your nursery tanks to provide hitching posts for the fry and serve as a form of natural filtration, it's a very wise precaution indeed to treat them with a regimen of fenbendazole beforehand.

 

[rykna]

PART 7:
So fenbendazole (FBZ) or Panacur is primarily useful for ridding bare- bottomed nursery tanks and dwarf seahorses setups of hydroids and Aiptasia anemones, ridding Caulerpa and other macroalge of hydroids or Aiptasia before its goes into the aquarium, and cleansing live rock of bristleworms, hydroids, and Aiptasia rock anemones before it is introduced to the aquarium. If you are serious about raising seahorse fry, fenbendazole is must-have med for keeping your nurseries hydroid free.
It can also be used to eradicate bristleworms, hydroids, an Aiptasia from an established aquarium if it does not house sensitive animals such as live corals and gorgonians, starfish, Astrea snails, or tubeworms and other desirable worms that may be harmed by FBZ, providing you monitor the ammonia levels closely and are prepared to deal with the ammonia spike that may result from the sudden death of the worm population

 

[rykna]

....hmmm...I hope my posts aren't too overwhelming

 

[reefnutpa]

Just to post my experiences, I've tried mixing Erectus/Barbouri, Erectus/Kuda, Capensis/Barbouri, Dwarfs/Pugnose Pipes, Reidi/Erectus, True CB Erectus from different sources. None of the mixes were successful past the one year point. Since that time, I've only kept species tanks and never mixed suppliers. Haven't had pathogen issues since.
The biggest pathogen to cause issues IMO is Vibrio. High temperatures continue to cause issues for seahorse hobbyists due to inaccurate and/or out-dated information being passed along on message boards and online vendor websites.
If I had to recommend medications to always have on-hand they would include Neomycin, Triple Sulfa, Furan2, Formalin. Fenbendazole/Panacur is used mainly to combat hydroids in dwarf seahorse tanks. Hydroids cause no issue for the larger seahorses and a panacur treatment should never be done in the main tank as it kills many, many types of beneficial inverts and prevents one from keeping certain inverts for years to come after a treatment.
Tom

 

[koi lady]

I have H. comes and H. erectus together right now and haven't had problems yet, but I am keeping my eye on the H. comes because they are littler and like to hide in the plants.