Help....sick horses

nybutterfly03

nybutterfly03

Member
Ok I stopped into a lfs b/c I heard they had started selling swf! To my horror I founs 2 large(4in at least) ponies in a 12 gal tank with hardly any lr or ls. Oh and has only been running 4 weeks. Also there was an emaerald crab in there that looks like injured one's snout. They were posted for sale at $79.98 but were hardly moving and breathing heavily. I asked anyway if they were for sale and he told me he didn't think they were going to make it. I offered to take them as I have a 75gal with no other inhabitanta at the moment other than lots of lr. Anywho, I ended up taking them home for 20$ each. I hope the quality of my water is the start to getting them back to themselves again. One is a lot less active and he seems to be in worse shape than the other. I haven't gotten a real good look but they both appear to be male. I have cared for healthy horses for a few years but let my tanks go when I got pregnant last year. (they have been up and running still) so I ask any of you for any advise that might help these horses. Thanks in advance!!
Alaina
 
texasmetal

texasmetal

Active Member
Just good water quality and offer the best frozen mysis.
My girlfriend had 13 Erectus ponies. One day the sea cucumber decided to nuke the tank while she was on vacation. I came home and found them ALL lying on the bottom around the cucumber (looks like a turd... IS A TURD) They were all dead except 3 of them, which were barely breathing. (I was horrified! I almost cried, they were beautiful, and our babies) I took them out, placed them in another tank, and by the next day they were back to their normal state.
If they were healthy in the first place, they should make a comeback. They are tougher than people give them credit for.
Best wishes and good luck! *fingers crossed for them*
 
nybutterfly03

nybutterfly03

Member
Thanx! I just let them go into the big tank so we will see. One has already done a few laps around the tank but one is laying hitched to a rock breathing heavy. Lights are off right now to try to lessen the stress. I will worry about them all night. Fingersd crossed they make it thru the night
 
texasmetal

texasmetal

Active Member
Originally Posted by NyButterfly03
Thanx! I just let them go into the big tank so we will see. One has already done a few laps around the tank but one is laying hitched to a rock breathing heavy. Lights are off right now to try to lessen the stress. I will worry about them all night. Fingersd crossed they make it thru the night
I feel your pain.
What kind of ponies are they?
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Water quality is top priority, IMHO. Monalisa's tank is a perfect example. I lost my Kuda do to water quality. I don't want to discourage you, but I lost my 2nd Kuda due to lack of proper diet and habit at the pet store. I hope you can bring the horses around, a clean tank and full tummy can do wonders
 
texasmetal

texasmetal

Active Member
Originally Posted by Rykna
Water quality is top priority, IMHO. Monalisa's tank is a perfect example. I lost my Kuda do to water quality. I don't want to discourage you, but I lost my 2nd Kuda due to lack of proper diet and habit at the pet store. I hope you can bring the horses around, a clean tank and full tummy can do wonders

Kudas aren't easy horses to maintain anyway.
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by TexasMetal
Kudas aren't easy horses to maintain anyway.
Just curious, what makes one species harder over another. Erectus is suggested for beginners, but the care and environment is the same over all.
 
monalisa

monalisa

Active Member
Alaina,
I'm also relatively new to this venture, but as has been stated give good quality frozen mysis (Hekari's (sp?) bio-pure is what I use) soaked in garlic for their immune systems. Definitely keep up on water quality. I have my 2 kuda horses in a 37gal and I change out 5gal/week...3gal on Wed or Thur and another 2 gal on Sat or Sun. Get into a routine with that and keep their water in top notch quality according to the size tank you're keeping your horses in. Also keep an eye on the equipment you're using and keep it clean. Cover your intakes (filter siphons and powerheads) with sponges. These not only keep your horses safe from possible injury, but they're also great breeding grounds for pods and other great edibles. I keep a small heater in each of my 2 filters, so the worry of my horses getting burned isn't an issue. This may not work in a larger tank, but someone may chime in with a solution as far as that is concerned.
When I feed my horses, I turn off all equipment. My horses have learned that this means feeding time (give your ponies time to recognize this...be patient). I've found that by doing this, I feed the tank considerably less than when I was with the equipment running.
Oh man, there's so much...what else can I help you with? I'm here, and I'll help as much as I can. I'll be watching this thread.
Lisa
 
texasmetal

texasmetal

Active Member
Originally Posted by Rykna
Just curious, what makes one species harder over another. Erectus is suggested for beginners, but the care and environment is the same over all.
I really don't know, honestly. But I can tell you we have had great success with our H. Erectus, with exception to the nuclear sea cucumber. *Insert curses here*
Our Reidi's did better than the Kuda's though.
 
monalisa

monalisa

Active Member
Originally Posted by TexasMetal
I really don't know, honestly. But I can tell you we have had great success with our H. Erectus, with exception to the nuclear sea cucumber. *Insert curses here*
Our Reidi's did better than the Kuda's though.
No offense intended, and I mean that, but Alaina is looking for some advice on what she can do to help the horses that she's basically taken on out of the goodness of her heart. It doesn't matter what kind of horse we're talking about at this point. We need some good solid input from those who can help her.
Thank you!!
Lisa
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by MonaLisa
No offense intended, and I mean that, but Alaina is looking for some advice on what she can do to help the horses that she's basically taken on out of the goodness of her heart. It doesn't matter what kind of horse we're talking about at this point. We need some good solid input from those who can help her.
Thank you!!
Lisa
Very true, that was my fault...I got off subject.
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by MonaLisa
Where's Darth when you need him??
j/k, Darth
Lisa

Okay~
So, so far Alaina, you have:
75gal w/no other inhabitants
Lots of LR
LS?
Can you post the current levels of the tank?
Nitrates:
Nitrites:
Alk:
PH:
Ammonia:
Salinity:
Temp:
 
monalisa

monalisa

Active Member
Originally Posted by Rykna

Okay~
So, so far Alaina, you have:
75gal w/no other inhabitants
Lots of LR
LS?
Can you post the current levels of the tank?
Nitrates:
Nitrites:
Alk:
PH:
Ammonia:
Salinity:
Temp:
Excellent Rykna.
Lisa
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by MonaLisa
Excellent Rykna.
Lisa

You should have these medications on hand when you purchase your seahorse. As you become more knowledgeable about them, you may find that you prefer other medications; this is just a guideline. Most of these medications can be found at a well-stocked LFS.
Be sure to have on hand:
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
Seahorses should be introduced into a mature, cycled aquarium. Numerous filtration methods and tank set-ups can result in a healthy, stable seahorse aquarium. A seahorse tank must have gentle to moderate currents. Be sure there is adequate biological filtration and do regular, partial water changes of 5-20 percent per week as you would with any fish-only aquarium, to keep water parameters as listed below. Water parameters should be stable before animals are added:
pH - 8.0 to 8.3
Specific gravity - 1.021 to 1.024
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - <20 ppm
Optimum temperature is dependent on whether the seahorse species being kept are tropical, subtropical or temperate. Generally, most beginners should start with tropical species unless the tank is equipped with a chiller unit. Heating tanks is much less expensive than cooling them. Use a high quality submersible heater. Many Seahorse.org members use Ebo Jaeger heaters as they have more reliable than average performance and do not feel hot to the touch, minimizing the chance of burning a seahorse.
 
nybutterfly03

nybutterfly03

Member
Sorry everybody, I have 3 kids, one being 5 months old so it is hard for me to get on here as often as I should. But BOTH ponies made it thru the night and breathing MUCH better!!!
Not that they are out of the woods, just greatly improved since last night. The baby woke up at 6 and I ran right to my tank to check them. i just tested my tank yesterday b/c I was going to add fish soon and all levels check out where they should be. This tank has been set up for 4yrs...will be 5in Feb with about 100 or more lbs of lr.
No worries about hijacking the thread.....thanks for the list of meds to keep on hand, I think I still have some from my last ponies. Since I didn't put them in a qt tank due to their condition, what is safe to treat my entire tank? My BEST friend works at the BEST lfs so I can stop and see her today too but I would love your suggestions.
When should I feed them? I just let them be last night as it was almost 9 before I got them settled.
Thank you all so much.....I will keep u all posted!!
 
nybutterfly03

nybutterfly03

Member
Oh and I just added about 200 pods to my tank 10 days ago when I got my 1st swf.com order!!! Anticipating that I wanted ponies in the future, just didn't expect this.
One has been exploring since I turned the lights on.....this is good!!!
 
monalisa

monalisa

Active Member
Sounds like they're in excellent hands. I guess if it was me, I would try feeding a little bit to see if they were interested. I've always been told that horses need to eat twice a day, so that's what I do.
Best of luck, and post pictures of your new additions when you can...can't wait to see them.
Lisa
 
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