my new lil girl

lulabulla

Member
Hi everyone.. its been a while since ive beeen on but i finally took the plunge and got a Kuda seahorse :) yeah...

i have a concern tho i have had her for 2 weeks now and when i first got her she looked a little thin.. since it was my first time being a horsey mommy i wasnt 100% sure if she looked under nurished. so my problem is she ate like a pig when i first stared feeding her mysis BUT now for about 5 days she hardley leaves her perch area only snickes up 1 or 2 mysis if any at all and her tummy lookes HUGE. (my tank is also filled with all kinds of pods just letting you know as well)
is that normal? i cant say i have seen her poop lately either.
is there a possibilty that something is wrong with her being that her tummy from bottom fin up to right below her neck is bloated looking?
could she be filled with eggs?
thanks for any insight you guys have :)
 

lulabulla

Member
im trying to post some pictures but im having problems, can anyone let me know how to do it so i can post pictures of her please..
thanks
 

skate020

Member
when you click post reply, you write wat you want to write etc.
then underneath the white box there should be some icons, then a submit reply button etc.
and under that should be a button saying mnage attachments, click that, then clic browse, choose the pic you want, and upload:)
you can upload 4 or 5 at a time:)
as for your horse, i have no idea i've never had one lol.
GL anyways:)
 

reefnutpa

Member
Swelling of the body as you describe, is not normal. Usually it indicates either IGBD (Internal Gas Bubble Disease) or Edema (swelling resulting from kidney failure/infection).
Seahorses with IGBD often float or have difficulty manuevering to the bottom of the tank. Seahorses with Edema tend to sink for the most part, or have difficulty manuevering to the top of the tank.
I'm not familiar with your setup at all. Low pH can contribute to lack of appetite, as can numerous other water parameter issues.
Was the Kuda captive bred.... and bought where? There are an awful lot of Kuda / Kellogi on the market, which are net-pen raised overseas and should be treated as wild-caught.
Hopefully Ann sees this thread, and can offer her thoughts/treatment options.
Tom
 

ann83

Member
A picture would be good. So would details on whether she is floating, or sinking, or having trouble swimming at all. Is her tail swollen?
I'm inclined to believe she has IP's that are causing a problem, either edema from kidney damage, or actually having enough IP's to cause bloating themselves. Do you have praziquantel (prazipro), fenbendazole (panacur), or metronidazole (metro+, flagyl)?
Of course, depending on what you're describing (and a picture would help), she could just be gravid; in which case we'd just have to work on the poor appetite.
 

lulabulla

Member
thanks for all the info..
first off the day i wrote the post she didnt not float at all. the next morning i found her flating for the first time and she is flating since.
i do believe it is GBS as well now and wanst sure how to treat it. i have read DIAMOX or a preassure tank. ???
i had no luck trying to get some diamox but i am tying a preassure tank. i made a home-made the best i could do with double the hight of her tank and all the right levels. Im hoping and praying it will work!!!
as for her im not sure if she is wild caught i met a friend over a year ago and he had her since in his tank that he got from one of his friends so??? either way she has been in established tanks for at least a year and a half that i know of.
if anyone knows of any other things i could try i appriciate any help i can get.
its crazy how helpless you can feel to help a creature that small.

im hoping for the best.
and again thanks

(pictures are from before she started flating)

 

ann83

Member
Holy cow! Poor baby :( She needs Diamox and antibiotics ASAP. Hopefully the bloating hasn't caused any permanent damage to her organs yet. If she'll eat, I'd feed her Furan-2 gutloaded into adult brine shrimp twice a day for 10 days (dissolve half a packet of Furan-2 in 1 gallon of water, and soak 1 feeding worth of adult brine shrimp in it for 2 hours before feeding the adult brine shrimp to the seahorse). If she won't eat, then add a full packet of Furan-2 to a 10 gallon hospital tank once daily; and do 50% water changes daily and siphon out feces, waste, and leftover food daily to control ammonia. Continue for 10 days.
Try to get a prescription for Diamox from your vet. Diamox is despirately needed if you want to prevent organ damage and death. There really is no substitute. 250mg need to be thoroughly dissolved and then added to the 10 gallon hospital tank daily for 3-5 days or as long as swelling persists.
 
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