Need Advice

nando77

New Member
One Of My Seahorses, A Reidi I Think, For Some Reason Has Stopped Eating. It's Been About A Week. He Used To Eat And Swim Around Fine With My Other Seahorse, A Barbouri. He Looks Pretty Weak. He Just Hangs Out In One Place All Day. What Could Be The Problem? How Can I Get Him To Eat Something?
 

nando77

New Member
I've Had Him For One Month And The Other About 3. They Both Eat Mysis Shrimp. Although, The Reidi Wasn't Ever As Hungry As The Barbouri.
 

teresaq

Active Member
I would try some live ghost shrimp, (small as you can get) (gut loaded) and if nothing else, gut loaded bbs.
Is it Wild caught, it may need to be wormed.
Try the live food, with some vitamins.
 

nando77

New Member
Originally Posted by TeresaQ
http:///forum/post/2529692
I would try some live ghost shrimp, (small as you can get) (gut loaded) and if nothing else, gut loaded bbs.
Is it Wild caught, it may need to be wormed.
Try the live food, with some vitamins.
I'm not sure if it's wild or not. Got it at my local pet shop and didn't ask. I'll try feeding it some live brine shrimp this weekend. How long can a seahorse survive without any food?
 

nando77

New Member
HE STILL HASN'T EATEN. HE SEPARATED HIMSELF FROM THE OTHER SEAHORSE A FEW DAYS AGO AND IS JUST HANGING ON TO A CORAL. HE HAS BEEN BREATHING A BIT FASTER THAN USUAL FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. WATER QUALITY LOOKS GOOD AND HAS A WATER CHANGE DONE ALSO. I JUST RECEIVED MY ORDER FROM SALTWATERFISH.COM AND ADDED A BATCH OF COPIPODS. I ALSO ADDED A NEW YELLOW KUDA SEAHORSE, WHICH IS TINY. WILL HE BE ABLE TO EAT THE MYSIS SHRIMP? I'M CROSSING MY FINGERS AND HOPE HE PULLS THROUGH. I CAN'T BELEIVE THAT HE'S BEEN HANGING ON LIKE THIS FOR ABOUT A MONTH NOW!
 

janbee

Member
It is not a good idea to add new seahorses to a tank with a sick one. All new seahorses should be separated from existing ones for 6 weeks. Your sick one should be in a hospital tank, possibly being given medicine. Check out seahorsedotorg for more info. Jan
 

nando77

New Member
Thanks For The Suggestion. I Checked Out The Site And I Think I'll Be Performing A Fw Drip Tomorrow. I Will Also Be Stopping By The Lps To Get Some Meds. My Other Two Seahorses Look Good. Very Active And Hungry.
 

suzy

Member
Hey, I thought we couldn't post links to other sites! OK, I am figuring out the rules here!
So, if anyone wants to see my latest article ( about Brine Shrimp!), you can go to reefsdotorg and click the online mag Advanced Aquarist.
Let us know how the FW dip helps?
 

poniegirl

Active Member
Originally Posted by NANDO77
http:///forum/post/2538620
HE STILL HASN'T EATEN. HE SEPARATED HIMSELF FROM THE OTHER SEAHORSE A FEW DAYS AGO AND IS JUST HANGING ON TO A CORAL. HE HAS BEEN BREATHING A BIT FASTER THAN USUAL FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. WATER QUALITY LOOKS GOOD AND HAS A WATER CHANGE DONE ALSO. I JUST RECEIVED MY ORDER FROM SALTWATERFISH.COM AND ADDED A BATCH OF COPIPODS. I ALSO ADDED A NEW YELLOW KUDA SEAHORSE, WHICH IS TINY. WILL HE BE ABLE TO EAT THE MYSIS SHRIMP? I'M CROSSING MY FINGERS AND HOPE HE PULLS THROUGH. I CAN'T BELEIVE THAT HE'S BEEN HANGING ON LIKE THIS FOR ABOUT A MONTH NOW!

I don't wish to dash any hope, but the reality is that a seahorse that has gone so long without food is unlikely to recover. They can and do survive quite some time without eating. Their need for a constant flow of nutrients doesn't apparently allow readily for recovery.
On the brighter side, if your tank has ANY natural source of live food, it is possible that the seahorse HAS been eating and you have not seen it. Our tanks, especially more established tanks, house a great number of "insect" life that we cannot see. However, our seahorses, with their amazing eyes, can.
Be sure to carefully research the method for the FW dip..I notice you said FW drip, with an R. That would not be good.
By the by, posting any sort of direction to a competing site is something the administration does not allow. It is not that spelling things out is accepted by the administration that supports this message board that we enjoy (hello?); it probably cannot filter it as easily. While I am not a narc, nor vengeful, I think the reasons for the rules are pretty obvious and fair. We all have the same choices.
Visiting other sites, be sure to check publication dates. I have seen some pretty obsolete info on "some" sites. Seahorse keeping has changed a great deal, and quickly. Only a year ago, folks were adamant that you could only keep seahorses in a species only, low-flow, non-aerated tank. A lot of that is still out there. I personally have suspicions that those very preachings are why seahorses are thought of as frail and tend not to survive in some tanks. They are most definitely not frail. A month with no food? I have seen that happen myself and that particular seahorse was one tough cookie.
Sorry for the long windedness. It is Saturday and I slept well
 

suzy

Member
Just a comment on the hardiness (or lack of) comment: I was harvesting algae on night before bed. I threw a bunch in a bucket, then got tired and went to bed. I went to clean up the next morning, a juvie seahorse was lying in the bucket next to the clump of algae. I felt so bad. I picked her up to throw in the garbage and she moved. Swear to the Reef Goddess! I put it in the tank, it lived for two days after being out of the water all night.
 
It's not a wise idea to mix seahorse species....they come from different parts of the globe [ barbs/reidi ] and have resistance to different diseases...they can infect each other with a pathogen neither has ever encountered ending in death for both species
 

janbee

Member
Originally Posted by Suzy
http:///forum/post/2540201
Hey, I thought we couldn't post links to other sites! OK, I am figuring out the rules here!
So, if anyone wants to see my latest article ( about Brine Shrimp!), you can go to reefsdotorg and click the online mag Advanced Aquarist.
Let us know how the FW dip helps?

Sorry about the reference to another site, I'll avoid that sort of advice in the future. Jan
 

suzy

Member
Hey, don't say sorry to me! I think if we cannot provide educational links to other sites, this site is the lesser for it. I have the coolest link to Todd Gardners thesis on fry nutrition, but links are a no no. I can't even link to my own articles, ones written by me! I guess we are expected to answer the same questions over and over....
But, the problem I see is that when people don't get answers here, they will google away, so the site loses them anyway. If the owners are thinking they will lose customers if we link, it seems to me like they will lose more people because when people realize we are not researchers or marine biologists, they will go where the forum allows that.
 

veronicad

Member
Hey, Suzy, are you able to PM me about that fry nutrition info?- Or are you at least able to receive PMs?-- If you can't reach me, I can send you my Email... Thanks for all your help on this forum, BTW, even if it means you need to repeat yourself. As a person who is not only unfamiliar with SH care, but also not very technologically adept, I really appreciate it.
 

zeke92

Active Member
Originally Posted by Suzy
http:///forum/post/2542350
Hey, don't say sorry to me! I think if we cannot provide educational links to other sites, this site is the lesser for it. I have the coolest link to Todd Gardners thesis on fry nutrition, but links are a no no. I can't even link to my own articles, ones written by me! I guess we are expected to answer the same questions over and over....
But, the problem I see is that when people don't get answers here, they will google away, so the site loses them anyway. If the owners are thinking they will lose customers if we link, it seems to me like they will lose more people because when people realize we are not researchers or marine biologists, they will go where the forum allows that.
agreed. we should start a petition
 

nando77

New Member
So I performed the FW "DIP"
yesterday and today he has been moving from place to place. I think you guys are right about the "invisible food" in the aquarium because otherwise I don't think he'd still be alive. He still looks kinda weak though. Mysis shrimp are literally hitting him in the face and he's not interested. I never thought about the different species thing. Does everyone only have the same kind of SH in their tanks? Well, I now have a Barbouri, Reidi, and a Yellow Kuda. Do you know if SH mate with different species? I think I'll take some pics of my SH to share with you all.
I appreciate all your suggestions and concerns, thanks!
Keep them coming!
 

suzy

Member
I don't dare PM! I think I have gotten my last warning threat, I think the guys want me gone!
Try google searching Todd Gardner. He presented this dissertation at a few marine conferences last year, so it should be easily found.
 
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