New SH's look sick?

chadg

chadg

Member
OK, I have been reading the threads and preparing my SH environment for a few months... Then I got hasty and just bought my two SH on impulse from my LFS and now I think I made a mistake. It was like I researched for months the right dog breed that I wanted then went to Debbie's pet land!

Here are the details. They sold me two SH, one Yellow and one black. The "yellow" one is more of white with red spots, they said he lost color because there was no yellow in the tank. The did not know what either species are. They told me to just Fed them brine shrimp and gave me San Fransisco with Omega brand.
I bought them on Sunday. Drip acclimated for 1 1/2 hours. Put them in the tank. Fed them brine. They gobbled it all up! Same thing for Monday.
Monday, I noticed the skin peeling a bit on both of them, but more on the black one. It was probably doing it in the LFS too, but denial is strong when you want something....
I then re-looked at a bunch of stuff here and realized that brine will not cut it. So today (Wednesday) I bought a fake coral for a feeding station, misys, zoecon and a tube. soaked the misys in the zoecon then put them on the feeding station via the tube. When they saw the misys go down the tube they both instantly came over. Then when they saw it was mysis they wanted nothing to do with it. I then put in some brine and they ate it all up! So, they wanted to eat, but not the misys.
They seem pretty perky, swimming and good appetite for brine, but I know they are not good. I posted pics to my flicker account:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8727190...57622413347095
Tank Conditions: It is a 40 gal stretch hex attached to the same sump as my 72 gal reef. So, they share a water supply. There is no live rock in the SH tank, just a sand bed and a fake coral for hitching. Parameters:
Temp: 78
PH: 7.92
Amm: 0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:10
Specific Grav: 1.024
72 gal reef has been up for 5 years, the 40 gal hex has been attached for three months.
My questions are:
1) What species are they?
2) Are they really sick? Skin seems to be peeling and I don't think the color is good. This is very concerning.
3) How can I get them to eat misys? They eat frozen brine just fine.
I know, this is just another case of a dumb newbie breaking the rules and getting in over his head quickly, but I do appreciate any help people can give.
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
Hi and welcome. First, can you post pictures here please. It would be easier
Let me go take a look----
ok They look erectus to me, but can you get a better picture of thier heads. Side view.
The red may be algea. see if you can blow it off with a turkey baster, or gently brush it.
T
 
chadg

chadg

Member
Here are a few photos. Better resolution ones are on my at my flicker link above. Thanks for the help.




 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
looks like red slime algea. It wont hurt them and with good water quality it should go away.
Now for eatting. You are going to have to train them to mysis. Which brand did you buy??
 
reefnutpa

reefnutpa

Member
Looks like cyano growing along their backs that is coming off - nothing to worry about.
Many times seahorses are stubborn and will refuse a new type of food. Since they will eat frozen brine, I would just continue mixing a couple pieces of frozen mysis in with their frozen brine and hope they begin to try a piece or two. May take a few days, weeks - or never. Some can be very stubborn.
Since you've done months of research and setting up, you're aware the environment you set up is not quite suitable for seahorses.... so I won't get into that. Nor the damage to your reef that can be done by the elevated phosphate/nitrate levels that can accumulate over time by the messy eating habits of the seahorses and their waste. As long as you're aware of the issues, I'm sure you've already got reaction plans set should something come up.
Since they are relatively new to your tank (and I can only assume they aren't in a QT tank, either), I'd just advise you to continue to monitor their eating habits and make sure they are defecating normally (should not be white/string like - should be dark brown/purplish...and a lot more than you'd think
) Make sure there is no scratching their head/gills with their tails or rubbing around on the decor/rock like they are scratching. Post anything abnormal if you notice anything in the next couple days/week or two.
Since the LFS didn't have much info on them, wouldn't hurt to de-worm them at some point in the next couple of weeks just as a precaution, but lets get them settled in their new home and get more relaxed before we go that route.
Best of luck! And welcome to the hobby! It's very addictive, but soooo worth it.
Tom
Edit: Darn Teresa, 'ya beat me to it with the algae! Good job!
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
ok, now, your temp is too high. You really should have have thier tank no higher then 74 degrees. The higher temps are breeding grounds for bacteria and puts your horses at risk to infections and pathogens.
Do you plan on adding any macros or live rock???
T
 
chadg

chadg

Member
Teresa and Tom,
Thank you for the fast responses. I'll feel much better once I see the algea gone and no further dammage. I live in MA and they really did not know much about them. I have not seen any type of scratching by them. I'll post if I see anything else strange. So...
Do you have any idea what species they are?
The brine I'm using is the San Fran frozen with Omega. Should I soke that in the zoecon also?
I'll put a mix of brine and misys and hope they start to eat some of the mysis.
I'll start to turn the temp down, I don't have anything that can't handle 74. I'll start to lower it by 1 degree every 4-5 days. Does that seem safe enough or should I do it more slowly?
I was not planning on live rock, unless it woudl be useful the the SH. The artificial coral I put in there have tons of spaces for them to hitch. I'd love to put in some macro, what woudl be best?
As for the tank setup yes, I know tht it is not an ideal setup, but I felt I could keep the water quality better by combining the systems. The skimmer and chiller are shared which are two pieces are equipemnt tha I was not able to put on a stand alone tank. Also, the combined water volume of about 110 gal is better then the about 35 that would be in the hex alone.
I have two 65 gallon barrels in the basement that I store RO/DI water and mix salt. I do about a 30 gal water change every two weeks. I can do it in about 30 minutes.
Thanks again.
 
reefnutpa

reefnutpa

Member
FWIW... none of the dozens of Erectus I have even looked at San Fran brand mysis when I tried it in a pinch awhile back. It basically thawed into a mush. Very few, if any, whole shrimp - I don't think they knew what it was (or was supposed to be). I don't soak the mysis in any vitamins - I feed PE Mysis and Hikari mysis.
Try Hikari mysis. I use those cubes mixed with PE Mysis and they eat both kinds - from my juvies to the adults.
Since the tank is plumbed inline with a larger/stable tank, there isn't a need for LR in the tank IMO. I have 3 seahorse tanks set up that have soley huge sponge filters and hitches...no substrate or live rock. The other tank, a display tank, does have LR and sand.
You will need to make sure there are ample suitable hitches though. Of course, make sure any fake decor you may choose is saltwater safe. Many LFS's don't really know if their stuff is really safe in saltwater or not. I use some fake staghorn corals in some tanks along with Sea Garden fake plants. Remember - any fake plants can't have wire in their "stems" as would be found in some freshwater fake plants.
Looking at the pictures, the seahorses appear to be in relatively good health. I don't see any obvious signs of anything abnormal. Keep them eating, and observe them often for the next couple of days.
Also try to get the temp down to 74F. I live in PA, I can't keep that temp during the summer without air conditioning and chillers - and yes, my electric bill skyrockets!
Tom
 
chadg

chadg

Member
So, it has been a few weeks now and both look very good. The "black" one is very yellow now and so is the female. They are eating well, but mostly the brine. They only get misys becuase I use the feeding station and the accidently get some when they suck up some brine. They do not go after the misys at all. I'll keep adding them to the mix and hope they get some of them. Should I still fast them 1 day a week if I'm not sure they are getting enough misys with the zoecon?
Here are some pics of them now. Thank you all who responded. I feel very silly that it was just cynao growin on them and not their skin! Of cousre I'm glad also....

 
reefnutpa

reefnutpa

Member
Awesome looking seahorses! Great example showing how seahorses change colors and why nobody should buy based on color. They are really gorgeous!
Personally, I wouldn't fast for a day. The main reason to do that is if feeding PE Mysis, which is soooo high in protein. If they aren't eating that daily as their main food, no need to fast.
Keep adding mysis in with their food. It REALLY is something they need to learn to eat. Frozen brine, even enriched frozen brine, is not enough to sustain them long-term and keep them in optimum condition.
You're doing a great job. Kudo's to you!!
Tom
 
dive girl

dive girl

Member
I concur with everything that Tom and Teresa have stated.
Seahorses can be stubborn when it comes to their food. I was given a seahorse that would not eat frozen at all! It took me 5 months to get her to convert to frozen (thankfully I'm more stubborn than she is)! You can't give up.
 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
I've been a silent follower of this thread (mainly because Teresa and Tom pretty much covered everything!!) but I just wanted to say congrats on your horses so far! Really beautiful pictures of them, too.
 
sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
Originally Posted by novahobbies
http:///forum/post/3164814
I've been a silent follower of this thread (mainly because Teresa and Tom pretty much covered everything!!) but I just wanted to say congrats on your horses so far! Really beautiful pictures of them, too.
Me too on the silent follower part..... so many people here more experienced than me, but I was so proud to see that my original guess of "look like Erectus with cyano on them" was consistent with the experts!
They look gorgeous (and healthy) and I am so jealous and amazed at how yellow they are! I have a Reidi that is soild and bright, but none of my erectus have ever gotten that vibrant. Just beautiful!
Sue
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top