seahorse almost dead

pete159

Member
my poor male reidi pony is almost dead. yesterday he was fine today he looks like this?>
Anyone know what this is?
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
How long have you had him? What are your water readings? Is he in a seahorse dedicated tank? By chance did he get stuck in a pump intake?
 

pete159

Member
had him just over a year with another male and female, all are reidi.
There are other friendly fish with them in a 46 G bowfront. All other fish and the other ponys seem fine. This happened today, in the morning he was not moving much and when i came to look at 6 PM he looked like that. i know enough to keep all power heads and intakes covered so thats not it. Water quality I've always kept high. nitrates don't go over .20 and are usually around 10. Ammonia and nitrite i of course make sure never have any readings at all. there's 30lbs of live rock, protein skimmer, 2 power filters, powerheads.
this all happened overnight it seems as 2 days ago he was fine. he gave birth 3 days ago.
 

cranberry

Active Member
Just be careful in picking out bits and pieces from different peoples advice. Sometimes a plan only works and/or is only safe when followed in it's entirety. I'm just saying that because sometimes when you have threads going on 2 different sites the advice can be totally different. Don't combine parts of the treatment plan unless ya ask... or ya know for sure yourself.
When did you add the last fish. Exactly what other fish do you have in there... I can remember a hawk, clown and firefish (or similar).
 

pete159

Member
the last fish was an algae blenny added 3 weeks ago. he is peacefull and eats frozen food and algae. 2 perc clowns that look fine, over 2 months old, 1 purple firefish that looks fine, a long nose hawkfish thats the oldest fish there at over a year now. A scooter blenny thats a few months old and doing fine.
Everyone has always gotten along there's never any fights for food the ponys eat off the floor of the tank usually and the other fish i feed in other parts of the tank. the ponys have given birth about 5 times already. the only change in the last week is I bought ocean hikari plankton yesterday to try as food, and they seemed to like it. i also added a marineland c160 canister filter to help with chemical filtration. i took out the bioballs and added eheim substrate pro to one level, kent nitrate sponge to the other and left in the filter sponges it came with.
i do regular water changes and keep nitrate below .20, it usually stays around .10 .15 never had ammonia or nitrite readings.
I'm pretty sure another fish did not get him sick as all fish seem to be doing fine.
he's in a hospital tank now with an airstone
 

cranberry

Active Member
Not everyone cycles their hospital tanks. The other forum the OP have posted on will not suggest he do so while administering meds. ... not trying to start a debate... just saying where this information is coming from...
 

pete159

Member
the hospital tank has water from the main tank as I was told to get the sick horse out asap.
I am making new saltwater now and tomorrow will do a large water change on the main tank as well as 50% on the hospital tank.
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Medications degrade the biofilter of any tank in a significant way, so having a viable, well filtered, aged biofilter in a hospital tank is the only safe way to treat fish with medications safely.
Please describe all symptoms.
 

pete159

Member
the hospital tank has cycled water.
You can see in the pic what the main problem is, the white flim on his head. other then that, he is hardly moving at all, his eyes are a bit glossy, of course he is in no mood to eat.
All this happened in a day. 24 hours ago he seemed fine.
no new fish has been added in over 3 weeks.
water readings are
nitrite 0
ammonia 0
nitrate .20, maybe 15
ph 7.8
total alkalinity 180
salt level is 1.022
the problem as you can see in the pic is a white film on his head.
he is hardly moving
eye a bit glossy
tank is a 46g bowfront with 35 lbs live rock, it's been set up for about 6 months after being moved from a 24g aquapod
theres a emperor 280 HOB filter as well
a chiller to keep temps between 72.9 and 73.9
it goes no cooler then that.
I have had the horses a little over a year with no problems, they are captive bred reidi bought at big als
i feed them hikari mysis and brine, and as of 2 days ago, hikari ocean plankton
 

cranberry

Active Member
I do not mean to be disrespectful. I know you've helped many people on this site and you know what you are doing. But it isn't the only way. I get that it is the recommended way on this site, but I don't feel it should be said that it is the only way when other people are doing it quite successfully in uncycled tanks.
 

pete159

Member
tomorrow i will buy some neomycin and triple Sulfa
Someone on a seahorse forum said it is most likely a vibrio infection.
i will still do a partial water change tomorrow on both the hospital tank and the display tank.
Will the animal hospital keep this medication on hand?, Will big als have them both, i have never had to look before
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
No, get Maracyn Two for SW fish.
Are those tank conditions in the display or the QT?? Do you usually keep your pH at 7.8? What is the size of the QT? What filters do you have in the QT?
Add a few cups of sand from your display to your QT.
 

pete159

Member
the Qt is to small, maybe 4g and I will transfer him to a 7.5g tank tomorrow
There's an air stone in it and water from the display.
those conditions are from the display tank, i am not sure why the ph is low.
I am doing a water change on the display tomorrow as well as soon as the water mixes.
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
I'm sorry, but these conditions make any chance of treatment hopeless. I'd return him to the display where he may die in some degree of comfort.
 

cranberry

Active Member
I'm going to post my message on this forum too Pete, just so we are all on the same page....
Pete, I'm sure you realize your horse is very very sick. I wanted to provide you with another choice to think about or even to disregard if you feel it is not something you can do. I've done this in the past more times than I'd like to remember..... If you would like to discuss this matter we are here for you. We don't feel all horses are saveable and sometimes an owner may want to put them down rather than prolong treatment. It is a very personal decision that will be totally up to you and no one would object to any path you wanted to follow. Clove oil is probably easier for you to find and it comes in both human forms and aquatic forms. Concentrations are different, so I've provided the instructions for both products.
CLOVE OIL Doseage and Preparation Instructions
  • Put 3 drops with a half pint of water and shake very well, so the oil and water make a fusion - otherwise the oil will just float on top of the water and for the euthanasia to work the fish has to get the oil into its system.
  • Add the mixture to the water that the fish is in (1 gallon of water should be more than enough) and stir it around slowly with your hand. The fish should become lethargic and sleepy. When the fish goes "belly up" it is asleep - not dead.
  • Then add 3 more drops of clove oil. Add another mixture of 2 to 3 drops of oil in water.
  • The fish feels nothing, it is very peaceful and humane.
  • Don't make the mistake of thinking that if you initially put more in it will act quicker - it will only freak the fish out - it has to be done gradually so the fish doesn't notice the change in the water.
  • The whole proceedure should take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. You will know when the fish is completely dead because there will be absolutely no movement of the gills. If after an hour the fishes gills are still moving you could add a couple more drops of clove oil. Sometimes it does depend on the size of the fish to how many drops of clove oil are needed.
  • Properly dispose of the deceased fish and wash treatment container thoroughly with soap and water.
    EUTHANASE Doseage and Preparation Instructions
    1cup (8oz) water - first dose = 15 drops (1/8 tsp) second dose = 15 drops (1/8 tsp)
    1 pint (16oz) water - first dose = 30 drops (1/4 tsp) second dose =30 drops (1/4 tsp)
    1 quart (32 oz) water - first dose = 60 drops (1/2 tsp) second dose =60 drops (1/2 tsp)
    1 gallon (128oz) water - first dose = 240 drops (2 tsp) second dose =240 drops ( 2tsp)Using the dosage amounts listed above, add the first dosage to the container and swirl water in the container gently.
    Place the sick or injured fish in the container.
    Cover the container with a lid or towel and wait for 10 minutes. This process will calm the fish and put it into a deep peaceful sleep.
    Remove the cover and add the second dose.
    Swirl water in the container very gently and cover for another 15-20 minutes.
    The final passing phase should be complete in 15-20 minutes or when signs of life in the fish are no longer present.
    Properly dispose of the deceased fish and wash treatment container thoroughly with soap and water.
 

jeanheckle

Member
I have previously used clove oil to euthanize a fish and it is extremely humane. It's a difficult decision to make, but once a fish is suffering beyond a return to health, it is truly the kindest thing we can do. I am so sorry you are dealing with this. I have a very sick fish at this time also and can sympathize with you.
Dori
 
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