Seahorse Healing?

poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
Originally Posted by Darthtang AW
I agree with this for the most part. Of course the amount will change pending seahorse size as well.
There are instances and circumstances that would allow one to only feed once a day.....or not at all for a short length of time. However going into that is contingent on system type, size, and age...amongst livestock and live rock as well. I could list different scenarios for days of different feeding habits but the basic and safest is twice a day, everyday.
I agree. Thank you for clarifying for size, species and age.
Carnivorous fish, which seahorses are, will hunt all day. It is survival instinct.
Keep in mind that the design of this animal is an ambush predator. The food source is hit and miss. The digestive system must have been designed with the "odds" in mind. Their prey is small and fast. They have good eyesight and patience.
Ideally, we would feed these animals in doses all day. In reality, most of us can't possibly do that. We have to do the best we can for them with their optimum feeding conditions as a guide.
I have heard of a fasting day for seahorses every week, also. I have tried to research, but can't find the basis for practicing that ritual.
Any ideas?
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by PonieGirl
This is a current discussion in SH keeping. Do they HAVE to be fed at least twice per day?
My experience is, yep, they do.
Remember, they do not have a sophisticated digestive system and cannot STORE nutrients. They are like a human fetus. Please feed small amounts often.
They only require a mysis or two at a time. They literally cannot properly digest more that that. But they do need the flow of nutrient.
Does that make sense?
Yeppers
A very good idea.
Thanks
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by PonieGirl
II have heard of a fasting day for seahorses every week, also. I have tried to research, but can't find the basis for practicing that ritual.
Any ideas?
I've read that too, but came up with the same result. Fasting for a day, IMHO woulds cause stress. Children and pets lead healthier lives when on a schedule, and boy does Valiant know his. When dinner time roles around he's front and center in the corner where I feed him.
With my reef tank I fed iregularily, hungry fish=healthy fish, and there was rarely any left overs to cloud the tank up. But with seahorses' delicate digestive system skipping a meal could lead to stress. Growing up on a farm I have seen the chaos that comences when dinner is late. Cows stand belly aching....I'd end up chasing stray chickens that tried to find dinner by themselves......All of farm animal share a basic similarity. They are all herd animals, just like seahorses. So just like the cows crowding around the corn bin, seahorses flock to their food dish or feeding area of the tank. Most fish I've had don't care where you feed them as long as you do feed them. Valiant, however, just like the farm animals I could set my clock to.
 
darthtang aw

darthtang aw

Active Member
I have heard that with seahorses but all my research tends to lead to only the wild caught ones using this as a practice as in the wild they do not get to eat everyday.
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Darth- question about Valiant's healing process. I've finished with the first round of formalin. He is eating fine...but still twitches a little..but in a different way. The infected area on his side is healing and reminds me of what my skin looks like when it's recovering from a really bad sunburn. I'm thinking that the twitching he does is do to the dead skin sluffing off. Which, in my experiences, itches like crazy.
I'm going to do a 10% water change tomorrow and then start the second round of formalin.
Is there any other possible complications in the healing process I should be aware of? I'd hate to have brought Valiant back to health only to trip at the finish line.
 
darthtang aw

darthtang aw

Active Member
Originally Posted by Rykna
Darth- question about Valiant's healing process. I've finished with the first round of formalin. He is eating fine...but still twitches a little..but in a different way. The infected area on his side is healing and reminds me of what my skin looks like when it's recovering from a really bad sunburn. I'm thinking that the twitching he does is do to the dead skin sluffing off. Which, in my experiences, itches like crazy.
I'm going to do a 10% water change tomorrow and then start the second round of formalin.
Is there any other possible complications in the healing process I should be aware of? I'd hate to have brought Valiant back to health only to trip at the finish line.


That is a very good thought. I never thought of that. I just figured the twitching lasted that long because they were still bothered. Just keep up your routine. Did you ever do the freshwater dip?
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member

Originally Posted by Darthtang AW
That is a very good thought. I never thought of that. I just figured the twitching lasted that long because they were still bothered. Just keep up your routine. Did you ever do the freshwater dip?
Yes I did the FW dip, but in doing so noticed something of great concern. The very tip of Valiant's snout has a white outline. I am afraid that he has the beginning syptoms of Flesh eatting or snout rot diesease..
Flesh-Erosion Disease
Causes/Problems
Raging bacterial infections such as those associated with the consumption of seahorse flesh are spread through contamination of uninfected seahorses with infected seahorses. Often the causative agent, the bacterial genus Vibrio in most cases of flesh erosion, will lay dormant unless given the opportunity to become active. This opportunity usually coincides with a deterioration of water quality. With proper quarantine and treatment, however, this disease can be avoided altogether.
Symptoms:
* erosion/sloughing of the flesh sloughing of skin, but it looks more like healing.
* cloudy eyes NO
* rapid breathing has this
* swelling NO
Combination drugs such as Furan II and Paragon II are often most effective at combating bacterial infections. These drugs cover both spectrums of bacteria (gram+ and gram-), and can usually halt progression within days. Use the marine dose per the manufacturer's instructions. Drugs from the tetracycline family may also be of some help, specifically doxycycline and oxytetracycline, though they may be somewhat difficult to get a hold of. Topical treatments such as neomycin (Neosporin) and iodine or formalin solutions (1 cup water to 15 drops of either or both) used three to four times daily on the affected area can also help in controlling the progression of the disease.
If the disease returns, the infected horses will need to be requarantined, the display tank may have to be scrubbed down, and all equipment may have to be sterilized with bleach. Be careful not to allow any sterilization chemicals to make their way back into the aquarium as this will destroy the essential denitrifying bacteria present in the aquarium's bacterial filter bed. If this does not arrest the occurrence of flesh-eating bacteria, the seahorses may have to be relocated to a new display system.
Snout Rot
Causes/Problems
Similar to and likey caused by the same pathogen as flesh-eating bacteria, Vibrio spp., snout rot can often be controlled with pre-treatment before the seahorse is released into the display aquarium. The disease may be cause either by fungal infection (in which case the snout will be pinkish) or bacterial infection (in which case the snout will be white). If left untreated, the disease will often appear when water quality worsens or during prolonged periods of stress.
Symptoms:
* discoloration of the snout white at the very tip
* swelling of the snout NO
* lockjaw NO
* loss of appetite NO
* tissue erosion on the snout NO
When first infected, seahorses generally are not bothered by snout rot. As this grave disease progresses, however, the mouthparts of an infected seahorse may become so destroyed that eating is no longer possible. This causes inevitable death.
>
Treatment
As with flesh-eating bacteria, the best treatment for snout rot is preventative quarantine before release into the display tank. The disease will not always manifest itself immediately, however. Luckily, treatment is not very difficult.
The best treatment is by use of combination medications such as Paragon II in a hospital tank. This medication covers gram+ bacteria, gram- bacteria, and fungus. It has ingredients that can eliminate or stop the progression of snout rot within days. In severe cases, a double treatment may be necessary. In any case, follow the directions of the manufacturer. Topical treatments such as neomycin (Neosporin) and iodine or formalin solutions (1 cup water to 15 drops of either or both) used three to four times daily on the affected area can also help in controlling the progression of the disease.
I feel a little overwhelmed. Having a sick fish is a rare thing for me...especially with multiple symptoms. I feel like I should go ahead and take the final exam for a degree in Marine Biology.
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
I finally got to talk with my LFS seahorse specialist, Shawn. I asked him about the condition of Valiant. He said that as long as Valiant is eating and swimming he's okay. I mentioned that Valiant is constantly hunting for pods, even though there aren't any in the QT. He said the was a definate sign that Valiant is healthy and healing.He also mentioned that scarring from skin lesions is typical...since horse's healing process is very slow/weak.
He has 2 kuda horses, one that had snout rot for 3 months. His horse now has a permenant discoloration on his snout...but has recovered. Feeding vitamin enriched food is the number one priority besides water quality. He also said that horses under a year old should be feed at least twice a day if not 3-4 times a day.
So I am continuing with a 2nd treatment of Formalin.
 
darthtang aw

darthtang aw

Active Member
Is there anyway to get some water to movement near the top of your QT to help CO2 O2 exchange and maybe slow down his breathing.
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by Darthtang AW
Is there anyway to get some water to movement near the top of your QT to help CO2 O2 exchange and maybe slow down his breathing.
I'll post a picture of the QT as see what you think.
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Thanks Darth. Breathing problem resolved. It was definately the flow. I changed the aquaclear powerfilter and put my Eclispe hood as the replacement. Along with a tiny Fluval filter the water movement has increased by 80%.
Aqua Clear

Eclipse Hood
 
dmitry

dmitry

Member
Something I noticed in one of the videos you posted: there seemed to be a lot of air-bubbles floating around. At least they looked like air-bubbles - were they? I'm not an expert on Horses (not yet, I'm in the process of setting up a SH tank), but air-bubbles are very bad for SHs. Do you think this is contributing to the problems?
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by Dmitry
Something I noticed in one of the videos you posted: there seemed to be a lot of air-bubbles floating around. At least they looked like air-bubbles - were they? I'm not an expert on Horses (not yet, I'm in the process of setting up a SH tank), but air-bubbles are very bad for SHs. Do you think this is contributing to the problems?

Just surface movement. But good thought.
 
darthtang aw

darthtang aw

Active Member
Everything seems to be progressing nicely. The only thing I would suggest is, If those are dead white corals in your tank, I would take those out and place a fake plant or two instead in the tank. The coral can irritate the skin on their tails if they hitch on it. If they are fake plastic, then no worries
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by Darthtang AW
Everything seems to be progressing nicely. The only thing I would suggest is, If those are dead white corals in your tank, I would take those out and place a fake plant or two instead in the tank. The coral can irritate the skin on their tails if they hitch on it. If they are fake plastic, then no worries
Thanks. They are coral bones. I'll take them out. The rock with plants is fake.

I'm just not sure about his health status. This morning I found him on the tank floor. I thought I had lost him...it took him awhile to perk up and start swimming around.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top