Seahorse Medicine Cabinet

[rykna]

I am going start gathering the basics for housing seahorses.
Disease and medication:
SIGNS TO OBSERVE FOR POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
Are there any signs of skin sloughing or discoloration, inflammation, odd swimming behaviour, not using a holdfast, lying on substrate or hitching upside down, minimal eye movement, protruding eyes, blisters anywhere on the body, inflamed gill slits, eroded snout, any body or tail lesions, or continuous heavy respiration
You should have these medications on hand when you purchase your seahorse. As you become more knowledgeable about them, you may find that you prefer other medications; this is just a guideline. Most of these medications can be found at a well-stocked LFS.
Be sure to have on hand:
Formalin 3 and Neosporin (triple antibiotic ointment) as a topical solution.
(Betadine will do in a pinch.)
Kanacyn
Methylene blue
Furan-2 or Triple Sulfa
Tetracycline
Erythromycin
Metronidazole
Neomycin
Nitrofurazone
Optional:
Maracyn II
Furanase
Paragon II
Melafix
Malachite Green
Important meds that may be obtained through your veterinarian or MD:
Acetazolamide (Diamox)
Ceftazime (Fortran)
Praziquantel (Droncit)
Essential tools to have on hand:
Fine gauge IV catheter flexible tubing (without needle)
Tuberculin syringe with needle removed
Loose hairpin with soft plastic tip
:happyfish

 

[rykna]

Flexibacter columnaris, Cytophaga columnaris, Bacillus columnaris)
In many cases, we receive calls from customers stating that they have white wavy worm-like parasites attached to the glass in the aquarium that tend to sway back and forth with the water circulation in the aquarium. Often, the fish do not seem to be affected at this stage. Given time for this disease to spread, the infestations usually begin on the fins, which usually become frayed and ragged. The disease will spread to the skin, eventually causing ulcerations and irregular areas of epidermal loss. Aeromonas hydrophila is commonly present in advanced lesions and contributes to the pathology.
In the gills, Flexibacter Columnaris will color them light to dark brown and you will also notice some necrosis. On the skin, the fish will appear to have mold growing on it, with a slight cottony look, due to a fungal infection that has attacked the lesions and ulcerations. The lesions and ulcerations in advanced stages are usually infected with a secondary motile aeromonad. So as you can see, here is a situation where you have multiple infections present.
Flexibacter Columnaris can persist in water for up to 32 days when the hardness is 50ppm or more, but a hardness of 10ppm reduces viability considerably. The addition of carbon to the system increases the survival of this disease in hard water, but this is not the case in soft water.
Columnaris is prevelant in systems with high organic loads, crowded conditions, handling and low dissolved oxygen content. Lesions generally develop in 24 to 48 hours following handling, followed by death at 48 to 72 hours if not treated.
Treatment and Control:
For a purely external infestation, when there are not any secondary bacterial infections present, Potassium Permanganate or Forma-Green will work well.
In cases of multiple infections, it is suggested to give the fish a bath in Postassium Permanganate or Forma-Green and thereafter, treating with antibiotics such as: Oxytetracycline, Oxolinic Acid, or a sulfa drug combination such as TMP Sulfa. The antibiotics will need to be used on the fish for 10-14 days depending on the severity of the infection. The antibiotics may either be used in the water (as a long term bath), or mixed into the feed (suggested). By mixing the antibiotics into the feed, you may continue to treat the fish externally with the Potassium Permanganate or Forma-Green. This treatment strategy will work well if started in the early stages of this disease.
As with all diseases of tropical fish, proper maintenance and water quality are the key to success.
Thank You and Good Luck,
Dr. Gary Aukes; Pharm D, and the staff of National Fish Pharmaceuticals.

 

[reefreak29]

the only thing is that the oxylinic acid and pp are very very harsh thats why i prefered furanace

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by reefreak29
the only thing is that the oxylinic acid and pp are very very harsh thats why i prefered furanace

Definately!!! USE Furanace !!!!!

 

[rykna]

The second rule of successful seahorse keeping is to provide them with a stress-free environment. Many of the parasites and pathogens that plague our pampered ponies are ubiquitous -- present in low numbers in most everyone's systems or within the seahorse's body itself (Indiviglio, 2002). As a rule, healthy fish resist such microorganisms easily, and they only become a problem when seahorse's immune system has been impaired, leaving it susceptible to disease (Indiviglio, 2002). Chronic low-level stress is one of the primary factors that suppresses the immune system and weakens the immune response, opening the way to infection and disease (Indiviglio, 2002). Long-term exposure to stressful conditions is very debilitating. Among other effects, it results in the build up of lactic acid and lowers the pH of the blood, which can have dire consequences for seahorses for reasons we'll discuss later.
When disease breaks out in an established aquarium it is therefore generally an indication that something is amiss with your aquarium conditions. A gradual decline in water quality is often a precursor of disease (Indiviglio, 2002). Poor water quality is stressful to seahorses. Prolonged stress weakens their immune system. And an impaired immune system leaves the seahorse vulnerable to bacterial, viral, and fungal infections to which healthy, unstressed seahorses are immune. As if that weren't bad enough, there are a number of environmental diseases that are caused directly by water quality problems.
With this in mind, it's important to review the most common stressors of captive seahorses. These include the design of the aquarium itself. A poorly designed seahorse setup that lacks adequate cover and shelter, or has too few hitching posts, will be stressful to the occupants (Topps, 1999). Seahorses are shy, secretive animals that rely on camouflage and the ability to conceal themselves for their safety and survival. A sparsely decorated tank that leaves them feeling vulnerable and exposed will be a source of constant stress (Topps, 1999). The seahorse setup should have plenty of secure hiding places so they can conceal themselves from view completely whenever they feel the need for privacy. It should be located in a low traffic area away from external sources of shock and vibration.
Needless to say, rapid fluctuations in temperature, pH, salinity and other aquarium parameters must also be avoided. A large aquarium of 40 gallons or more provides much greater stability in that regard than does a smaller setup. The greater the water volume in the aquarium and sump, the more stable the system will be.
Heat stress is especially debilitating and dangerous for seahorses due to a number of reasons (Olin Feuerbacher, pers. com.). For one thing, elevated temperatures can have a very detrimental effect on the immune system of fishes. This is because many of the enzymes and proteins involved in their immune response are extremely temperature sensitive (Olin Feuerbacher, pers. com.). Some of these protective enzymes can be denatured and inactivated by an increase of just a few degrees in water temperature (Olin Feuerbacher, pers. com.). So when seahorses are kept at temperatures above their comfort zone, their immune system is compromised and they are unable to fend off diseases they would normally shrug off.
At the same time heat stress is weakening the seahorse's immune response, the elevated temperatures are increasing the growth rate of microbes and making disease organisms all the more deadly. Research indicates that temperature plays a major role in the regulation of virulence genes (Olin Feuerbacher, pers. com.). As the temperature increases, virulence genes are switched on, so microorganisms that are completely harmless at cooler temperatures suddenly become pathogenic once the water warms up past a certain point. Thus both the population and virulence of the pathogens are dramatically increased at higher temperatures (Olin Feuerbacher, pers. com.).
This is true of Columnaris and certain types of Vibrio. At cool temperatures these bacteria are relatively harmless, but at elevated temperatures they become highly contagious, virulent pathogens that kill quickly.
In short, it's doubly important to keep seahorses at the proper temperature. Because of the reasons mentioned above and the fact that water holds less and less dissolved oxygen as it warms up, seahorses generally tolerate temps at the lower end of their preferred range much better than they handle temperatures at the upper limit of their range.
Incompatible tankmates are also stressful for seahorses. This includes not only aggressive, territorial fishes and potential predators but also inoffensive species that are restless, active fishes. Seahorses may be uneasy around fishes that are always on the go, swimming tirelessly back and forth.

 

[poniegirl]

Originally Posted by Rykna
Seahorses may be uneasy around fishes that are always on the go, swimming tirelessly back and forth.
Yeah, I don't like tangs, either.

 

[poniegirl]

Also, remember to clearly date your meds. They have a limited shelf life, just like human meds, and can lose their effectiveness after a year or so.

 

[rykna]

Keep the info coming

I welcome any and all experiences and information about Seahorses
Thanks All :happyfish

 

[larrynews]

im bumping this since there have been questions about this

 

[zeke92]

nice and helpful post rykna!
my parents are gonna love you for pointing out a list of meds there gonna have to buy, teehee