Seahorse QTing ?

[dive girl]

When I order my first seahorses, should I QT them or since they will be the first of my herd is it okay to add them right to the tank?
In the dwarf seahorse book I've been reading, the author says to give them a freshwater dip to remove any external parasites. Is this something that should still be done with captive-bred seahorses?
I haven't seen anything about seahorses and copper. Since they are scale-less fish, is it not safe for them? My QT has had copper added to it in the past.
My macroalgae arrived today and is now in my tank (after a freshwater dip). My tank is now starting to look like something.

 

[reefnutpa]

All seahorses should be put in a QT tank first, whether they are the first tank inhabitants or not. Not only does this allow you to observe them for any possible ailments and/or parasites, it also allows you to monitor their food intake and make sure they are eating well.
All it takes is one seahorse introduced into the main display with a deadly infection and it could render the tank completely uninhabitable for other seahorses from that point on. You do not want to take that chance as it is very costly (tossing all the sand/rock) to sterilize the tank and start over.
Tom

 

[dive girl]

Thanks Tom. How long do you typically qt for? The dwarf seahorse book says 3 days?? That seems short to me.

 

[reefnutpa]

When I purchased my original pairs of dwarf seahorses (which were all wild caught), I QT'd them for 2-3 weeks. During that time I de-wormed them 3 times via gut-loaded bbs.
As sad as it is to say, I've found over the years that dwarf seahorses are either alive or dead. There is no in between and rarely an instance where an illness can be caught/treated in time for a recovery.
Fortunately, I have never had and cannot recall any instance with any hobbyist where dwarf seahorses came down with illness the larger seahorses get. This could be because they die before any symptoms present themselves, or they just aren't subject to the same issues. I've never heard of a dwarf with snout rot, flesh eating erosion, white tails (Vibrio), etc. Again, it's either because the pathogen kills them before symptoms show or they just aren't prone to those pathogens.
Tom

 

[pete159]

I think QT of any fish is oldschool.
If the fish looks healthy when you buy it then just get it use to the temp of your tank and the salt level and then add it.