rykna
Active Member
On another horse site 2 redi horses have fallen ill to the same parasite that claimed valiant.
Ectoparasites (External Parasites)
Cryptocaryon irritans, Amyloodinium (Oodinium) ocellatum, Brooklynella hostilis, parasitic crustaceans, gill flukes, Glugea, etc.
Causes/Problems
Ectoparasitic infections are most often caused by poor quarantine and pre-treatment practices. Most wild fish, including seahorses, routinely harbour ectoparasites with no problems. When infected fish are put through the stress of capture and transportation, weeks in holding facilities without food, and the sometimes volatile conditions that can occur in closed systems such as aquariums, their immune systems are weakened, and the parasites are given a chance to overtake their host. With proper quarantine and treatment before being placed in the display aquarium, often ectoparasites can be eradicated with ease.
Symptoms:
* visible parasites upon examination manifested as white spots, ulcerations, blisters, etc.
* cloudy eyes
* scratching on substrate
* wild or erratic behaviour
* signs of stress (washed out coloration, rapid breathing, etc.)
External parasites can cause death by several means, the most common being direct parasitism (stealing vital nutrients from another organism's blood or other bodily fluid), suffocation, and opening the gates for secondary infections. External parasites can consume so much of their host's nutrients that the host may wither and die from malnutrition. Suffocation can be caused by severe infestation of the gills (gill flukes). Also, parasites often cause open sores along the body of their host, and this, compounded with stress due to lack of adequate nutrition, leads to internal secondary infection, usually by a bacterium.
This seems to be a very common invader. What steps can seahorse keepers take to prevent these little parasites from claiming more horses??
Ectoparasites (External Parasites)
Cryptocaryon irritans, Amyloodinium (Oodinium) ocellatum, Brooklynella hostilis, parasitic crustaceans, gill flukes, Glugea, etc.
Causes/Problems
Ectoparasitic infections are most often caused by poor quarantine and pre-treatment practices. Most wild fish, including seahorses, routinely harbour ectoparasites with no problems. When infected fish are put through the stress of capture and transportation, weeks in holding facilities without food, and the sometimes volatile conditions that can occur in closed systems such as aquariums, their immune systems are weakened, and the parasites are given a chance to overtake their host. With proper quarantine and treatment before being placed in the display aquarium, often ectoparasites can be eradicated with ease.
Symptoms:
* visible parasites upon examination manifested as white spots, ulcerations, blisters, etc.
* cloudy eyes
* scratching on substrate
* wild or erratic behaviour
* signs of stress (washed out coloration, rapid breathing, etc.)
External parasites can cause death by several means, the most common being direct parasitism (stealing vital nutrients from another organism's blood or other bodily fluid), suffocation, and opening the gates for secondary infections. External parasites can consume so much of their host's nutrients that the host may wither and die from malnutrition. Suffocation can be caused by severe infestation of the gills (gill flukes). Also, parasites often cause open sores along the body of their host, and this, compounded with stress due to lack of adequate nutrition, leads to internal secondary infection, usually by a bacterium.
This seems to be a very common invader. What steps can seahorse keepers take to prevent these little parasites from claiming more horses??
