Water problems Need advice quickly

[ibanez]

Years ago, I had a green spotted puffer fish that began acting the same way. I found out my Nitrate test kit was bad and the nitrates where way too high and that is what I am sure killed him. Even after a large water change, it was still too late, he never recovered. You may have a test kit that has gone bad. Are you sure you are following the directions exactly (shaking the bottle for 30 seconds...). I think the gas could have been the problem. I have heard of similar stories.

 

[jaodissa]

I just purchased these test kits 2 months ago. I guess they could be bad if the pet store had them for a longer period of time. IDK. I also use a stop watch when doing the test so Im fairly accurate. I mean I may shake them a second to long or short, but still pretty close. I really can't say what I've done right or wrong. I've only had them for one month. This just sucks.
I know I over feed once and I knew I shouldn't but it doesn't usually warrant a death sentence. Around the same time I started having these issues I had begun to hatch one extra feeding and storing it in the fridge to be feed the next morning, but I don't know why that would have caused this. I did have the issue with the stove and am just happy the house didn't blow up, but I'll never know if that really contributed to this disaster or not either.
Personally I thought I was doing everything the way I should. I just don't know what I could have done different. Why is one successful with dwarfs and others not? I spent hours hatching/cleaning/feeding/watching and I still have bad results.

 

[ibanez]

Others go through the same types of problems often, most probably don't like to talk about it.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Jaodissa
http:///forum/post/3239549
Yes I tested the water I was using as a water change. I also used amquel and I thought it was suppose to help remove trace ammonia? The water is also cloudy. I added a new bag of chemipure and still nothing looks better.
Amquel does not remove ammonia, it converts it to a non-toxic form
NH3 ---> H2NCH2SO3-
the H2NCH2SO3- will still show on most ammonia test kits the exception being Nessler based ammonia kits.

 

[jaodissa]

well they are all dead but one. I want to tear down the tank my husband says to leave it alone. I feel like the worst person for having even tried to keep these guys. Thanks for all the help the last few months. I just wish I knew what I did wrong.

 

[teresaq]

you just never know. It could have been the gas. They may have gotten poisoned. You just never know. Don't get two discouraged. We all go thru looses. I lost two batches of horses to my own stupid mistakes. I have had the 4 I have now for almost a yr. Don't give up. You may just want to try a different species. Look into fuscus. They are small but take frozen. Might be easier then the dwarfs as far as feeding and water quality. They require a 15 gal tall or bigger though.
T

 

[meowzer]

Yeah...and I still have no clue how I lost mine ....One reason I have not gone back to seahorses is..LACK OF ROOM....LOL...If I decide to do them again,...I want a whole new set-up, and I really have NO more space at the moment
Seahorses=mystery

 

[reefnutpa]

Based on the initially posted water parameters (registered Nitrite reading but no Ammonia reading) I would say the initial problem was a newly cycled tank was fighting to keep up with the biological demands that a dwarf seahorse tank puts on the tank.
Dwarf tanks are NOT easy to keep. Honestly, after 1 month the nitrate reading should not have been up to 40ppm already. Sometimes twice a week water changes are needed in dwarf tanks. They are small tanks (yes, 10 gal is considered 'small' in terms of the marine hobby) and the organic load is tremendous with the use of brine shrimp, enrichments, etc.
The video posted shows either ammonia burns irritating the gills and/or gill parasite issues. I'm not familiar with where these dwarfs were purchased - if wild caught, were they given freshwater dip and de-wormed before being put in the tank?
I'll re-read all the posts tonight when I get back from work and post more thoughts. If there is a thread on the tank set-up, I'll look/read that as well.
Don't get too discouraged! I will admit though, the larger horses are MUCH easier to care for. I try to discourage people from getting involved with dwarfs as their first seahorses until they have a bit of experience with seahorses in general. They have very unique needs, require a fair amount of time, and specific food/nutritional requirements. Really, they aren't easy to keep long-term at all. I did rather well in the 4+ years I had them. They are fun little seahorses - but I spent more time on their care than I did on the 3 other tanks of larger horses combined!
Tom

 

[reefnutpa]

I didn't forget you... I read ALL your posts late last night. I'll have some thoughts/suggestions for you today yet. Got lots to do around the house but I'll get to it ASAP. That's the downfall of me having so many pets and tanks..not enough time in a day!
Tom

 

[jaodissa]

Sorry for no updates our internet was being repaired for days!
Im still upset by this whole experience. Im the one who has screwed up and killed these poor little guys and it just sucks. The night the last one died I just went to bed and gave up. Didn't even bother taking him out of the tank. Well When I woke up the next morning I started cleaning up the tank. I took the little guy out. He had a baby trying to come out. (Sounds gross I know but I pushed on his pouch and got the 2 babies out.) They are living in a pint size jar with water being changed 3-4 times a a day. Im not sure what to do with them. The large tank is going through a whole cycle. I still want to quit this hobby, but the husband is fighting me on it. He feels I shouldn't quit something that I love. Which in theory is all nice, but the reality of it is not all animals are meant to be pets and if I can't take care of them it's even more wrong to try.

 

[bender77]

I reallly don't think you should give up either. I know this is hard, but those 2 babies made it for a reason. If you really want to get out, maybe there is someone near you with dwarf experience that would be willing to take them. I would offer, but I live in MO, just a bit away. Hopefully your tank will cycle soon and you can add those babies back in.

 

[reefnutpa]

Since, to me, it sounds like you are unsure whether you plan to continue or not it would be rather pointless of me to offer any advise/suggestions on how to procede in the future.
With that said, I don't think you made any major mistakes. A few things really popped out at me while reading all of your posts concerning your dwarfs....and yes, there were a few things I would have done different or discouraged you from doing.
Long story short - dwarfs aren't for everyone. They require A LOT of care. Initially, I don't feel your tank was mature enough to handle the bioload of the dwarfs. That combined with the heavy feeding was just something this newly cycled tank could not handle. I never use the "shrimp" method to cycle. IMO, the rotting flesh/carcass of a dead animal combined with all the nasty bacteria it can create is not something I'd like in my water. I'm a strong advocate of using the "pure ammonia" method. (Throw a cocktail shrimp in a glass of water and let it sit for a few days...then look at the water and smell it. 'Nuff said)
I certainly wouldn't consider dwarfs pets that possibly shouldn't be kept. I kept them for 4+ years. My oldest dwarfs were 2+ years in my care. At the time the tank crashed, due to a heater that stuck ON, the youngest dwarfs in the tank were just about a year and the oldest were just about 2 years. So I kept them long-term. It take a lot of time. A lot of patience. A lot of water changes. Again, MUCH more work than the larger horses.
If, after thinking about it for a few more days/weeks, you are of the mind-set you would like to try again, let us all know. We're all here to help. However, if you have doubts or can't be 110% positive you want to continue - I'd suggest you try a tank of something else until that "seahorses itch" returns and you dream of trying it again.
Tom

 

[jaodissa]

Thanks for the help. I appreciate the input and had no idea the way I cycled the tank was inappropriate. I read both methods and personally liked the one I chose. Had someone said it wasn't the better method or would lead to disaster I would have changed my choice.
As it stands now. I can't just quit the hobby. The fact is there are two remaining baby seahorses that need to be cared for. They can't live in the glass pint jar forever though. My tank has lvl'ed out. Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 nitrate 40
I have yet to do a water change and honestly I'm scared to put them back in the tank.
my options as I see them....
Keep them and try again
try and find a new home (although no one in the local area has or knows how to care for seahorses) So I would have to ship them.
I can live with both options. I love the little guys. They are adorable, and keeping them would be nice, but I'm not sure I would ever add anymore to the group after the drama I've had with them and I know they don't do well in small groups. I still can't say I want to stop or continue.
BUT what do I do now? What does my tank need to at least maintain these two until I finally make a decision.

 

[kacey]

I've been following this thread for a while, and I just thought I'd put in my two cents.
If you made mistakes in your setup in the past (and I am in no way qualified to say one way or the other), you can learn from them. Even the most respected hobbyists in the field started out as newcomers, and most of their excellent advice comes not only from reading and talking with other reef keepers, but from the mistakes they made as they learned. This is a challenging hobby, but the challenge is what makes it so rewarding.
Nobody is going to care about these babies like you would. Against all odds, they were born in your tank when everything else was crashing. The romantic in me says you were meant to have them. I vote you name them Phoenix and Lazarus and see if you can raise them up.