Deworming

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

Could someone post the best way and meds to use to deworm a seahorse? I think it would be good to have on this site. I noticed one of my seahorses has stringy poop. (My last male) How do you know if it's worms or parasites? I have looked on the org, and there seems to be different ways and different meds. If one has it, should I worm all of them? Since the stringy poop is in the main tank, won't it infect the entire tank now? Grrrr how do I treat the display tank? (Yes I QT'd this seahorse. I had 2 in QT and I never seen the stringy poop in the QT tank. It just started to get stringy)

Thanks,
Angie

[seahorsedreams]

Stringy poop is indeed a sign of intestinal worms however it is more commonly seen in fish that are not eating well. But I believe yours are WC aren't they? So that does increase the risk of worms. PraziPro would be what I would and have used. You would use the standard instructions on the side of the product. I have the 1oz bottle and wouldn't be able to read it if I wanted to. Where your horses didn't have stringy poop in WT and now does... I'm thinking it's an eating issue not necessarily a worm issue.
Everyone make sure you do not medicate in a diaplay tank!

One way worms are spread is when one animals eats another animals infected poop.... and horses can be poop eaters.... accidentally or otherwise.

[Reef_Angel]

If it isn't one thing Angie, it's another. No meds in your pile for worming huh? I'm going to Madison tomorrow I think. I won't know until around 10-11am, but I may just go. Maybe this would be a good day for you to come with me if you want. Call me around 11am tomorrow! ....Angel

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

I do have a few dewormers. I'm just not sure which one would be most effective. I have PraziPro. I will feed it out to some shrimp them feed the seahorse in the AM. I just know there are others that I have read about. Deworming is the easiest treatment I have had to do.

As for my seahorses being WC, I'll never know. The LFS I got them from says they are captive bred. I don't believe it. With all of the diseases I've had with them, I have to believe they are wild caught. I can't imagine them being from a breeder. The first batch that she got in had parasitic isopods on them. They wouldn't come off in a FW bath so I did a formalin dip. That didn't work, so I ended up removeing about 15 - 20 of them from all different horses with a tweezers. I added wound controle to the spots I pulled them from. Talk about tramatized seahorses.
I can't imagine CB seahorses haveing the parasitic isopods on them. More likely in WC. I treated them and QT'd them as WC just to be on the safe side.

Angie

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

Susan, I will give you a call in the morning...sounds good.

[seahorsedreams]

Oh Sorry Angie, I thought you had said previously they were WC. Were they kept in a tank connected to the store's "common system" or were they in stand alone tank before you bought them?

[Reef_Angel]

It would be nice to locate a photo of passed Seahorse poop with worms in it. I think it would be a good piece of info for any of us that own seahorses. Most of the time, my seahorses do-do looks like chopped mysis all bunched together. They will approach it as possible food and then turn away from it. i have seen some poop lately with a filmy clear substance along with it, and a little brown string along with the white mysis poop. Is this indeed worms that my seahorses have. I honestly thought it was normal, but now you've all got me wondering. My seahorses are tank raised, and I really don't know what they could have had that would cause worms as they haven't had anything new introduced into the tank. Somebody, me included....should try to snag a picture of pony poop! lol Let's be sure before we treat it as such. I know I'd appreciate knowing for sure I wasn't treating something that was normal.
....Angel :angel1:

[seahorsedreams]

You asked for it.....:-)



Normal poop on the left.... stringy poop to the right.

[seahorsedreams]

i have seen some poop lately with a filmy clear substance along with it, and a little brown string along with the white mysis poop.

That sounds like intestinal flagellates.

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

Would the prazipro work on intestinal flagellates too?
PraziPro directions state to use as a bath for 5-7 days. I hate doing that. I don't like them soaking in chemicals to treat an internal problem.
I have the fenbendazole granuals (safe guard dog wormer), would that work better? Since my seahorses don't eat brineshrimp, how do I soak frozen mysis in it? It would be pretty hard to inject it into Hakari mysis. They are pretty small.

I believe my male has both worms and intestinal flagellates since he has the stringy poop and I do see the clear stuff every now and then. I will have to treat all 3 since they have been together in the same tank.

As for them being CB or WC, I was told they were CB, but I'd bet a good chunk of change they are WC. You can't always believe what you're told by the LFS. They are being sold for 35.00 each, so they'd almost have to be WC.