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Good bye my little H. Reidis......


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  1. #1
    Sea~Horse~Whisperer - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Wisconsin Rapids, WI
    Posts
    1,141

    Default Good bye my little H. Reidis......

    I have had a major crisis in the 65G H Reidi tank. I have lost all but 1 of my Reidis. Thanks to DavidP I have a few ideas of what may have happened, but no way to know for sure.

    Back up to 1 1/2 weeks ago. All 6 reidis were fine. Eating, playing, looking active and beautiful, happily doing what sea horses do.
    Then the temp. outside jumped to 92 degrees before we got the air conditioners installed. I was prepared for this or so I thought. I had (12 ) 1G ziplock bags filled 3/4 full of RO water frozen solid in the chest freezer to float in the tank.
    By noon I had used all 12 bags and the temp rose to 80 in the tank. ( normal is 74)
    We did get the air conditioners installed that night so the following day the tank was at the normal temp. again. All of the sea horses ate daily and acted fine.

    2 days later I went to feed them in the morning and I noticed only 4 came out to eat. I was in a hurry to get to work and I didn't have time to investigate. I came home from work and when I went to feed them I couldn't find any of them. Not 1 was visable. I checked the temp. It was 74 as usual. Frantically I start to move rocks to try to find them. By this time I was freaking out. With every rock I moved I found a little sea horse body. I was crying so hard by body #4 I had to stop and wait till I could see. The 5th body was mostly eaten by the cleaners in the tank, but I couldn't find the 6th one. I just happened to to move a large patch of macro in the tank and I saw something move. 1 was still alive!! All wrapped in the macro, but alive just the same.

    I set up a 5G eclipse with water out of my reef tank and acclimated him / her over the next hour and a half. So far so good. She is eating and doesn't seem to be effected by whatever killed the others. She does seem very lonely and probably has no idea why she is now alone in a new tank.

    After a few frantic and sad PM's to DavidP we have narrowed it down to the heat issue since all water parameters were fine. I "think" the deaths were either due to 1.) Just plain overheating or 2.) The heat caused a bacterial bloom (virbo?) in the tank and that is why it took a few days for them to die.

    I have 2 fish in this tank 1 firefish and 1 yellow watchman goby. Both are fine. All of the snails, crabs, and peppermint shrimp are fine. The 20 soft corals and zoanthids are fine. NOTHING else besides the sea horses died or showed any signs of stress. That's what leaves me to believe a vibro infection bloomed due to the rise in Temp.

    I can not look at that tank without tears and I can not believe how much I miss them. I hate myself for not being better prepared. The airconditioners were in the garage!!! All I had to do was unpack and install them. It's my fault.....there is no sugar coating the fact that this was 100% preventable. I feel like I need to ask forgiveness from someone....maybe the sea horse gods, I don't know. I just know I let them down..........period.

    Yes this was a hard lesson for me to learn, sadly it was harder on them.
    I still have the 1 H. Reidi and I still have my pair of H. Erectus. I do not want to get anymore H. Reidis, but I feel so bad for the little lonley girl I have left. If anyone can give her a good home, please let me know. You MUST have sea horse experience. She has been tramatized enough. (reef_angel are you interrested?)

    Since the 65G is now void of any sea horses, I'm going to wait 2 months and then put my Erectus pair in there instead of setting up the 47G coulmn tank I bought for them. I want to make sure that whatever killed the H. Reidis is gone.

    My 125G reef tank was sold last week, so I only have the 65G sea horse tank and my 12G nano QT tank that the erectus are in. Oh, and the little 5G eclipse tank that the reidi is in, temporarily.

    It was a sad day made even worse by my stupidity.

  2. #2
    mutts - Reefkeeper Registered User
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    IL
    Posts
    904
    First Name
    Manda Wolf

    Default

    oh angie... i'm so sorry! it is terrable. don't beat yourself up to badly we all know how quickly the termperture can rise, and we all know how much you care about and love your ponies. i really hope you will be able to have more, you are a very good sea horse mommy no matter how you feel right now. i also hope these doesn't scare you away from the hobby.

    i really am so sorry for your loss.
    ~Amanda~

    It is really nice to see you here in this thread. While your online how about you go over to the TOTM thread and enter or vote. It will only take a minute

  3. #3

    Default

    Angie, that is so sad! I am really heartbroken for you. I have followed your progress so far and know what an enthusiastic and dedicated "mommy" you are. Please don't be too hard on yourself, ok? (((((HUGS)))))

    Please keep us updated on the tank and your remaining ponies. I'm sure you'll find a great home for your lonley little girl!


  4. #4
    dakar - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    NOLA
    Posts
    4,336
    First Name
    Dave

    Default

    Angie, aww man that really sucks rocks... hearing your tale makes me feel a bit bettter about the late night run to fetch up the window unit when the central air didn't fire up when it should have a couple weeks back.

    Let us know if there is anything we can do to help! Us folks way out in the boonies have to remember there really is some help around in an emergency.
    Every electronic device is manufactured with smoke stored deep inside... only a true genius can find a way to set it free.

  5. #5
    lReef lKeeper - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    louisville ky
    Posts
    1,456
    First Name
    Bobby

    Default

    i was thinking of doing a sea horse only tank, but after reading this i think it is a little out of my league right now. too may factors to consider and to complicated to keep them going. sorry to hear about your mishap Angie.

  6. #6
    Sea~Horse~Whisperer - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Wisconsin Rapids, WI
    Posts
    1,141

    Default

    Thank you all for your kind words. It has been a rough 2 weeks for sure. I'm sure things will get better as time goes on. I just miss them terribly. Without my 125G reef and all of the redi's, it seems like I don't have much to do thease days, lol. In the last month I have gotten rid of 5 fish tanks, so I'm not sure what to do with all my extra time. Not to mention the fact that my oldest daughter is in Arkansas for the summer and my youngest leaves this comming weekend to go by her dad for the summer. My husband is an over the road truck driver.....so I'm on my own for the summer. First time in 14 yrs, lol. Very strange indeed. So many hours with nothing to do.

    Angie

  7. #7
    Reef_Angel - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Wisconsin Dells, WI
    Posts
    1,591

    Default I'll take your last little girl :seahorse:

    Hi Angie!
    I'm so sorry to hear about your poor little babies. It breaks my heart to hear what you've been through because I've heard and seen how hard it is on you. Needless to say, I'm worried about you, but I can't find your phone number anywhere! Why didn't you call me the day it all happened or before it got to that point. We could have put them in the hall tank. Please call me or leave me a message with your number again! Again, I'm so sorry for you.
    Talk to you soon! Angel :angel2:
    Have a Wonderful Day on the Reef!
    :angel07:...Reef_Angel
    Owner/Administrator

    **If you have a need to phone me,
    PM me and we can arrange for a chat!



    ~*
    Angels do a lot of things, but they will not take away your free will or the lessons you are here on earth to learn.*~

  8. #8
    dsfdbutterfly - Reefkeeper Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    272

    Default

    The heartbreak of losing something you care so much for is not easy to get over. I do hope that with time your heart will heal itself. Please do not beat yourself up though. As you said, you thought that you were prepared with the ice and if you had known that this would be the outcome you never would have hesitated.

    Unfortunately we have all gone through the lose of a critter(s). As I watch my fish swim around (waiting to be feed) I have to remember how quickly it could all change. You did not intentionally bring harm to those that perished therefore do not end your right to bring life into your home. There are so many others that care so much less than what I have seen you in your posts and pics. You truely care and want to give the best to those that dwell below the ocean line.

    Please give yourself time but don't forget that you have love to give. Your heart will heal and although you won't forget and for a while I'm sure the tears will be close to the surface, you will find yourself being a great mommy to the horses you have left and possibly more to come.

    Angie
    When you make a mistake look for the lesson to be learned and try not to repeat it.

  9. #9
    JustDavidP - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Marlborough, MA
    Posts
    738

    Default

    Angie,

    Just got back from Atlanta where I talked to another seahorse keeper/breeder. He has many years of experience in ponies. He JUST lost a tank full of 4 inch fish that were just getting ready for release to new homes. His tank got to 87 degrees and he quickly cooled it down. Within days, his ponies were just listless, and some were swaying as if they had neurological issues. Eventually he lost all but 3.

    Again, extreme temps CAN cause problems; from low oxygen levels to the rapid spread of bacterium. This is why most seahorse keepers will keep their tanks at or around 75F. True.. in the waters where H. Reidi are found, the temps are closer to "reef" temperatures, but it is a whole different ballgame in a captive system. It doesn't take long for Vibro or other issues to spread through 65 gallons of water and it is proven that the rise in the temperature aids in the reproduction or splitting of certain bacteria and viruses.

    Still sending positive thoughts your way.

    Dave
    ><((((

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