It never ends......

[perpetual98]

Probably refering to your moniker (cuddle fish)

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

ahh haa, got it. DUGH!!! No I have not talked to Dakkar. I have talked to Susan (reef_angel) Am I supposed to talk to him about something?

Angie

[Kenny_Graham]

About your seahorse problem?? I thought you needed help. no/yes???

[Reef_Angel]

hahaha... unless Dakar does a ton of reading about seahorses, I don't think he'll be all that helpful either. He just likes to think he does! Sorry honey, I hate to dime you out like that, but.....

Anyway ANGIE, from what I've been reading, it sounds like your Seahorse has a definite Bacterial infection. The bloody part in the picture of the pony makes it sound that way to me. Bacterial infections are supposed to the the most common Seahorse problems. If your pony has open sores, and they look kind of bloody it's more than likely Bacterial. These infections progresses so fast that your pony can die in a matter of days. Is he still eating Angie? That would be in his favor if he is, and you may still have a chance at saving him. Keep him quaranteened and watch your other pony for any signs as well. Treat with erythromycin by adding 200 mg / 50 gallons (basic instructions), and mix a little powdered antibiotic with the ponies food. Bacterial infections are not supposed to be contagious, so your female may be ok in the long run. The bubble on the nose could have just been an air bubble trapped, but sounds like it's infected now. If it ever happens again, pop the bubble or any bubbles that appear on a pony's body so they don't infect. I really think it's part of the bacterial infection, so be aggressive now! There's a good antibiotic I've heard of called Kanamycin. It's supposed to be a little more effective than some of the other brands. Do you have any of that in your array of medications girl? You can soak some of the live foods you feed him in powerdered antibiotic also...like I said above. That would be a great way to get him the antibiotic quickly I would think. I just hope you come back and tell me he's still eating. Keep in touch!

I'm not as smart as DavidP on these things, but I've read my fool head off. I hope he pops on and either verifies what I've suggested or gives you some other idea. Time is of the essense now, so nothing can hurt at this point. Call me if you need any extra help. ......Angel :angel1:

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

I took a look at the sore on the seahorse's chest this afternoon while doing my daily 5g water change. It is still there, but it does appear to be smaller. It looks like the skin is healing where it was an open wound (center of the red spot). It is still red around the edges, but better. I'm on day 6 of the treatment and it required 10 days to complete the course of antibotics. If it is not completely cuured in 10 days I will confer with the experts to see if I should either A) start a second round of meds with a different family of antibotics or B) Continue another 10 day treatment with the current meds. I just don't want to over medicate him. He misses girlfriend, and she missed him. I want them back together, but not at the cost of their health. I will keep updating the progress.

If it is true that seahorses tend to darken when they are not feeling well, this isn't effecting him at all, lol. He is just as bright yellow as always. Silly sea horse.

Angie

[Kenny_Graham]

Wow if I had thought abouts some Ponies, now I think I'll pass.

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

Here are the pics of the sores 6 days into a 10 day treatment. Looking better, but not gone.

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

Kenny, I don't want to discourage you or anyone from getting sea horses. It is a personal decision and not all of them get ill. Most will have an illness sometime in there life. They are just one of the species that are prone to some illnesses. Just like tangs are more prone to ick than some of the other fish. The hardest part about a sea horse getting ill, is it usually hits hard and fast. Treatment needs to be started asap, and if you don't treat quickly, the sea horse can perish quickly. They do not have stomachs, so they are required to eat often. The down side to that is they often quit eating when they get ill. If they stop eating, there isn't much you can do besides tube feedings and that's a whole other event I'm not getting into here.
The best advise I could give anyone is to have all of the meds you "Might" need onhand BEFORE you even get the sea horses. When they get ill is no time to have to wait for meds to get shipped to you in the mail. By the time they get here, it could be too late.

I love my sea horses. They make me happy. In all of my years of keeping reef tanks, never did my corals greet me in the morning and dance for me for hours on end. They never made me laugh because they were doing something silly. My ponies do that for me every day.

If you have the time and do research and ensure that you are prepared to handle anything that may come up, Sea horses are great. But they do take time and special care. Not everyone should have them, but they are not as hard as some people think.


I hope that helped.

Angie

[Reef_Angel]

I agree with you Kenny! You saw my tank. The upkeep is quite time consuming. I would suggest mastering your 20g reef tank first! Don't ask your local LFS for anymore of their advice either! lol You've learned the hard way, that's for sure. Stick to what we've talked about and keep on reading about reefing and asking questions on the board, and make your tank what you want it to be...slow but sure! :study: ....Angel :seahorse:

[Sweetpea]

Angie, he looks SO much better! I am really happy for the three of you (you, him, and his lady friend)! :-)