Male Reidi - 2009/07/02 17:06Hey, my male died this morning, the gas bubble disease had gotten to the swim bladder and had become external. We took him to a vet who specialises in marines yesterday who gave him an antibiotic injection and more carbonic anhydrase inhibitor. I'm worried now about the female, more about her being on her own in the tank, should she have tank mates other than the cleaner shrimp that she seems to have a fondness for? Thanks, especially Pete who helped me with the male
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Rats! I'm very sorry to hear that your Brazilian male didn't make it. All my condolences on your loss, Esther.
Internal gas bubble syndrome, in which the gas emboli and excess gas affect the swimbladder or build up within the abdominal cavity or coelom of the seahorse, is much more difficult to cure then other forms of gas bubble syndrome (GBS). You did the right thing, Esther -- injections of acetazolamide (a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor) and antibiotics are the best course of treatment for internal GBS. Unfortunately, it sounds like your Hippocampus reidi was simply too far gone to respond to the medications.
But it is wonderful that you have located a veterinarian who works with marine fish in your area and who was willing to treat your seahorse for GBS aggressively. That is a very wonderful resource for any seahorse keeper to have, and now that you have contacted the vet, the chances are good that you'll be able to save the seahorse if you ever have a problem like this again. Here are the recommended instructions for the necessary injections for future reference, Esther:
<open quote> Injected Acetazolamide (Brand Name Diamox)
The suggested treatment regimen for acetazolmide injections is as follows:
Inject acetazolamide at a dosage of 2-3 mg/kg intradermally or intramuscularly every five to seven days for up to three treatments. For best results, add ceftazidime (Fortaz) injections to the treatment regimen at a dosage of 22 mg/kg intramuscularly every 5-7 days, again for up to three treatments. (Ceftazidime is an antibiotic). If these drugs prove hard to find, the acetazolamide injections alone appear to be nearly as effective as the combination treatment.
In order to determine the proper dosage for the intramuscular injections, you need to be able to weigh the seahorses accurately, and you must obtain the injectable form of the medications (it is not feasible to prepare a solution of the medication using Diamox tablets).
Due to their bony exoskeleton, injections are particularly challenging with seahorses. Seahorses store their limited fat reserves primarily in their tail, which is the most muscular part of their body. The meaty part at the base of the tail is best suited for IM injections. If you attempt the intramuscular injections, I would suggest targeting the base of the tail just beneath the pouch using a ventral approach with a shallow angle of attack. The needle should be directed between the scutes/plate margins for ease of penetration through the skin. The external area can be rinsed with sterile saline or a drop of a triple antibiotic ophthalmic solution applied prior to needle penetration. <Close quote>
It can certainly be traumatic for a seahorse to lose its mate, Esther, although a widowed seahorse does not go into a state of decline and died of a broken heart or anything of that nature. But captive-bred-and-raised seahorses are highly gregarious, social animals that ordinarily enjoy the company of others of their kind very much, so if you are concerned about your solo seahorse becoming lonely by itself, you might consider taping a mirror up against the aquarium glass where your pony can get a good look at herself. Seahorses will often interact with their own reflections in the aquarium glass, so having a mirror-image seahorse that moves in response to her own actions can be very reassuring for a single seahorse and perk up the isolated individual dramatically. It's an effective technique for a situation like yours and can fool the lonely seahorse into thinking he or she is still in the presence of other seahorses.
As far as GBS goes, Esther, females are usually very resistant to the various forms of gas bubble syndrome so I don't think you need to be concerned that your female H. reidi is going to be victimized by the same sort of problems with GBS that claimed your male. The heavily vascularized, physiologically dynamic, placentalike brood pouch or marsupium of the males is what makes them prone to problems such as chronic pouch emphysema and other forms of GBS, so I think your female is probably in the clear in that regard.
Best wishes with all your fishes, Esther.
Respectfully, Pete Giwojna
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EstherB
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Re:Male Reidi - 2009/07/04 04:25Thanks Pete, I think he would have gone quicker without your help. Next time I would know what to do straight away, unfortunately found the vet when the seahorse was really ill! My mam would like more seahorses, most probably another reidi but as you have said about how social they are I don't think it would be a problem. I think I would be tempted to get another female to avoid the gas problems, but when the seahorses mated in the past it was really something else! My priority at the moment is my little girl, but she seems more worried about her next meal! Anyway, thanks sooooo much once again Pete!
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Yes, if you would like to provide a companion for your female and you are concerned about problems with gas bubble syndrome (GBS), adding another female is certainly a valid option. Many hobbyists with relatively shallow aquariums that are prone to problems with GBS will keep only female seahorses, as do many home hobbyists who do not have the time or resources to devote to breeding and therefore want to prevent their ponies from mating. Most of the time the same-sex setups do very well and the females get along great with no hostility whatsoever. In fact, sometimes the fillies will court with each other and appear to be perfectly content in the company of other females.
There is a slightly increased risk of egg binding when females are kept in a same-sex environment, but I wouldn't let that deter you. Egg binding is quite uncommon and I have only seen or heard of a handful of cases in all my years, so the risk is really rather remote.
Of course, it is always great fun and very fascinating to watch the courtship ritual and breeding behavior of a mated pair, so if you want to try another stallion with your female that is also a practical option for you. It does increase the possibility that you may see more problems with chronic pouch emphysema or other forms of GBS at some point, but I think you are very well prepared now to deal with any such problems if they should crop up. You should have no trouble obtaining Diamox from the veterinarian, if needed, and your vet can even administer injections of the appropriate medications, if need be.
Pregnant males are particularly vulnerable to chronic pouch emphysema and other forms of gas bubble syndrome (GBS), and it is not uncommon for a male that is carrying a brood of young to develop problems with pouch gas and positive buoyancy. Pregnancy is naturally a high-risk period for pouch emphysema and pouch gas for a couple of reasons.
First of all, breeding males are often especially susceptible to chronic pouch emphysema and GBS in general because of the placenta-like changes that occur in the lining of the pouch during pregnancy. Spongelike, its tissues expand as the capillaries and blood vessels swell and multiply. A film of tissue then forms around each embedded egg, providing it with a separate compartment (alveolus) of its own. The thickening of the wall of the marsupium and elaboration of pouch structures around the implanted eggs result in a dramatic increase in vascularization, and this increased blood supply (hence increased concentration of carbonic anhydrase) transports more dissolved gases to the pouch, increasing the risk of GBS accordingly. The increased blood supply to the marsupium during pregnancy thus makes breeding males increasingly susceptible to the formation of intravascular gas emboli (micronuclei or seed bubbles) at this time, which can result in pouch emphysema and positive buoyancy problems.
Secondly, pouch bloat can be caused by gas produced by the decay of embryonic material and the remains of placental tissue or other organic matter (possibly even stillborn young) within the brood pouch, if the male is unable to flush it out and cleanse it properly by pumping water in and out during its pouch displays (Cozzi-Schmarr, per. com.).
I know of a couple of cases in which male seahorses developed pouch emphysema and/or other forms of GBS every time they became pregnant. When they weren't breeding, they were just fine, but when they were carrying a brood of young, they were invariably plagued with pouch gas and buoyancy problems. Providing the GBS was managed properly (typically by administering Diamox orally via gut-loaded shrimp, in cases like this), the affected male is usually able to give birth normally and recover fully afterwards.
So if you want to provide your solo seahorse with a companion at some point, Esther, either another female or a new stallion should certainly be doable.
Best wishes with all your fishes, Esther!
Respectfully, Pete Giwojna
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