For the last couples days my seahorses are not eating the same as they are used to and they are swiming more to the top of the tank and one of them has beeing scratching his back and head with its tail.
I checked the water and everything is normal. The only change in the last week has been the addition of 3 small blue african pipe fish and 3 small jans pipe fish. They are not bothering the seahorses and they are eating very well.
Could someone tell me what this behavior means?
I have 3 kudas , when i got them one was yellow and the other were black and I thougth I have a female and 2 males , but now all of them are yellow and because of the shape of their bellies I think all of them are females . If I send you pictures would you help me to see what are the sex of them?
Thank you for your help.Jairo Rios
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I suspect that your seahorses have developed a problem with ectoparasites, most likely introduced to the aquarium along with the new pipefish, and that the irritation from these parasites is why they are off their feed and attempting to scratch themselves. Protozoan parasites typically attack the skin and gills of the fish, and you will often see them attempting to scratch their heads as a result. A heavy infestation involving the gills will interfere with the seahorses' breathing and you will often see affected fish swimming near the top of the aquarium where the dissolved oxygen levels are the highest near the air/water interface, or perched up high with their heads directly in the outflow from the filter in an effort to assist their breathing.
Are the seahorses displaying any signs of respiratory distress (huffing, panting, labored breathing, or rapid respirations), Jairo?
I would recommend treating your seahorse tank with quinine sulfate, sir. It is an anti-parasitic that is very effective in eradicating the most common protozoan parasites such as marine ick (Cryptocaryon irritans), marine velvet (Amyloodinium), and Brooklynella. Outbreaks of these parasites are very common following the introduction of new wild-caught fish.
Here are the instructions for treating the aquarium with quinine sulfate:
Quinine Sulfate
USE: resistant strains of ick (Cryptocaryon), protozoan parasites, and sliminess of the skin. Also good for resistant strains of Hexamita when combined with metronidazole.
DOSAGE: 1/4 teaspoon per 10 gallons. Treat one time and leave in the water for 5-7 days. Remove activated carbon and chemical filtration media and turn off UV and your protein skimmer during the treatment period.
When treating resistant strains of ick in a central system only, treat once every three days with a 25% water change before each treatment. Do at least three treatments = nine day period.
You can obtain quinine sulfate without a prescription from National Fish Pharmaceuticals at the following URL: will Click here: Fish Medications http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/products.html
While you are waiting for the medication to arrive, you can provide the seahorses with some immediate relief by giving them a freshwater dip, as explained below:
Here are the instructions for performing a freshwater dip.
Freshwater Dips
A freshwater dip is simply immersing your seahorse in pure, detoxified freshwater that's been preadjusted to the same temp and pH as the water the seahorse is accustomed to, for a period of up to 10 minutes (Giwojna, Dec. 2003). It doesn't harm them -- seahorses typically tolerate freshwater dips exceptionally well and a 10-minute dip should be perfectly safe. Freshwater dips are effective because marine fish tolerate the immersion in freshwater far better than the external parasites they play host to; the change in osmotic pressure kills or incapacitates such microorganisms within 7-8 minutes (Giwojna, Dec. 2003). A minimum dip, if the fish seems to be doing fine, is therefore 8 minutes. Include some sort of hitching post in the dipping container and shoot for the full 10 minutes with your seahorses (Giwojna, Dec. 2003).
If you will be using tap water for the freshwater dip, be sure to dechlorinate it beforehand. This can be accomplished usually one of the commercial dechlorinators, which typically include sodium thiosulfate and perhaps a chloramine remover as well, or by aerating the tap water for at least 24 hours to dissipate the chlorine (Giwojna, Dec. 2003).
If you dechlorinate the dip water with a sodium thiosulfate product, be sure to use an airstone to aerate it for at least one hour before administering the dip. This is because the sodium thiosulfate depletes the water of oxygen and the dip water must therefore be oxygenated before its suitable for your seahorse(s). Regardless of how you detoxify the freshwater for the dip, it's important to aerate the water in the dipping container well beforehand to increase the level of dissolved oxygen in the water. Many hobbyists leave the airstone in the dipping container throughout the procedure.
Adjusting the pH of the water in the dipping container so that it matches the pH of the water in the aquarium is a crucial step. Ordinary baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) will suffice for raising the pH of the water. If there is too much of a difference in the pH, there is a possibility the seahorse could go into shock during the dipping procedure. Preadjusting the pH will prevent that from happening. If you will are unsure about your ability to accurately adjust the pH in the dipping container, avoid this procedure altogether or be prepared to monitor the seahorse very carefully or shorten the duration of the tip to no more than about 4 minutes.
Observe the horse closely during the dip. You may see some immediate signs of distress or shock. Sometimes the horse will immediately lie on its side on the bottom. That's a fairly common reaction -- normal and to be expected, rather than a cause for concern, so don't be alarmed if this happens. Just nudge or tap the seahorse gently with your finger if it lies down on its side. Normally, the seahorse will respond to the slight nudge by righting itself again and calm down for the duration of the dip. However, if it does not respond, stop the treatment.
Most seahorses tolerate the treatment well and experience no problems, but if you see continued signs of distress -- twitching, thrashing around etc. -- stop the treatment.
After you have completed the dip and returned the seahorses to the aquarium, save the dip water and examine it closely for any sign of parasites. The change in osmotic pressure from saltwater to freshwater will cause ectoparasites to lyse (i.e., swell and burst) or drop off their host after 7-10 minutes, and they will be left behind in the dipping water. Protozoan parasites are microscopic and won't be visible to the naked eye, but some of the other ectoparasites can be clearly seen. For example, monogenetic trematodes will appear as opaque sesame seeds drifting in the water (Giwojna, Aug. 2003) and nematodes may be visible as tiny hairlike worms 1/16-3/16 of an inch long. Other parasites may appear as tiny dots in the water. Freshwater dips can thus often provide affected seahorses with some immediate relief by ridding them of these irritating pests and can also aid their breathing by flushing out gill parasites.
As for the gender of your seahorses, if you can provide photographs of all three of your Hippocampus kuda that show their abdomens in profile so that the anal fin is visible, I would be happy to verify the sex of your seahorses.
Best wishes with all your fishes, Jairo! Here's hoping that you soon have things back to normal again in your seahorse tank and that your new pipefish thrive alongside the H. kuda.
Respectfully, Pete Giwojna
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I just did a freshwater dip to all my seahorses and a 20 % water change to the tank.
Do I need to do more dips?
I got at the local fish store a product call ich-attack a 100 % organic for saltwater that treats diseases caused by ich,fungus,protozoans and dinoflagellates. It was the only medicine i found in town. I just wanted to do something rigth away. There is another product nerby town that i could drive and get it tomorrow if you think it would help is call Kick-Ich by ruby reef .
I ordered the Quinine Sulfate and I will get it on Monday . Is this too late?
Thank you very much for your help.Jairo Rios
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Okay, that's a good start that you were able to safely accomplish the freshwater dips. That should provide the seahorses with some immediate relief from protozoan parasites and most external parasites, in general, and is the best first aid measure you can administer quickly when dealing with a problem like this, sir.
Did you notice any sign of ectoparasites left behind in dipping container afterwards, Jairo? Any sign of gill flukes, trematodes, or nematodes? Any suspicious dots or flecks in the dipping water following the seahorses' dips that weren't there before hand?
I have never used the products you mentioned (ich-attack or Kick-ich), Jairo. I have no idea what the active ingredient in ich-attack may be, but hopefully it will be able to keep the parasitic infestation under control until the quinine sulfate arrives on Monday. The quinine sulfa is very effective against a wide range of protozoan parasites and is certainly the most appropriate treatment when you're not certain whether you're dealing with marine ich (Cryptocaryon irritans), marine velvet (Amyloodinium), Brooklynella or some other ectoparasite.
I would get some fresh activated carbon so that you can remove the ich-attack from the aquarium water quickly before you dose the aquarium with quinine sulfate when it arrives. When you get the quinine sulfate, perform a major water change and then add the fresh activated carbon to your power filter and run it for several hours to remove as much of the ich-attack as possible. Then remove the activated carbon and dose the tank with quinine sulfate according to the instructions.
If the seahorses are still itching and exhibiting symptoms of respiratory distress (huffing, panting, labored breathing, rapid respirations, etc.) despite the freshwater dip and the addition of the ich-attack, you may need to do some additional dips in the meantime to provide your seahorses with additional relief and better control the parasites until you receive the quinine sulfate. If so, I would recommend performing brief dips in hydrogen peroxide as explained below, because they are easier on fishes suffering from respiratory distress and can be administered on a daily basis, if necessary.
Here are the instructions for performing the very brief hydrogen peroxide dips, sir:
Hydrogen Peroxide (H202) Dips
A very quick dip 10-second dip in a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution is effective in cleansing fish of Uronema and other protozoan parasites. The hydrogen peroxide dipping solution is prepared by taking one gallon of dechlorinated freshwater and then removing 10-oz of the water and replacing it with 10-oz of 35% hydrogen peroxide instead. (Note: 35% is the standard concentration of hydrogen peroxide that you obtain at the drugstore or probably have in your medicine chest at home.) This formula will produce a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide for the brief dip (Kollman, 2003).
You can also scale this formula down by starting with 1/2 gallon of dechlorinated freshwater for the dip, and then removing 5 ounces of the water and replacing it with 5 ounces of 35% hydrogen peroxide instead. That will again produce a ~3% solution of hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 gallon is enough for dipping seahorses if you put it in a relatively small container rather than a large plastic bucket.
You can use the same dipping solution for dipping several seahorses in quick succession, but it should then be discarded and you will need to prepare a new solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide each day immediately before you perform the dips, if you will be doing them on a daily basis. This is necessary because the hydrogen peroxide dissipates fairly quickly and must be used immediately after it's prepared for best results.
Dip the affected seahorse in the hydrogen peroxide solution for 10 seconds and then return it to the main tank. Cup the seahorse in your hand so that you can remove the seahorse quickly after 10 seconds of exposure in the dipping container. The hydrogen peroxide dip will disinfect bacterial lesions and abrasions and help promote healing. The dips have the added benefit of cleansing the fish from some ectoparasites and may help the seahorse's breathing because the hydrogen peroxide greatly increases the dissolved oxygen levels in the dipping solution. The 3% hydrogen peroxide dips can be repeated once a day or once every three days as needed, depending on the severity of the infection/infestation.
Best of luck eradicating this infestation of parasites, Jairo. The quinine sulfate should do the trick once it arrives.
Respectfully, Pete Giwojna
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No, sir, I don't believe that your seahorse could have gotten any air while you were transferring him and administering a freshwater dip. The connection between the esophagus and the swimbladder in seahorses closes off very early in life, so there is no danger of mature seahorses gulping air and developing buoyancy problems if they are exposed to the air. Newborns should never be exposed to the air, but once they are a few days old that is no longer a concern.
Male seahorses do occasionally get air bubbles trapped in their pouches when they are pumping water in and out of their pouches during their vigorous courtship displays of "Pumping" and "Ballooning," but otherwise the aperture to the pouch is kept tightly closed with a powerful sphincter muscle that provides an airtight/watertight seal. I cannot imagine that your seahorses would have been in the mood to perform pouch displays while they were being dipped, so they should not have swallowed any air or trapped any air in their pouches during the dipping procedure.
However, it's certainly possible that your stallion may have a buildup of gas in his pouch due to a form of gas bubble syndrome known as pouch emphysema. This usually manifests itself as distention of the brood pouch (the marsupium, not the male's stomach or abdomen) accompanied by positive buoyancy.
Sometimes when a male seahorse insists on swimming or perching high up in the aquarium, it is because the stallion is having a problem with positive buoyancy, but it is usually easy to determine whether that's the case or not. Positive buoyancy can result from a number of different causes. For example, it may be due to hyperinflation of the swimbladder. As in many other bony fishes, the seahorse's gas bladder functions as a swim bladder, providing the lift needed to give them neutral buoyancy. In essence, the swim bladder is a gas-filled bag used to regulate buoyancy. Because the seahorse's armor-plated body is quite heavy, this organ is large in Hippocampus and extends well down into the body cavity along the dorsal boundary
When the swimbladder is inflated with just the right amount of gas, the buoyancy provided by this gasbag exactly cancels out the pull of gravity, and the seahorse will neither tend to to float nor tend to sink. This condition is known as neutral buoyancy, and it makes it very easy for the seahorse to swim and maneuver almost effortlessly. But when the swimbladder is over inflated with gas, the seahorse will have positive buoyancy and must exert a lot of energy when swimming in order to counteract the tendency to float. And if the swimbladder is underinflated, the seahorse has negative buoyancy and must swim hard in order to avoid sinking.
If your seahorse is a male, positive buoyancy can also result due to a build up of gas within its pouch. This can be from something as harmless as air bubbles becoming entrapped within the marsupium during its rigorous pouch thus plays when the seahorse was courting, or it could be due to a more serious problem such as chronic pouch emphysema, a form of gas bubble syndrome.
One simple way to determine if the seahorse is struggling with positive buoyancy is to observe him while he is swimming. The first indication of positive buoyancy is a loss of equilibrium. The seahorse's center of gravity shifts as it becomes more buoyant, and it will have increasing difficulty swimming and maintaining its normal posture, especially if it encounters any current. It will become apparent that the seahorse has to work hard to stay submerged, as it is forced to abandon its usual upright swimming posture and swim with its body tilted forward or even horizontally are upside down in order to use its dorsal fin to counteract the tendency to rise. So I would like you to gently induce your seahorse to release its grip on its hitching post, and then release him at the bottom of your aquarium and observe him closely to see if he can swim normally, in the typical upright swimming posture of Hippocampus, or if he struggles as described above and tends to float back up to the top of the aquarium again.
If your stallion is not having problems with positive buoyancy, then you can rest assured that he does not have air or gas trapped in his brood pouch and that he does not have an overinflated swim bladder. But if his pouch appears bloated and he is having problems with positive buoyancy, then it will be necessary to release the gas from his pouch by performing a manual evacuation, needle aspiration, or pouch flush, and he may need to be treated for gas bubble syndrome. So please let me know if the stallion you are concerned about is having difficulty swimming normally or shows any other signs of positive buoyancy.
Best of luck restoring your seahorse tank to normal, sir.
Respectfully, Pete Giwojna
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