seahorsecrazy Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 My baby seahorse has been sick for the last 4-5 days. She was fine in the afternoon swimming and playing happily, but then suddenly 'fell out of the sky'. She literally fell to the bottom of the tank and has been really sick since. She was not able to move at all as if she was paralysed. She could move her eyes and breathe, but that was all. I have had her suspended in filter wool so she is upright, without it she lays on her side. After force feeding her for the last few days she has started to regain some strength and is now able to swim for approx 30 seconds before hitting the bottom again. I am using a syringe and gently blowing live baby brine into her mouth while she is breathing to get at least something into her. She is refusing to eat otherwise. Any mysis I manage to get into her mouth, she just spits out. I know I must be doing something right because she is still alive even though she is unable to hunt for herself. I have had to take her out of the tank and feed her seperately from the others as the nitrite levels went through the roof with all the brine that was in the tank with the feeding I was doing. It seems hard on her to move her for every feed, but she is doing alot better when I let her with her mates during the day. The water is fine, I have been BB for approx 6 weeks and the live rock I have been given has had the nitrites to 0. I am at a total loss. My Husband says I must be doing the right thing as she is very slowly improving but man, what hard work! Does anyone have any suggestions as to why this may have happened? Up until this point she has been growing and playing really well. I am stumped. Nothing has changed to cause this. We even refuse to spray for houseflys now and use a swat (with huge graveyards in the lounge to clean up) to make sure I dont upset them. Where to from here? :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 a few questions what type of horse? what size? if others are alright then problem may be particular to that horse can you do a water change? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted January 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 She is a kuda, so tropical, and about 5-6cm in total length now. She is very small compared to her brood sister who is about 8-9cm in length. I have changed the water on their tank to get the nitrites back under control from the feeding I have been doing. When I transfer her to the other tank to feed her, I am using the same water from the main tank so as to limit the stress on her being moved regularly. Moving her only seems to be motivating her even though i know it is not the best thing to do, but she does seem happier when she is in with her two flatmates. I was wondering about swim bladder problems seeing as she just lies flat. When she is able to swim she goes straight to the bubbles. Not sure if she wants bubbles in particular or just the waterflow that is associated with them. There is plenty of bubbles in both tanks so a lack of air doesnt seem to be the main problem. Do they have strokes? Just grasping at straws here, but it almost looks that way... Paula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsemad Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hi Paula A couple more questions for you When it swims does it have difficulty keeping up right? Are there any small marks on her body or bubbles around her eyes? Does the snout look damaged in any way (maybe split slightly)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted January 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Definately trouble swimming upright, although slowly improving over today from the last few days, can stay upright a bit longer. can see no obvious marks anywhere nor a tear in the snout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsemad Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 then i think it could possibly be internal gas bubble disease. Symtoms are abnormal swelling at the top of the abdomen and they tend to float sideways at the top of the tank. I think you are doing the right thing. Lots of water changes and keep enticing them with the brine shrimp and trying to get them eating mysis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted January 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Do they come right or am I just prolonging the inevidable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsemad Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Sometimes they do and sometimes they dont. it sounds like yours might just pull through. Once they get better they can slip back easily so you may have to keep up with 20 - 30% weekly water changes until the seahorse has built up its immunity again and that can take a couple of months. Keep trying on brine shrimp and mysis Keep working at it, they are worth it. Good Luck!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted January 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Thanks for the help and the encouragement. I hope that we manage to win this one. On another note, do you recommend a particular type of cleaning shrimp? I would like to be able to add one or two to the tank - still waiting on a bigger tank, but feel it may be time to start with a cleanup crew of sorts. I have a couple of catseye snails and limpets that came with the live rock, but they dont eat what leftover food gets caught in the liverock or the 'grasses' that are growing from it. Suggestions? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsemad Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Glass shrimp. You can collect them from rock pools. The very small ones will be eaten by the seahorses and the bigger ones will eat whats left over. Make sure they are not too big as you have quite small seahorses. You mention that you have some grasses in your tank. Is the grss stuck to the rocks, green and hairy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted January 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Yeah thats right. Good or bad? Thanks about the shrimp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsemad Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Bad. Might pay to do some research on Green Hairy algae and hydroids for your little seahorse. A really good place to research for seahorses is this website www.syngnathid.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted January 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 No, not hydroids, definately GHA. Will start removal ASAP and try to bring phos down in water. Is there a manual way to RO the water, or remove phos before mixing salt up? Baby did six laps of the big (32litre) tank today before settling to the bottom to 'sleep'. She is slowly getting better. Phos causing problems I wonder. Others arent worried. :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 You are to be applauded for all the hard work you are doing to help your sick seahorse Keep us posted and I sure hope he gets well! Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted January 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 Hey guys, have some good news. Baby SH is just about up and running as normal, but with one fairly big handicap. Whatever caused her 'paralysis' and made her fall over has seemed to come right, but she seems to be blind now. Her eyes are moving as normal, no milky look to them, but she is moving extremely cautiously and bumping into things all the time. She will not hunt. She will not feed on her own. I still have to pull her out of the tank and put her in a small one to feed her with a syringe of tiny live brine. She wont take mysis at all unless I actually force it down her throat - something I dont want to do as it will eventually go wrong and hurt her. She is not losing weight anymore, so I must be getting a certain amount into her. All I can do is hope that maybe she will get her sight back. She wont even hitch to a plant to sleep, she just gets to the bottom of the tank and if not proped up, she lays on her side where there isnt too much current. If I am careful at night, I can get her to settle in one of the plants but she is suspended under her throat on a leaf or similar. Wont hitch with her tail - which, by the way is now with full motion again. I am trying a new way to feed her. She is in a very small container which I have place the food for all three horses. She is swimming in the 'soup' - not too rich mind, and then I am releasing her into the tank with the others and feeding them from her container, the rest of the food. They are a little peeved that they have to wait their turn, but no adverse affects on them otherwise. Thanks for all the help. I have 'harvested' as much of the GHA as I could, and have been routinely placing the snails on the bits left. Good news on the tank status. My Husband has bought me an Aqua One 830 (150litre) for my Birthday. I will get this next week and cycle it for a while before introducing the girls to their new home. Hopfully I have rid of the green hairy algae by then and I hope to find some glass shrimp to go into it to help over all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 well done! its rewarding when you manage to bring a sick fish/horse back from the brink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmxmatt Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Also a few weeks later, when its looking healthy and happy, makes u feel pretty good... I look at my Blue Tang now, that was once covered in Ich, now looking fantastic and it's pretty satisfying seeing that ur efforts paid off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsecrazy Posted January 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Boo Hoo. Baby has died. She was doing so well, but over the last day or so she was less and less active. When I got up this morning, the other two were in a corner they dont frequent. Looking for Baby, she had died in their 'bed' plant. Thank you to those who have helped me thru this, I know we can feed them by hand now and that they will survive, maybe she had some internal dmage from her paralysis that finally took her. I had tried to encourage her to eat on her own and only hand feeding her once a day, and that may have contributed to her demise, but I dont think I would have ever known if she could survive on her own if I hadnt tried. Once agin thank you to all that have offered their help. I have two lovely girls to continue with who are vibrant and happy. :bounce: On a happier note, I think I have mastered the art of live shrimp. All are well and eager to feed. A couple have molted and are looking bright and shiny so all going well I should have youg ones to help feed my girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgeous Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 sorry bout the SH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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