TR Sea horse stoped feeding/tail injury?

[Joe Damone]

Hi All,
My female TR seahorse has not been eating for the last 2 days and has a white patch/ bump on her tail. Seems like she wont hitch on anything. I tried dipping the tail in batadine(maby an injury) . I have has this horse for about 2 1/2 years. Any treatment advise ideas/ I t may be an injury or possibly a virus. Water in the tank tests ok. But I am having a brown slime algae problem. In case it is a water problem I am changing water. She has been eating frozen mysis



Thanks


Joe

[ann83]

Joe, could you give us the actual numbers for the parameter tests (specifically ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, & temp)? Any recent changes to the tank? Also, could you give some info about your system and list any tankmates and anything else the seahorse could have been injured on (powerhead intakes, uncovered heater, crabs, stinging corals, anemones, etc.). It could be an injury, but it could also be a bacterial infection. Also, please get a picture, that would help a ton.
Right now, I would move her to a hospital tank and bring the hospital tank temperature down to 68 degrees (if she is a tropical SH... lower if she is subtrop or temperate). Don't bring it down more than 4 degrees in 24 hours. This will aliviate some stress, allow more dissolved oxygen in the water, and slow the growth of any bacterial infection.
Is the white patch on her tail a lesion or a bubble? Again, good clear pics would help.
Also, there are disease pictures here http://forum.seahorse.org/index.php?showforum=63 that you might want to look through. To be honest, you may want to post over in the diseases and treatment forum there (seahorse.org), since they have mods who's job it is to watch the diseases and treatment forum and walk people through treating their SH on a daily basis... IMO, you are more likely to get quicker and more experienced advice there.

[ReefNutPA]

Hi Joe,

Ann is right on the money with her advice. Usually when I see/hear of hobbyists that have seahorses with tail issues, more often than not it's an infection (Vibrio) caused by high temps (76F or higher). Even a temp spike for a few days can cause havoc. And I know here in the Northeast it's been hot as heck recently. That's why many of us have chillers on our seahorse tanks.

Tom

[Joe Damone]

Hi,
Its not the temp as my tank has been at 77 f with no spikes. The only changes have been a water change. There are no other critters in the tank with the horse. Just snails. No heater in the tank nor powerheads. The only thing I can think of is during the water change her tail got hurt. Or something to do with the slime algae bloom. I have had these fish for years and I lost a yellow tang last night. So I am thinking water problems that I cant measure. I will test some more and look at the site.And change some more water tonight



Thanks

[Joe Damone]

PS think the batadine could help/hurt

[ann83]

I think that you are probably not dealing with an injury and are instead dealing with a bacterial infection. My recommendation stands to move her to a hospital tank and bring the temperature down to 68 degrees (using fans pointed at the surface & frozen water bottles if you have no other means). This would be appropriate for either an infection or an injury (and preventing secondary infection). Vibrio bacterial infections are more aggressive at temperatures higher than 74 degress, so the temperature she is at now isn't good for her. Please get a picture. I imagine you will need to treat with neomyacin and triple sulfa, so work on getting those medications as well. What are the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH readings in the tank? And have you been using anything to deal with the slime algae? I would also make sure that you have proper oxygenation in the aquarium and in the hospital tank by doing an O2 test and adding extra airlines, because if you have added anything to deal with the slime algae, that could have messed with O2.

[Joe Damone]

Ok what is the regimine and dosage of these meds. Am heading over to my vet

[ann83]

Neomycin 250mg PER GALLON, replacing what is removed from water changes daily for 10 days. (so doing 50% water change daily, its 250 mg per gallon on day 1, and 250 mg per NEW gallon on days 2-10 to be added after wc).
Triple Sulfa according to package instructions

Is she still eating?