Dead seahorses, please help to find the causes

[mollies123]

This is heartbreaking. I have a 24 Nano tank with 2 baby seahorses. Last couple of days the water get really cloudy but the water parameter is all good. No ammonia, no nitrite. The only thing I can think of is that when I did the water change， my husband made a media reactor bag which is filled with searched phosbanf and some activated carbon. Yesterday I went out, my husband decided to make a online nano reactor. I attached a picture. He put carbon and phosband iN it. I came home, the water is so cloudy and dark and both seahorses were dead. He didn't think he did anything wrong. I am looking for answers

 

[powdertang05]

My guess is the water quality was very poor. If the water is filled with gfo and carbon dust no animal is going to be happy in that situation. In the future always rinse media before use. To clear is the current issue I would recommend water changes. Dead animals will increase nh4 and ultimately nitrate.

 

[Humblefish]

@SeahorseKeeper

 

[mollies123]

My guess is the water quality was very poor. If the water is filled with gfo and carbon dust no animal is going to be happy in that situation. In the future always rinse media before use. To clear is the current issue I would recommend water changes. Dead animals will increase nh4 and ultimately nitrate.

agreed. would you connect that bottle directly to the return pump? he doesnt think he did anything wrong

 

[vlangel]

This is heartbreaking. I have a 24 Nano tank with 2 baby seahorses. Last couple of days the water get really cloudy but the water parameter is all good. No ammonia, no nitrite. The only thing I can think of is that when I did the water change， my husband made a media reactor bag which is filled with searched phosbanf and some activated carbon. Yesterday I went out, my husband decided to make a online nano reactor. I attached a picture. He put carbon and phosband iN it. I came home, the water is so cloudy and dark and both seahorses were dead. He didn't think he did anything wrong. I am looking for answers

I am very sorry for your losses. It is heartbreaking. Rinsing media is important but having kept seahorses for almost 4 years, it surprises me that that would kill them. Your husband's media reactor looks like a good design and carbon does help absorb DOC, which can be problematic to seahorses.

Keeping seahorses is different than other saltwater fish. They are very susceptible to bacterial infections and that is not something you can measure by checking your parameters, which can make keeping them tricky. The only way to insure they do not succumb to bacterial infections is doing over the top husbandry and frequent large water changes so that the tank is not favorable to pathogenic bacteria. Also keeping the water temperature at 74° F or lower is necessary if you are feeding frozen mysis.

If you would like to try seahorses again there is some good information stickied that can help you learn how keeping them differs from other marine aquaria.

 

[reef lover]

Unless carbon is tightly packed with slow flow itll get crushed and make dust so hooking to return pump was probably not good...and both must be properly rinsed prior. Sorry for your losses..

 

[mollies123]

I am very sorry for your losses. It is heartbreaking. Rinsing media is important but having kept seahorses for almost 4 years, it surprises me that that would kill them. Your husband's media reactor looks like a good design and carbon does help absorb DOC, which can be problematic to seahorses.

Keeping seahorses is different than other saltwater fish. They are very susceptible to bacterial infections and that is not something you can measure by checking your parameters, which can make keeping them tricky. The only way to insure they do not succumb to bacterial infections is doing over the top husbandry and frequent large water changes so that the tank is not favorable to pathogenic bacteria. Also keeping the water temperature at 74° F or lower is necessary if you are feeding frozen mysis.

If you would like to try seahorses again there is some good information stickied that can help you learn how keeping them differs from other marine aquaria.

Thank you so much. It might be the carbon dust that suffocate them. as one of them was dead hitching on top of the tank like he needs oxgen. They both were baby louburi. very fragile. I just bought a chiller for them . I was too worried every day . I might look for some seahorses later , but not right now

 

[mollies123]

Unless carbon is tightly packed with slow flow itll get crushed and make dust so hooking to return pump was probably not good...and both must be properly rinsed prior. Sorry for your losses..

yes, it was hooked pretty tight. and he doesnt think the flow is tight.its very possible the dust suffocate them.

 

[Lucie]

did you checked PH and alk? a sudden drop can be the cause, as well as a lack of oxygen, a important change in salinity as you did a water change... Also a termal shock...
It s nearly impossible to say it s because of the diy reactor or not
24 gllons is too small, you have no idea of how much organics seahorses produce, even young ones
Could have been high nitrates...
If it is a AIO setup, there is no way it can works with classical maintenance for seahorses