Is my seahorse ok?

MSB123 · Dec 6, 2018

Samira Waters said:
I did about a 30% water change already. What else can I do?

Just now?
Do another 30%

Samira Waters · Dec 6, 2018

When I first noticed a problem today. About 2 hrs ago.

MSB123 · Dec 6, 2018

When did you do it?

MSB123 · Dec 6, 2018

Ok. Test the ammonia now again.
Let us know what you get.

EmdeReef · Dec 6, 2018

Has this just happened suddenly?

You should remove it immediately from the tank and put in a QT. A methylene blue bath may help reverse ammonia poisoning, if indeed it is that.

vlangel · Dec 7, 2018

Hi, I keep seahorses and methene blue does help with ammonia poisoning. I would keep doing water changes until the ammonia is zero. However if you used prime then your test kit will not be accurate. If you have a clean 5 gallon bucket (saltbucket) you can turn it into a hospital tank for a seahorse. All you need is an airpump with airline tubing running open in the water for oxygen and a fake plant for the seahorse to hitch to. Change the water 100% every day. I use 2 buckets and just alternate.

MSB123 · Dec 7, 2018

Any updates?

Dr. Reef · Dec 8, 2018

That horse didn't look good. I hope it pulled through but I doubt it.
Any update OP?

Rick Cavanaugh · Dec 8, 2018

do a 100% WC. Ammonia must be zero. If you have ammonia, you will have nitrites too. Methylene blue helps with ammonia and nitrite poisoning. Put him in a bucket with freshly made water and some prime until the tank ammonia is zero. It may be too late. Delaying even for 1/2 a day the correction of ammonia can be deadly.

If one is doing fine and the other looks sick, double check you ammonia numbers. Ammonia and Nitrites will affect BOTH seahorses so you might have another issue.

SH should not eat off the bottom. Overfeeding will allow food to partially decompose and if the SH eats this they will get in an internal infection that is also deadly. They have very primitive digestive systems. There should be enough flow to keep the food suspended. Only feed mysis , I would not feed mine any of the reef frenzy products. There are enrichments you can purchase from Seahorsesource.com to add to the Mysis occasionally.

Biggest mistakes, water too warm, overfeeding or feeding too much at one time, lack of flow, poor water conditions.

I have been keeping SH for over 20 years.

Rick Cavanaugh · Dec 8, 2018

Also, are these captive bred or wild caught? Many LFS sell wild caught which have a very poor chance of survival in captivity. Some will eat some frozen and then refuse it and starve. Looks like a H. reidi

Rick Cavanaugh · Dec 8, 2018

also what corals and other inhabitants are in this tank? Is that an anemone in one of the photos. There cannot be ANY stinging corals or nems in the tank. They will hitch onto it and get badly injured.

mikes686 · Dec 9, 2018

Is water flow an issue? I keep an SPS dominant mixed reef tank with lots of live rock to provide shelter from water flow. I am of the understanding that too much flow is bad for horses pipefish.

Rick Cavanaugh · Dec 9, 2018

mikes686 said:
Is water flow an issue? I keep an SPS dominant mixed reef tank with lots of live rock to provide shelter from water flow. I am of the understanding that too much flow is bad for horses pipefish.

Many websites on Seahorse care copy very old information. When it comes to flow with seahorses no flow or extremely low flow is bad as well as constant ripping flow. In nature seahorses are commonly found in high flow areas. In nature the flow varies with the tides. so they need places to hide from it as well as periods of low flow.

I would suggest flow of 10-20x tank volume and places to hide as well as breaks during the day where the flow is 5-10x.

The reason is you want the flow to keep the frozen mysis shrimp suspended in the water column. If you feed heavily 2x a day, much of the food will start to rot on the bottom or in the rocks. If the seahorse consumes this they will get an internal infection. Seahorses have a very primative digestive system and are unike other fishes. They can not tolerate this and it will kill them.

This is another good reason to keep the water much cooler. 72F is the MAX recommended temperature. H. Erectus are native on the Atlantic side of the USA all the way up to and past New York City. So they are NOT a tropical species and need cooler water.

If you are trying to keep seahorses in an SPS tank, it will be challenging. I keep SPS with my seahorses. You will have issues.

First you will be growing SPS at the bottom edge of their tolerance for temps. I have found most SPS will survive and grow (slowly) at 70F-72F

Next, seahorses are messy eaters and water quality is a challenge. I suggest oversized filtration and even Algae turf scrubbers. You will be using GFO on a regular basis.

Seahorses are not fans of bright lights. You will need areas of shelter during the peak of lighting. In nature SH are frequently found under bridges, docks and other shaded areas. Keep your intense photoperiod shorter and then a longer very low light periods so you can view them.

And as I mentioned limit your flow.

With SPS High nutrients needs high light and high Alkalinity and higher flow. This will be impossible. You will to high nutrient, low flow and lower light.

as with most thing related to seahorses. These recommendations will change over the years as more people push the limits and learn what are the perfect conditions that allow seahorse to live longer in captivity. 20 years ago, seahorses lived 3 years in captivity. Today's recommendations has increased this to 7 years on average