parasite hydrozoas on my seapony

[Liel_Uziahu]

hello there
looking for a protocol treatment to remove hydrozoas that are growing on my seahorse skin
i can disinfect the tank as well

 

[vetteguy53081]

hello there
looking for a protocol treatment to remove hydrozoas that are growing on my seahorse skin
i can disinfect the tank as well

Will first need to confirm. Pics under white lighting will be very helpful
If hydroids, they are no harm to the ponies however are a nuisance and should be eradicated. What is safe and works is the use of fenbendazole (FBZ) for a few days.

 

[Liel_Uziahu]

Will first need to confirm. Pics under white lighting will be very helpful
If hydroids, they are no harm to the ponies however are a nuisance and should be eradicated. What is safe and works is the use of fenbendazole (FBZ) for a few days.

already checked it under a microscope

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

already checked it under a microscope

Rare, but can happen. They aren’t parasites, they are epiphytic, they live on the seahorse’s skin. They do cause irritation.
One possible solution is chloroquine at 12ppm. That will kill these. Seahorses should be ok at that dose.

Jay

 

[Liel_Uziahu]

Rare, but can happen. They aren’t parasites, they are epiphytic, they live on the seahorse’s skin. They do cause irritation.
One possible solution is chloroquine at 12ppm. That will kill these. Seahorses should be ok at that dose.

Jay

The seahorses are in my lab, we pump seawater for all of our systems.
So it probably came from the water.
Chloroquine wont work since we use seawater

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

The seahorses are in my lab, we pump seawater for all of our systems.
So it probably came from the water.
Chloroquine wont work since we use seawater

Have you reached out to other breeders? I know Alyssa at Seahorse Savvy was very helpful when I had pony issues a few years ago.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

What type of seahorse?

 

[Liel_Uziahu]

What type of seahorse?

Hippocampus fuscus

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

@Jay Hemdal , what about formalin?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Hippocampus fuscus

That's the same as the Kuda, correct?

 

[Liel_Uziahu]

That's the same as the Kuda, correct?

No, local red sea type

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

No, local red sea type

From what I can find about eliminating hydroids "IN" a seahorse tank, Fenbendazole and formalin can be used. However, I can't find much information about hydroids actually attached to a seahorse. Most of the literature discusses hydroids and dwarf seahorses.

Here is one place I found treatment recommendations.

Hydroids in a Seahorse Aquarium

Learn more about Hydroids. This article will go over how to prevent and eliminate these unwanted harmful pests in Dwarf seahorse and seahorse fry systems.

seahorsesavvy.com

This is an interesting article about hydroids on a seahorse in the wild, but doesn't give much advice.

Hydroids on a Caribbean sea horse - Coral Reefs

link.springer.com

And here is another breeder's treatment advice for using formalin - it doesn't discuss hydroids specifically, but might give you an idea of what a formalin bath/treatment should look like. (Done properly, seahorses tolerate formalin well.)

Formalin Treatments***Help*** | Seahorse.com

Hey Pete, Just wondering what the effects of Formalin 37% are????? I have been dipping a female Erectus for Eye discoloration and snout rot.........it has been 3 days 7 dips @ around 50 minutes each.........she has had an appetite in between that I have seen, 1 bite but otherwise I have been...

seahorse.com

Hope this helps.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

@Jay Hemdal , what about formalin?

No, not in a flow through system, just like with chloroquine, the hydroids will just return with the incoming seawater. I suppose the issue could be managed with either formalin or chloroquine baths every few weeks or so, but it will keep returning.

Jay