kelsey's 40 gallon seahorse tank

[thincat]

Good choice as I don't think the Seahorses are strong enough to move it around. lol

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

So the tank has been doing good for the most part. I have a red firefish, banded pipefish, and bicolor blenny in the tank as well now. I also got some snails and hermits. I brought home my second pair of seahorses April 22. I did not quarantine them since they had been at the store for so long on hold. The male did not eat right from the start and died about 3 days later. The female seemed to have something called weak snick which can be cause by a parasite or a injured muscle. (weak snick is when they cant seem to suck the food in properly) She showed no other signs of the parasite so i left her be and she did get better. Then soon after she stopped eating completely. I thought she would die but she is still alive and still not eating. I have been turning the current off sometimes when feeding in case she is picking it off the bottom (which i havent seen). It's been probably very close to a month since i've seen her eat. I also occasionally have a layer of slime type stuff on the top of my tank. Is this normal? It is slimy to the touch. Every other day i also see what seems to be a white string like thing coming off of the seahorse. I am afraid she has a skin disease but she doesn't seem to be getting better or worse. I have a 10 gallon tank set up that i was going to move her to. My thoughts are if she is sick i dont want my other 2 horses to get ill and if she is in the 10 gallon there will not be as much current and she will possibly get more food. My brother thinks this will only stress the seahorse and kill it. What are everyone's thoughts? should i move her or leave her be?

 

[melosu58]

I had the same problem when I had mine. I think it`s called Vibrio. A bacterial problem.

 

[cmor1701d]

Can't help you, but hope it pulls through. Maybe someone at seahorse.org can help (much as I hate sending folks to other sites).

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

thanks i did look at seahorse.org and found a few older posts that sound similar. I will be moving the horse as soon as i get the temperature correct (im using an old heater that only has a little turn dial from high to low), hopefully in the morning. So far the treatments they are suggesting i have never heard off. Did you treat with anything Mike?

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

So my new lights came in finally yay! Here is some pics!

Before shot with yucky old light

After shot

Bicolor blenny (taken before new lights)

new two spot goby (also taken before new light)

He didnt get any quarantine since the seahorse is still being treated in it...Seahorse still hasnt eaten anything but still continues to live on. Goby was at the store for a few weeks and seems healthy so hopeing for no problems there

Corals soon to come ...probably just some ricordeas to start

 

[Mitchell0605]

Looks great. Nice fish.

Kelsey, do you know what that purple/red stuff is in the right side of your bottom pic?

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

Thanks! they call it red grape algae at the store...i got it for free when i got my seahorses. It started to die off with my old light so i started to shine a lamp on it and that is the new growth.

i copy and pasted this from another website

"Red Macroalgae (Botryocladia Sp.)
Sometimes called "red grape caulerpa" although it's not caulerpa at all.
Long slender branches that extend to rows of bright red bladders.
This is considered a rare variety. Commonly found on reef ledges.
Requirements: strong light, iron & manganese.
Care: moderate.

This algae works great for both nutrient export as well as feeding something nutritious to your algae eating fish. If you intend on growing this to use as a consistent source of nutrient removal or fish food, you'll have to grow it in a isolated place in your system as algae eating fish will devour this algae in no time.
I'm told it grows slow due to only having one root system (unlike green grape).
also told tangs like it more than green grape in general. "

I believe it should look like this and hopefully not take over my tank
Google Image Result for http://image30.webshots.com/31/0/74/30/225507430pqckWH_ph.jpg
(this is just a googled image)

 

[Mitchell0605]

OH. I had some in my tank and removed it believing it to be the purple version of bubble algae. Oh well. It might come back. I didn't take a razor to it.

If it comes out like that it will be awesome.

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

haha it probably will!