Seahorse problem

[melosu58]

I am having a problem with some flaking of the skin on my SH. It is only affecting one of them. According to seahorse.org it looks like flesh erosion caused by vibrio. Here is some of the facts I gave these facts to them for you to see. Any advice will help. Where are you at Sadielynn? Thanks

1. One SH has a flaking of white stuff coming of it and is around the head and back area. It is breathing rapidly and not eating this evening. Was eating earlier.

2. View my tank in signature for pic of SH and equipment.

3. Ammonia and Nitrite at 0. Nitrates are at 20. Salinity at 1.023. PH is 8.2

4. I have had them about 2 or three months

5. They are captive bred.

6. I got it at the LFS. Acclimated to my tank in 3 hrs.

7. It was eating Mysis. That is thje only thing I have fed since I have had it. Feed twice a day.

Here are some pics sorry about them being blurry. but you can still see the flaking. I went to Petsmart which is the only store open tonite and they did not have any furan 2 but I did get some triple sulfa which is an anti bacterial. Will this be OK to use.

 

[roka64]

Awww, Mike, sorry I can't help, I hope they make it through!

 

[Sadielynn]

Is there any chance of better pics ?
Are they eating with the skin erosion their eating will decline what is his breathing ..I would qt ASAP if this is possible keep his stress low/er also keep him fed well . What is your equipment IE power heads , it looks like it could be a trauma is there any way he got caught up into the heater . When was your last water change, and how much ? I would set up for a water change . Do 25% today and 15% tomorrow, 10 % the following day for a 50% change ... drip in slowly Then go back to weekly 10 % .Try tp get your nitrAtes down a bit too . I would also recommend trying to lower the current for now add nothing till I can find out on the med .... I cant remember what meds to use to treat it I believe it is Erythromycin treat in a QT only as this is an antibotic and it will not discriminating between good bacteria vs bad bacteria . I would also recommend a bio wheel to help and only a few small fake corals for qt for them to hitch , once you use it for qt use it for that only .
but seahorse org offers the lower for in the med box

You should have these medications on hand when you purchase your seahorse. As you become more knowledgeable about them, you may find that you prefer other medications; this is just a guideline. Most of these medications can be found at a well-stocked LFS.
Be sure to have on hand:
Formalin 3 and Neosporin (triple antibiotic ointment) as a topical solution.
(Betadine will do in a pinch.)
Kanacyn
Methylene blue
Furan-2 or Triple Sulfa
Tetracycline
Erythromycin
Metronidazole
Neomycin
Nitrofurazone

Optional:
Maracyn II
Furanase
Paragon II
Melafix
Malachite Green
Important meds that may be obtained through your veterinarian or MD:
Acetazolamide (Diamox)
Ceftazime (Fortran)
Praziquantel (Droncit)
Essential tools to have on hand:
Fine gauge IV catheter flexible tubing (without needle)
Tuberculin syringe with needle removed
Loose hairpin with soft plastic tip


NOTE: Seahorse.org is attempting to make the essential medications and tools available through the website.
ACCLIMATION AND QUARANTINE

 

[melosu58]

Thanks Sadie.

 

[Sadielynn]

I should have said the bio wheel is to be placed in your main tank to get loaded and then move it to qt from there . After looking with fresh eyes this am I would say it is vibro, it is my understanding that this is contagious , and almost always fatal if not treated ,Your horse will probably be in qt for up to 2 months if not longer .
The best treatment for bacterial infections is always preventative quarantine, but if an infection is present in the tank, hospitalization of the infected specimens and treatment with antibacterial agents is the only solution.

Combination drugs such as Furan II and Paragon II are often most effective at combating bacterial infections. These drugs cover both spectrums of bacteria (gram+ and gram-), and can usually halt progression within days. Use the marine dose per the manufacturer's instructions. Drugs from the tetracycline family may also be of some help, specifically doxycycline and oxytetracycline, though they may be somewhat difficult to get a hold of. Topical treatments such as neomycin (Neosporin) and iodine or formalin solutions (1 cup water to 15 drops of either or both) used three to four times daily on the affected area can also help in controlling the progression of the disease.

Advances are being made in the way of creating seahorse vaccines that could possibly eliminate the occurrence of infections of this type. The most likely causative agent in most cases is Vibrio sp., a bacterium with high resistance to most drugs available to hobbyists and institutions alike.

If the disease returns, the infected horses will need to be requarantined, the display tank may have to be scrubbed down, and all equipment may have to be sterilized with bleach. Be careful not to allow any sterilization chemicals to make their way back into the aquarium as this will destroy the essential denitrifying bacteria present in the aquarium's bacterial filter bed. If this does not arrest the occurrence of flesh-eating bacteria, the seahorses may have to be relocated to a new display system.
Contact a local vet for these meds if you can not get them at your LFS
I fortunatuly never had to deal with diseases like the above but I did research and made my own refrence library ...Your best bet is to get logged on to seahorses.org and ask them there are breeders and others there who have dealt with this and other diseases ...

 

[melosu58]

The one SH died last nite. The other one is so far OK. I did a good 25% PWC today and will do one each day for a few days. Thanks for all the help Sadielynn.

 

[Sadielynn]

Sorry to hear that Mel .I am sorry I was not of more help but with vibro it is almost always fatal by the time we find it .98% or greater ... I would continue with the water changes as you said , and perhaps see about dipping the other in an antibiotic treatment as prophylaxisis treatment

 

[flamingonhot]

Make sure you have a small ten gallon quarantine tank and enough medication ( triple sulfa and neomycin or baytril) for a ten day dosage AT LEAST. If you can't find it locally, try seahorsesource.com. If you use the meds seperately, they're aren't as effective as the combination. Neomycin is one of the first recommended for treatment, with baytril being the second... and kanamycin is supposedly used also.

If your one has it, your other one may get it sooner or later (possibly), if it does get it, and it keeps coming back, be prepared to redo the tank and bleach everything (vibrio can last through dry periods so please don't think this is efficient at killing it). Your hospital tank should just have plastic plants, a small HOB filter, and a few pieces of some calcerous material. WHen doing treatments, you need to do water changes pretty often...

Hope that helps a little and sorry about what happened to your horse . My first horse (reidi) died from IGSB and vibrio.. I almost cried. The vibrio, while also being harder to treat, sadly also spreads quite rapidly and always sticks around.

If you don't see any pop-ups of vibrio infections, be certain you don't cross contaminate any of your tanks (even though it's not a huge problem except with seahorses and octopi). Snails and copepods are known carriers (copepods can carry it in their system for months on time since they actually ingest it).