A little help for the newby.

[dogshowgrl]

I have been in other forums and was very hurt by responses, please be nice.

I work at a small LFS that cultures the whole food chain, and seahorses. Full quarantine treatments services offered. I was her only employee for almost a year,(still work there but we just hired a couple more people) hands on is an understatement. So I was exposed to seahorse care prior to trying myself.

Tank:
60 gal cube
2 erectus male from local breeder, female from Alyssa
2 Barbouri, pair. both from quality marine, came in transparent thin, finally got a little weight on them
All aquacultured
Chiller set at 70
Reef octopus 110 skimmer
Eshopps 75 sump
Running brs carbon
Photosynthetic gorgonians
Toadstool leather

All ponies quarantined 50 days separately
They have been in one tank about 7 weeks.
All use a feeding dish quite well.
I feed CA mysis because it is enriched prior to freezing and Hakari mysis (the small ones) because, well I like it.
I rinse all foods in tank or RO water prior to feeding.


Dry rock, slow cycle setup in February.
All tests done with red sea test kits unless noted, tested every other day.
Ammonia 0 (when I feed too heavy it may go up to .2, has happened twice)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 40 (will start dosing soon)
pH 7.9 night 8.3 day

My tank as they were being acclimated 6-7 weeks ago

I know I can't be too far off in my care.

Now for my issue.
My male Barbouri (Zonkey) has tail rot!!!
I feel terrible, like I have failed. Tail rot started at the very tip, swelling and white, looks like the very point is gone.

I have access to any medication used in the veterinary world.
I have a microscope and if someone can tell me what bacterias I am looking for I CAN find them. I assume bacteria because in the little bit I could find posted on these things white is bacteria and pink is fungal. Not perfect I know but hey I will take anything at this point. I want the best treatment for him. I would send out a culture but I don't think I have time to wait for it to grow out to be read.

I put him in quarantine and did furan 2 for 5 days. He was too depressed, he loves his girlfriend Zorse, he didn't eat well and his tail was looking worse and started sloughing. I stopped furan 2 and started a topical application of Formulin3 and Betadine three times daily. This is day three. He is eating well, and using all of his tail but the very tip to hitch, but when he swims he keeps it out straight.
His tail as of last night

Please be kind. My boss has treated other ailments but not this one. I am trying and frankly I have not found much in the way of consistence or even research. Everything is a single person with success. I would like to know what most of you do. Or what you do similar. I am still using the second treatment. And I know I can save him but I need some community support!

Thank you in advance!
If I missed any info that would help you please just ask!

 

[vlangel]

Hi dogshowgrl, I am sorry that folks were harsh with you on other forums. We are happy to help you and will not be unkind. Also I am sorry that your barbouri has tail rot. Seahorses just are more susceptible to bacterial infections than other fish and it happens to most of us keepers at times.

Like you I have not had a lot of success with furan 2 although it is always my first choice when I suspect bacteria. I have had excellant success with triple sulfa however. My male like yours does not eat well in QT either. I think if I were you I would leave him in the display with his mate, do much bigger, more frequent water changes(maybe even double them for now) and continue with the topical treatment. Try to fatten him up a little in case his tail worsens and you are forced to QT him and use triple sulfa. I hope that helps and he recovers.

PS This is information I have learned from other seahorse keepers and is by no means a criticism. I have heard that it is harder to keep multiple species of seahorses in one tank. The thought is that they all have their own immunities but not to each other's pathogens. In fact some folks go as far as to recommend only getting seahorses from the same source even if they are the same specie. I also read big water changes will help offset this risk.