HELP! What the HECK is this thing???

[1Meshy]

Hey guys, so I was observing my seahorses and I noticed yesterday there was this tiny little thing on the side of one of them.

I've had the seahorses for a week now and they did NOT come from them. I have no idea where it came from and now I'm scared there's more in the DT!

I have one more seahorse on the way and now I'm nervous that it'll catch whatever this thing is.. advice needed please!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey guys, so I was observing my seahorses and I noticed yesterday there was this tiny little thing on the side of one of them.

I've had the seahorses for a week now and they did NOT come from them. I have no idea where it came from and now I'm scared there's more in the DT!

I have one more seahorse on the way and now I'm nervous that it'll catch whatever this thing is.. advice needed please!

Looks to be an isopod and can be flushed

 

[1Meshy]

Looks to be an isopod and can be flushed

Should I be worried?? I have a new seahorse coming in tomorrow.. and the current horses were quarantined before I got them so I don't know where it came from.

 

[1Meshy]

Please guys I need advice. I'm really worried about these horses and I'm not sure if I should add the new one in tomorrow or not. I only found one, and I checked the other horse and he's clean. The pipefish are clean also.

 

[cba191]

Should I be worried?? I have a new seahorse coming in tomorrow.. and the current horses were quarantined before I got them so I don't know where it came from.

no. you should be ok. It looks like an isopod, and that's not a problem

 

[1Meshy]

no. you should be ok. It looks like an isopod, and that's not a problem

Oh, good.. does this mean I can proceed to add the new seahorse tomorrow with no problems? Or should I fw dip them?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Should I be worried?? I have a new seahorse coming in tomorrow.. and the current horses were quarantined before I got them so I don't know where it came from.

This one not parasitic and will be fine

 

[1Meshy]

This one not parasitic and will be fine

Oh thank god. I'm already having a rough time getting them to eat frozen.. I didnt need this too. Hopefully the new seahorse tomorrow will be fine then and she'll help the others eat frozen

 

[1Meshy]

This one not parasitic and will be fine

Oh, how do you know it's not parasitic though?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hey guys, so I was observing my seahorses and I noticed yesterday there was this tiny little thing on the side of one of them.

I've had the seahorses for a week now and they did NOT come from them. I have no idea where it came from and now I'm scared there's more in the DT!

I have one more seahorse on the way and now I'm nervous that it'll catch whatever this thing is.. advice needed please!

That is an Argulus, a fish parasite. Treatment is difficult because most treatments that work, will also harm seahorses. There are chitinase inhibitors that can kill the offspring as they grow, but do not kill the adults. One product is Dimilin.

What was the source of the seahorse? I'd be surprised if it was captive raised.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argulus_foliaceus

 

[1Meshy]

That is an Argulus, a fish parasite. Treatment is difficult because most treatments that work, will also harm seahorses. There are chitinase inhibitors that can kill the offspring as they grow, but do not kill the adults. One product is Dimilin.

What was the source of the seahorse? I'd be surprised if it was captive raised.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argulus_foliaceus

They were from kp aquatics, but they were quarantined beforehand. The others said not to worry about it though??

 

[cba191]

That is an Argulus, a fish parasite. Treatment is difficult because most treatments that work, will also harm seahorses. There are chitinase inhibitors that can kill the offspring as they grow, but do not kill the adults. One product is Dimilin.

What was the source of the seahorse? I'd be surprised if it was captive raised.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argulus_foliaceus

yikes. This is the answer I would be looking at.

 

[cba191]

They were from kp aquatics, but they were quarantined beforehand. The others said not to worry about it though??

I would always listen to @Jay Hemdal before listening to myself.

 

[Macropharyngodon]

Yikes

 

[1Meshy]

Oh, geez.. I only found one though. It crawled when I touched it and was easy to pinch off with my fingers. Do I have an infestation then or what??

 

[cba191]

Oh, geez.. I only found one though. It crawled when I touched it and was easy to pinch off with my fingers. Do I have an infestation then or what??

You can trust @Jay Hemdal
https://fisheries.org/2015/07/interview-with-jay-hemdal-toledo-zoo-fish-curator/

 

[1Meshy]

You can trust @Jay Hemdal
https://fisheries.org/2015/07/interview-with-jay-hemdal-toledo-zoo-fish-curator/

Okay, I will. Do you by any chance know what to do then? Do I have to quarantine the whole tank or do I just dip the seahorses and pipefish?

 

[tbrown]

They were from kp aquatics, but they were quarantined beforehand. The others said not to worry about it though??

I would trust Jay on this.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Oh, how do you know it's not parasitic though?

There are several types. Looking on a larger screen, this is a bad one

 

[1Meshy]

There are several types. Looking on a larger screen, this is a bad one

What do you suggest I do then? Dip the horses and pipes?