Hyposalinity for seahorses

Muffin87 · Sep 29, 2023

The LFS in Italy apparently don't believe in keeping captive bred fish and wild caught fish in separate systems. So, if I get seahorses, I'm gonna have to quarantine them.

Seahorse expert Pete Giwojna claims hyposalinity at 1.010 - 1.012 SG (13.3 - 16 ppt) is a good treatment for seahorses, with no acclimation. But below 1.010 SG (13.3 ppt), seahorses die quickly.

I'd always thought hyposalinity only worked at 1.009 SG. Is hyposalinity at 15 or 16ppt a good choice then? I'm afraid TTM for ich and velvet may be way too aggressive on delicate fish like seahorses.

I don't think there's any other way to be sure that the seahorses aren't carrying any ich or velvet, and I wouldn't know where to put a black molly in my 2-room apartment.

vetteguy53081 · Sep 29, 2023

Muffin87 said:
The LFS in Italy apparently don't believe in keeping captive bred fish and wild caught fish in separate systems. So, if I get seahorses, I'm gonna have to quarantine them.

Seahorse expert Pete Giwojna claims hyposalinity at 1.010 - 1.012 SG (13.3 - 16 ppt) is a good treatment for seahorses, with no acclimation. But below 1.010 SG (13.3 ppt), seahorses die quickly.

I'd always thought hyposalinity only worked at 1.009 SG. Is hyposalinity at 15 or 16ppt a good choice then? I'm afraid TTM for ich and velvet may be way too aggressive on delicate fish like seahorses.

I don't think there's any other way to be sure that the seahorses aren't carrying any ich or velvet, and I wouldn't know where to put a black molly in my 2-room apartment.

Seahorses rarely of ever get ich but rather bacterial disease. They can get in some cases ectoparasitic infections which often are caused by poor quarantine and pre-treatment, but seahorses can be successfully treated with malachite green or beetter yet- methelyne blue. Hypo best for gill flukes and hypo at 1.010-1.012 is likely correct although I find hypo reisky for seahorses. The 1.009 is for fish treatment in hypo

Jay Hemdal · Sep 29, 2023

Muffin87 said:
The LFS in Italy apparently don't believe in keeping captive bred fish and wild caught fish in separate systems. So, if I get seahorses, I'm gonna have to quarantine them.

Seahorse expert Pete Giwojna claims hyposalinity at 1.010 - 1.012 SG (13.3 - 16 ppt) is a good treatment for seahorses, with no acclimation. But below 1.010 SG (13.3 ppt), seahorses die quickly.

I'd always thought hyposalinity only worked at 1.009 SG. Is hyposalinity at 15 or 16ppt a good choice then? I'm afraid TTM for ich and velvet may be way too aggressive on delicate fish like seahorses.

I don't think there's any other way to be sure that the seahorses aren't carrying any ich or velvet, and I wouldn't know where to put a black molly in my 2-room apartment.

Hyposalinity does NOT work for velvet, so even at 1.009 SG, you won't be protected.

I cannot recall ever running seahorses under hypo. They are prone to Uronema and that disease THRIVES under brackish water conditions.

Seahorses are one species I often do not quarantine.

Jay