SOS SEAHORSE HELP

[Annabates]

Recently I had purchased 2 seahorses after a few months of doing research about them. I should have done more research for sure before getting them so please be nice i just really need help. They are wild caught which I was not informed of until after I had to ask. I have been trying to feed them live brine for the past 2 weeks but I have yet to see them eat. I have a 30 gallon tank with a salinity of 1.026. PH about 7.9. 0 nitrites but the last 2 weeks it was reading 3.0 ammonia level. I did a 50% water change today and it’s now reading maybe a 2.0. I cycled the tank for 3 weeks before adding them in which was my first mistake I should’ve cycled longer. The past week I’ve been adding nitrifying bacteria, prime, and today I added stability after the water change. I can tell the horses are stressed because they are having delayed/heavy breathing. What can I do ASAP to help fix this. I have a 20 gallon tank that I could set up as a hospital tank in the mean time. I did the water change w distilled water and matched the salinity levels. Please please please help I don’t want them to die.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Sorry about what is going on. Were there any signs of them not eating when you first got them? Acting strange when you got them? Is any of your other fish or coral showing any issues or just the seahorses?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

They eat plankton,mainly copepods and fish eggs/larvae, your new tank will have none, so they are starving to death. Not to mention that the tank is too immature and not yet suitable for seahorses, as you already know. Seahorses are messy and have high bioloads, thats why you see ammonia.

Try feeding them live copepods if you have access, or try frozen or can o cyclops, try roe, try rotifers. Get a skimmer on your tank asap if you don't already have one.

Thats all i can offer, good luck, seahorses are the most amazing,

 

[Baldguy]

There is a seahorse and pipefish sub forum here are R2R. Lots of good info and help there.

 

[TokenReefer]

Seahorse/Pipefish

Seahorse and Pipefish Discussion.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[ReeferHendrix]

I would say keep up the water changes and use microbacter 7 maybe get some live rock in there if you don’t already and get copepods asap

 

[Catnip885]

I know this is a couple days later if they are still okay maybe try some live ghost shrimp. My husband and I got wild caught and they will only eat ghost shrimp. We have them on that as well as we try introducing frozen jumbo mysis. Try smaller ghost shrimp and see if that entices them to eat.

 

[Big Smelly fish]

Sorry I’m late I missed this is the holidays and being sick. The first thing you have to do is get the water quality. It sounds like the tank wasn’t ready for the bioload like you already mentioned. Try keeping the tank cooler than you would a reef tank.
That can be taken care of with daily water changes even if it’s 100% water change. Another thing we need to know what the species is. It’s a shame that they would sell you wild caught and not tell you. Especially for someone and inexperience in keeping Seahorses.
you’re gonna have to get them to eat some kind of live food be it pods Brine shrimp or something keep them alive. I was suggest going on to Facebook Seahorse source group and post this over there and join us Wednesday night I Seahorses whisperer Wine Wednesday on
YouTube and or Facebook at 8 PM Eastern time or thereabouts that time.
Also make sure you have good water movement in the tank with either an air stone or powerhead that has a screen to protect them from hurting themselves.