Lost a seahorse - very sad

[squiddly]

I have no idea what happened. One pony is happy and eating like a pig, the other started getting lethargic on Sunday afternoon and was gone last night. Of course, I'm pretty broken up about it.

 

I had them in my aquapod 24, pH 8.2, salinity 1.022, nitrates 0, nitrites 0, ammonia 0, feeding frozen mysis, living with 2 yashia gobis some blue knuckle crabs and a feather duster.

 

So I read this morning that seahorses are very sociable creatures, so I went looking for another Kuda to make my remaining kid happy. Seems nobody has CB kudas, not even Draco (who explained to me that the Asian market has made it completely un-economical to continue breeding them since people often buy for price and not for quality). The guy at Draco told me that mixing species wouldn't give the one Kuda the socialization she would likely need, so forget that idea and keep looking for another Kuda friend, even if WC.

 

I'm seriously bummed that I would lose a pony, and secondarily bummed that it's going to be a chore to find a friend for the remaining one.

 

At least the 180 is pretty happy (knocking wood vigorously).

 

Oh, the remaining pony has decided that the pH probe is her favorite hitching post :-) Will try the mangrove idea with the egg crate or suction cups soon anyway because it seems cool.

[jason the filter freak]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

[squiddly]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

 

Thanks, Jason. It really was a blow. I'm a total wuss when it comes to losing critters.

[ChrisS]

Sorry to hear about your seahorse.

 

Any idea what killed it? Any spots, lesions, etc on it? It could have been a bacterial infection. I know these are very common in seahorses especially when tank temps are hotter (more that 76). Anyway I'd keep a close eye on your girl and if she acts lethargic or goes off her food you might want to consider treating her. Don't want to scare you but I'd hate to see you loose the other horse to if its something infectious. If you do need to treat let me know...I have the antibiotics you'll need and would be happy to share.

[squiddly]

Sorry to hear about your seahorse.

 

Any idea what killed it? Any spots, lesions, etc on it? It could have been a bacterial infection. I know these are very common in seahorses especially when tank temps are hotter (more that 76). Anyway I'd keep a close eye on your girl and if she acts lethargic or goes off her food you might want to consider treating her. Don't want to scare you but I'd hate to see you loose the other horse to if its something infectious. If you do need to treat let me know...I have the antibiotics you'll need and would be happy to share.

 

Thank you so much. I have no idea whatsoever. There were no spots or lesions or anything of the sort. I got them on Thursday and she died last night. I'm keeping a close eye on the other one, definitely. Just fed her in fact, and she's quite the little piglet.

 

I spent a long time on the phone with Jorge from Draco and he thinks that because most Kuda are pen-raised (which is STILL considered captive bred), they come in with the same kinds of crud that regular wild caught SHs have, so it's a crap shoot. The man certainly knows his stuff. I'd really like to set up an erectus tank someday with his critters.

 

It's really upsetting to think that millions of these beautiful creatures are ground into powder each year for Chinese medicine.

[ChrisS]

The generaly opinion in the seahorse community of those net-raised kuda is that they are doomed from the getgo. There has been alot of discussion about them on seahorse.org and it seems that no one can keep them alive for more than a few months. As you found out they're not really captive-breed. They're breed and raised in pens in the ocean (which makes them even worse than wild-caught in terms of thier rates of disease and parasites). Too many horses in close quaters sharing all their diseases. These horses also seem to be generally malnourished and stressed from the conditions they're kept in. Most folks think that to even have a chance of keeping these guys alive you need to put them through a strict QT with several rounds of antiparasite and deworming treatments. If you check out seahorse.org's disease forum you'll find lots of info on this. I don't mean to discourage you just want you to know what you may be in for with your little guy (and know that the one that died was probably just too weak and stessed to survive so nothing you could have done).

 

I'm sure Jorge has also given you lots of good info. I havn't had the chance to speak to him personally but know that he has an excellent reputation. I wouldn't hesitate to buy horses from him. I considered doing so but ended up getting my eretcus from a small local breeded instead.

 

 

Thank you so much. I have no idea whatsoever. There were no spots or lesions or anything of the sort. I got them on Thursday and she died last night. I'm keeping a close eye on the other one, definitely. Just fed her in fact, and she's quite the little piglet.

 

I spent a long time on the phone with Jorge from Draco and he thinks that because most Kuda are pen-raised (which is STILL considered captive bred), they come in with the same kinds of crud that regular wild caught SHs have, so it's a crap shoot. The man certainly knows his stuff. I'd really like to set up an erectus tank someday with his critters.

 

It's really upsetting to think that millions of these beautiful creatures are ground into powder each year for Chinese medicine.