Bloated SH

It was his number of posts that made me question his opinion. I can't get that pH any higher with out constantly adding buffer, and I mean constantly. Their water is not only fine, it's superb.
Apparently I'm not very good at taking advice. Thank you all for your input and I'm sorry if I offended anyone. Carry on.
 
Okay, I do have one more question, maybe two. These were sexually mature SH's when I got them. If she is gravid, why haven't I seen either her or her sister get this way for the first year? Is there an obstruction to releasing these unfertilized eggs that's causing this?
 
How long typically does this gravid conditon last? Do female SH's release unfertilized eggs or does their body resorb them?
BTW, I've read through this thread again and I agree that I have not handled the pH stuff very well. I spend so much effort in trying to maintain their water that I have become touchy about it. I will not take others opinions personally in the future. I swear. I really mean it.
 
Female SH can release unfertilized eggs, and I think they also can reabsorb them. If you have a good cleanup crew, you may never see the released eggs before they are eaten. There is talk that female SH can become egg bound, although I think it is extremely rare, and I cannot find a thread with an actual case anywhere. If she is stressed, she may be holding the eggs longer than usual, which could be why she seems more bloated than usual.
The key questions with a bloated seahorse are:
Is she floating, or bouncing when she swims, or having other bouancy issues? (indicates internal gbd)
Is she sinking, or having difficulty swimming or having difficulty rising in the water column? (indicates edema)
However, I believe you have already said that she is not having any of these problems, so you'll just have to keep an eye on her. If she does begin having one of these problems, then there are treatments for it.
 
I was the second commercial seahorse breeder in Australia, and I believe the third in the world. I am a commercial aquaculturist and I also own syng org.

You ask why this condition has never happened before, to answer this I need some info. Have you a male in the tank, if so, was he young, and now mature, have you added a male.

Is it possible that you may not have seen her like this before, just maybe, she has been like this, ie, larger than normal and you have not spotted it as she has been able to release her unwanted aggs with little or no drama, so, you have missed it.

Regarding pH, if you have a low pH and have to consistantly add buffer to maintain this, something is wrong, do you have something that is using the calcium, ie, hard corals, maybe a lot of crabs or bivalves.

Just maybe your meter may also be a bit out, have you had your water independantly tested.
 
No swimming problems whatsoever and just 2 females from day 1. I spend a lot of time with them, so I would have noticed this before. Ca is consistently around 400 and kH 10-12.
The bloating coincided with her not eating the thawed mysis or live ghost shrimp.
I use a cheap color guide to check pH. I'm going to look into something that may be more accurate.
 
If you have someone near who has tanks and a test kit, take some water to them and do a test together, you with your water and test strips, them with your water and their test stuff, and compare results.
 
Guess what I have? A picture! She wouldn't give me a good straight ahead picture, but I think the directly behind shot illustrates the bloating well.

img1950bu7.jpg


Here's a sideways shot that doesn't really show the bloating.

img1947ea2.jpg
 
Oh dear, that bloating is awefully high up her body to be just eggs. She really isn't floating, bouncing, sinking, or having trouble rising up from the bottom or from her favorite hitch? Thats bizarre. Where did you say you bought her again?

Put her in a bare bottom hospital tank and monitor her feeding and pooing. Also, do me a favor and post this picture, the history, and your tank params in the diseases and treatment forum on seahorse.org. A few extra set of eyes and extra experiences may help.
 
She's from seahorsesource. I don't have a hospital tank. She's swims absolutley fine. I'll try to get to sh.org later today.
 
You can use a bucket or a 10 gallon from walmart with an airline for a hospital tank. Have you contacted Dan (Seahorse Source)? He'd probably be more than willing to give you advice.
 
Oh, and make sure the bucket has never had any chemicals or anything in it but water, and rinse it really thoroughly.
 
I haven't called Dan yet, it was a long, tough week. I also put Galaxy back in with her sister, she looked so sad in that bucket. No change in status.
 
Do you have any diamox and neomycin.
The bloating is not normal and could be caused by a couple different things, I believe if you leave her untreated she will die.

Internal Gas Bubble Disease (IGBD) and fluid retention, Are the two main causes.
IGBD is a build up of gas in the tissues which usually cause buoyancy issues.
Fluid retention or edema resulting from kidney failure.
This is from the disease forum on the org.

How is she eating now. Have you seen her poos, what do they look like. If they are white and stringy than she is not eating enough.
 
I haven't seen any abnormal looking poos floating around. I don't know what she's eating, but this has been going on for a while now and her behavior appears perfectly normal. I think we're just going to keep on keeping on.
 
Keep a close eye on your Alk. Most Ph buffers will also raise your Alk and that could lead to a tank crash if it gets too high.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

K
Mandarin acting strange
Replies
4
Views
424
OrionN
OrionN
P
Clownfish is lethargic and not eating
Replies
11
Views
678
Dustin07
D
H
High ammonia in 24 year old tank
Replies
15
Views
1K
brandon429
brandon429
L
Kole Blue Eye Tang Circular Gash
Replies
8
Views
570
leebca
L
S
New with anemone (eaten by emerald crab?)
Replies
5
Views
459
griss
griss
Back
Top