gas in the brood pouch

[edandsandy]

Our H. Redi male is getting a gas in his brood pouch a lot lately...
It is so difficult to see him getting over and over again....
I am able to help him remove it, but it keeps coming back.....
Any advice?

The seahorse tank is 30g and we have two females.
The tank parameters are normal.....

 

[rayjay]

First thing I would do would be to use a syringe without needle to flush the pouch well with new salt water, same temp and s.g. as the tank water.
If that doesn't work then try flushing with Diamox (acetazolamide) and salt water, again with the syringe.

 

[edandsandy]

I tried what you suggested, and he still is getting a bubble in his pouch
Also he has not eaten in 5-6 days now. We have tried live brine and ghost shrimp.
Today I tried again to release the bubble and his pouch is showing signs of stress.

 

[rayjay]

If he won't eat anything then you need to hand feed the seahorse with a gruel of food mushed to be able to go through a syringe fitted with a cannula.
You have to insert the cannula tube past the gills to inject it so it stays in.
Have you flushed the pouch with Diamox yet?

 

[edandsandy]

I don't know how to hand feed Ralph
and I haven't been able to find Diamox.....

It is so sad to see him suffer...
unfortunately I'm the only one in our reef club with a seahorse tank.....

 

[edandsandy]

Thanks for all your help, but Ralph passed away tonight

 

[rayjay]

Sorry to hear that bad news.
Might be wise to be sure to have a medicine chest on hand of treatments that aren't readily available on short notice.
I believe there is a list of them on the "org" perhaps in the emergency forum.
I bought too late to save my earliest purchases of seahorses some years ago.
The "org" also has a library article detailing how to treat for various seahorse problems.
I believe I've also seen a piece there on how to force feed the seahorses.

 

[edandsandy]

Thanks RayJay....
We still have 2 females left.... I don't think I'll try males again....