pledosophy
Active member
I am saying you will do better long term if the seahorse is not carrying parasites.
Seahorses in the wild often carry parasites. Seahorses can die from the parasite it's self, or from a secondary bacterial infection resulting from the additional stress of carrying the parasites weaking the seahorse overall.
Several necropsie photographs show how much damage internal parasites can do to a seahorse. Wc seahorse are very likely to be carrier for parasites, some species and geographic locations more likely then others.
Many seahorses can succomb to infections in tanks, not just WC's. Seahorses with parasites are in a weakend state and will more easily succomb to bacterial infections. Before standard treatments for WC seahorses were understood and used, many keepers had extremely hard times keeping WC's alive. After they undergo proper treatment, and our maintained in a way where they can be parasite free, there oppritunity for long term survival increases.
IMO feeding your seahorse a food that is known to carry parasites is like shooitng yourself in the foot. Fresh water ghosts are not that expensive, and are a better long term food if a seahorse can not be trained to frozen.
I have kept a WC seahorse alive for 5.5 years feeding only fresh water ghosts. He only died after his sight left him and he could no longer hunt for the ghost shrimp. I built him a little feed type bag, but it only worked for so long. After he had diffuculty eating he was in a weakend state and succombed to a vibrio infection. IMO most bacterial infectins we see in our systems are secondary to a primary stressor.
JMO
Seahorses in the wild often carry parasites. Seahorses can die from the parasite it's self, or from a secondary bacterial infection resulting from the additional stress of carrying the parasites weaking the seahorse overall.
Several necropsie photographs show how much damage internal parasites can do to a seahorse. Wc seahorse are very likely to be carrier for parasites, some species and geographic locations more likely then others.
Many seahorses can succomb to infections in tanks, not just WC's. Seahorses with parasites are in a weakend state and will more easily succomb to bacterial infections. Before standard treatments for WC seahorses were understood and used, many keepers had extremely hard times keeping WC's alive. After they undergo proper treatment, and our maintained in a way where they can be parasite free, there oppritunity for long term survival increases.
IMO feeding your seahorse a food that is known to carry parasites is like shooitng yourself in the foot. Fresh water ghosts are not that expensive, and are a better long term food if a seahorse can not be trained to frozen.
I have kept a WC seahorse alive for 5.5 years feeding only fresh water ghosts. He only died after his sight left him and he could no longer hunt for the ghost shrimp. I built him a little feed type bag, but it only worked for so long. After he had diffuculty eating he was in a weakend state and succombed to a vibrio infection. IMO most bacterial infectins we see in our systems are secondary to a primary stressor.
JMO
