Is there something on it's snout?

[viethunny1]

i got this pipefish from the lfs almost 1 week ago. The lfs had it for a couple of weeks and said it was eating cyclopseeze. i have been feeding it cycopseeze and i have not seen it eat. So i got frozen mysis and i dont think it ate anything. i went back and asked the guy at the lfs about how they were feeding( how many times, when and what) and he said the pipefish might just be getting used to my tank and give it a couple days. 2 days ago i noticed something with it's snout/ trigger. it almost looks like it got scratched or maybe torn. Possibly snout rot or cotton mouth disease or something? i would really appreciate some input here.

it's in a 30 gallon tall that has been up for almost a year with ls and lr. i did a 15g wc before putting it in. and another 3g 1 day after b/c the water i got from lfs was low salinity. tankmates are 2 firefish, conch,hermits, 6 snorkel snails, a bunch of astrea snails, feather duster.

 

[namxas]

The fish is most likely not weaned. They will often act 'interested" in food floating in the tank, but don't really eat even tho they APPEAR to be eating.

Your best bet is to get some live pods or BBS and try that.

Unfortunately, it looks like the fish has either injured its snout or has snout rot. I believe Furan 2 is the current broad spectrum antibiotic of choice for bacterial infections in Syngnathids.

 

[viethunny1]

Thanks Greg. Do pipefish or seahorses recover from snout rot?

 

[namxas]

If you catch it early enuff, yes. However, if the snout becomes necrotic and part of it rots away, they can't eat and starve, even if it heals.