Possible problems with breviceps

[SugarSeahorse]

I have 2 ORA H breviceps seahorses and I'm worried about one of them. He has been hidding in my live rocks (dead corals) for the past 2 days.

Also it doesn't look like he has been eating. I have been giving them H2O mini misis shrip and vitamin enriched baby brine. I watched the other SH eating fine although they don't seem to eat nearly as much as my previous SH did. I had H reidi before.

They are in a 42g Hex with 3 clown fish and one Strombus alatus. There is also Red Gracillaria and Ulva lactuca that I attached to the rocks using rubber bands. My tank parameters are: Ammonia 0; PH 8.2; Nitrate 0; Nitrite 0; Altalinity 4.5; and temp at around 72.

Does anyone have any advice? I'm really hoping it isn't a disease.

 

[JennyL]

First of all, their tankmates are very inappropriate. We are talking about a small species of seahorse.

Optimum water perams for Brevvies are Temp-66-68F(19-21c)
sg-1.024,Ammonia-0-,Nitrite-0-, Nitrate<20 ppm

I would suggest you make some immediate changes in tank mates and bring their temp down to start with. You really need to seperate them from those clowns.

 

[ReefNutPA]

I agree with Jenny. Those clowns are not tankmates for brevies...and are risky tankmates for the larger horses. I'm suprised ORA sold you brevies knowing you had clowns and didn't have a chilled tank.

Tom

 

[SugarSeahorse]

Okay I think I need to clear some stuff up. First my clowns are 2 juvenile false black clowns and 1 juvenile mis-bar. The clowns never bothered the SH, in fact they stayed on the other side of the tank away from them. Also although my SH are ORA I didn't purchase them directly from ORA I got them from a LFS. Lastly I followed the suggestion and pulled the clowns from the tank and have dropped the temp to 67 degrees however now both SH are hiding and I haven't seen either one eat. Where before when the water was warmer and I had fish in the tank at least one of the SH was swimming around and eating normally.

 

[ann83]

I would have pulled the SH out rather than the clowns. It is easier to tell if your seahorses are eating if they are in a bare bottom aquarium. That being said, if your aquarium is full of matured live rock and your seahorses are new to the aquarium, they could be back behind the rock hunting for copepods. When did you get your seahorses? I am suprised your nitrate is actually zero. Are you doing something to the water to keep the nitrates at zero because that could be the problem? Try feeding out some live ghost shrimp and see if that gets them to eat. Soaking foods in garlic extract can also help food seem more enticing. Seahorses have such high metabolisms that they really can't go more than a couple of days without eating. Also, some ORA seahorses are imported from other breeders, so there is the possiblility your SH were raised in pens in the ocean, and they might be used to supplementing their diets with more live foods right now.
Whatever you do, leave the temperature lower. I would even lower it to 65. Breviceps are temperate seahorses that need cooler water. They aren't tropicals like Reidi, or even subtropical seahorses. This also means that the clown fish probably aren't good tankmates in the long run since the cold water would be stressful for them. I'd look for temperate water tankmates like catalina gobies, and definately invest in a chiller before summer comes around.
Update us if the SH still won't eat after offering live, or if they start showing other signs of disease. Can you post pics of your SH?