Vibrio Or A Cut??

[sharla1234]

My female Reidi wouldn't eat this morn. She has two red places that look like cuts right above her dorsal on the left side. She's hitched & rocking a bit.
I do water changes once a week (2 gals.) & add B-Ionics. I feed frozen mysis. Other tank inhabitants are a male Reidi (also CB), two small horseshoe crabs, a few astreas, hermits.

30 gal cube
live sand
20 lbs. LR
dyed corals for hitching

Water Perameters:
Temp 76
SP. Grav. 1.022
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 18
Alk 150 ppm 3.0 meq./L
Ph 8.1

 

[ann83]

Can you get a picture? We'd need a picture to help diagnose.

I would bring the temperature down to 72 degrees to reduce the chance of secondary infection if it is a cut, or to slow the infection if it is vibrio. Vibrio is more aggressive at temps above 74.

 

[sharla1234]

Thanks ann83. Will try to get a pic. Camera is w/husband at the moment.
I will freeze some R.O. to get temp down for now.

 

[ann83]

I find a fan aimed at the surface of the water can keep the temps down 6-8 degrees lower than the ambient room temperature... but it does require more frequent top offs from evaporation. I would also start setting up a hospital tank in case she needs to be moved for treatment.

 

[sharla1234]

ann83,
Have posted pics in gallery. May have to zoom some of them.

 

[ann83]

Hm... could you post those pics in your thread in the emergency forum on seahorse.org too so the lovely ladies who moderate that thread can see them when they get back from IMAC?
I'd definately get her into a hospital tank, but I'm really not sure from the pics whether it is an injury or not. Could you get a clearer shot of the injury/lesions?
What meds do you have?

 

[sharla1234]

ann83,
Just posted pics on seahorse.org & syngnathid.org. I took a million shots. These were the best. She has relocated, so she's not so listless.

 

[sharla1234]

Anyone?????

 

[sharla1234]

O.K.,
Lowered temp. Went to LFS, they didn't have live foods. So got BBS hatchery in hopes that would work. Tried feeding Rotifers, cyclopeeze & mysis. She didn't eat today.
Was worried qt & re-acclimation at this pt. would stress. Tried to get her to hitch to my finger, but she wouldn't. Tried to look her over more, I think she was injured, but that wouldn't explain the pink/redish above her dorsal that looked like it was inside.
Just ate dinner, checked her & she is on the bottom, but breathing.
I don't know if that means she's about gone, or if she can bounce back.
I am new at horses, but want the best for her. Hopefully, if she makes it tomorrow, she'll have some live BBS hatched & may eat them.
What to do???

 

[sharla1234]

Also, blew w/turkey baster, nothing came off of her. Not algae

 

[sharla1234]

O.K., well,
Checked her again before bed last night. I lost her.

 

[ann83]

I'm sorry to hear that. Keep an eye on your other one to make sure the illness hasn't been passed on and I'd start stocking up on medication just in case. Keep the temp bt/wn 70-72 for a couple weeks to reduce the risk of the other SH getting sick, and try to keep it under 74 permanently.

Also, if you got your SH from the LFS, I would look at treating the remaining SH for parasites. You can deworm him by gutloading live foods with deworming medicines, and there are some other procedures as well. Basically, follow the treatments for treating a WC seahorse (can be found in the Wild Caught forum on Seahorse.org). There is a possibility that the Reidi coming in to the LFS are pen raised in Asia (even though they are labelled CB or TR), and her illness could have been as a result of complications with a parasite (just guessing here), if she didn't have any external wounds.