What to tube feed a sick Kuda?

[Duddly01]

I lost my Male kuda last weekend and my female has been sick most of this week. I have been trying to get help from seahorse.org, but response has been varied. Last night she seemed blind and was bumping into everything and she didn't eat all day yesterday. Last night I gave her a 6 min. freshwater dip and I am treating her with Metronidazole. She seems to be able to see better today and her eyes are at least moving around again, but she is not eating again today. I have some syringes to tube feed her but I am not sure what would be best. The mysis she usually eats is never going to work.

 

[ann83]

If your seahorse hasn't eaten in 4 days, the link below will walk you through tube feeding and what ingredients to use. It does use brine, along with several other ingredients, that you have to mash up. Tube feeding is stressful, and really only helps keep the SH digestive system from shutting down. It doesn't provide much nutrition, so if she is eating at all, or is only going a day or two without eating, then I would look for other avenues to help her. http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/TubeFeed.pdf

 

[Duddly01]

She ate the day before yesterday. She swam over to the feeding trough today and just looked at it, didn't snick up anything. I'll give it a little more time. I hate watching her not feeling good.

 

[pottsburg]

yikes. good luck!

 

[ann83]

You can always try feeding her live foods, like live mysis, ghost shrimp, glass shrimp, volcano shrimp, etc. Sometimes when seahorses don't feel well, they go off frozen foods, but will still take live since it is fresher. If she is weak, you can injure the shrimp first so that she can catch it.

 

[seahorsedreams]

How have you been administering the Metronidazole?

 

[Duddly01]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9669464#post9669464 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by seahorsedreams
How have you been administering the Metronidazole?

I have been putting it in the tank based on the seachem instructions. I don't have any corals in the tank so the only real risk may be my cleanup crew. According to everything I have read it is safe for the inverts and will not damage the biofiltration. Most other antibiotics would, but are stronger. I have a much easier time keeping the water parameters and temp constant in this tank than hospital tank so I thought I would try it first. I have been checking ammonia, ph, etc. sense starting and everything still seems stable.

The good news is she ate a little this morning. Her snout is somewhat clear so I could actually see the food go down. I am sure you can imagine the relief I had when I saw this. I was not looking forward to having to tube feed. She was swimming around today and her eyes look much better. I don't think she is out of the water (not litterally) yet, but she is certainly doing better.