What's making my seahorses disappear

[tcoral]

Well, over time I've been losing my seahorses. Now I can't find the last one that was the biggest was very healthy, so I know that one for sure didn't bump from natural causes (and probably not the others either, since they all ate well). Could the XL bristleworm I've seen in the tank, or some other critter in the tank be the culprit? I'm going to be switching tanks soon, is there something I should do to prevent transfering this potential seahorse killer?

 

[sruiz]

sorry to hear about your loss, I found a website for seahorses , the thread I found is about a missing seahorse. I have never been on this site but maybe someone there can help.

http://www.seahorse.com/index.php?I...view&id=2926&option=com_joomlaboard&view=flat

 

[Tylt33]

Losing as in dying or losing as in disappearing? What species of sea horse? What size tank? How many horses? What else is in the tank? If your sea horses are dying, a big bristleworm could be doing cleanup, but it would be pretty unlikely for the bristle to be doing the killing.

Do you have stinging coral? Anemone? They kill ponies. If your tank is running above 76 degrees, the likelihood for diseases such as vibrio skyrockets.... that could be killing them off...

 

[tcoral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15294130#post15294130 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tylt33
Losing as in dying or losing as in disappearing? What species of sea horse? What size tank? How many horses? What else is in the tank? If your sea horses are dying, a big bristleworm could be doing cleanup, but it would be pretty unlikely for the bristle to be doing the killing.

Do you have stinging coral? Anemone? They kill ponies. If your tank is running above 76 degrees, the likelihood for diseases such as vibrio skyrockets.... that could be killing them off...

Disappearing, but I have rockwork so they may be dieing back where I can't see them. 30 gallon. They are brazilian and were tank raised. The last one was super healthy and fat and would come out to eat with a net. There's no way that he could have fallen ill overnight and died. I don't think there are any stinging coral in there. There is a colt type or kenya tree type coral though, do you think that could do it?

 

[Tylt33]

No, colt and kenyas are good hitchers for them. Any signs of a mantis shrimp? Disappearing snails? Loud clicking? Making a good size seahorse disappear takes a decent size animal... you might try and look behind the rocks or testing the water and seeing if you're getting an ammonia spike consistent with a dead animal.

 

[xia]

My bet is on the bristleworms.

 

[boviac]

can bristle worms digest the huge skeleton of a seahorse?

and even if they could... a large seahorse that quickly?

My guess is the rockwork

 

[Underwaterparadise]

How often were you feeding them? They need several feedings a day or they will just wither away and die. Even though they were eating one day and gone the next does not meant they were perfectly healthy when they were eating.

 

[VacavilleFC3S]

bristlworm definately could not have digested it's body.

 

[tcoral]

Found him, he was at the top looking for his hand out this afternoon. Still as fat and big as ever.