Shooting the neighbors lame pony

[iansfishy]

Im looking after my friends horses ( in my refugium) as they are gone for a month. today i noticed small bubbles on the tip of the tail on one of them. reading other threads could this be "gas bubble disease"? or something else. how would i go about taking care of her. any advice would be appreciated. im sure their owners would rather i drown in my own tank then something happen to her "precious ponies" geez!:

[TamiW]

Yes, it does sounds like Gas Bubble Disease. If it's not affecting the horses ability to eat or move, I would leave it until your friend gets back, and just monitor closely. The cause is unknown but at least partially thought to be environmental, so it's possible that it will go away on its own once returned to their own tank.

Otherwise, treatment involves obtaining the human medication diamox and treating in a hospital tank, as well as possibly lancing the bubbles. I would only attempt this though if it seems to be affecting the seahorse's locomotion.

There are a few things you can try now. Search for places that air bubbles could be going through an impeller, which can cause supersaturation (one possible cause). Things like (example, skimmer that "chops" the bubbles or powerhead where there are lots of bubbles being created before the intake (after the intake via venturi action should be okay.). Check your water quality and make sure that your organics aren't high and that your ph is at least 8, preferably 8.2 - 8.4

[ann83]

Has the temperature gone up in the tank since they've been gone? There is just as good a chance this is an infection rather than gas bubble disease. If the tail appears to be floating and the bubbles appear to be clear or air filled, then it is probably GBD. If they are opague and do not cause the tail to float up, then they are probably a manifestation of a bacterial infection. Either way, I recommend the following:

Be very meticulous about rinsing the mysis before you feed it out, and cleaning out any leftovers using a turkey baster. It will help keep the water pristine and reduce the chance of rising nitrates or ammonia.

Try to bring the temperature down in the tank to the best of your ability to somewhere in the 68-74 degree range. If the bubbles are an infection, rather than air filled gas bubble disease, then this will at least slow the progression of the infection until the owners can get home and the decrease in temperature may even take care of it on its own.

Add an extra airline or two also. This will decrease stress, and may also help aid in GBD if it is being caused by an increase in CO2.

Edit: I just noticed they are in your refugium. I still suggest trying to bring the temp down, although I realize this may not be possible in the refugium, and you may need to move them to a different tank to do this. Do you have any syngnathids in the display tank (seahorses, pipefish)?

[LisaD]

If you aren't familiar with seahorses, it is also sometimes possible to mistake algae growth on the body with disease. Can you post a picture?

Are there an stressors? Are you feeding differently than your friend? Is water quality the same as the tank they came from?

[iansfishy]

water quality is better in my tank then what they where in before. there is no other pipefish or horses in my tanks, and they really hasnt been an increase or decrease in temp since they have been relocated. same feeding.it doesnt seem to affect her very much but she does float tail up more often than not. its not algea growth, and if it wasnt for the wonders of living in the sticks and having dial up i would post a pic. (takes like 20 minutes) not joking!

[hydroid]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11258717#post11258717 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by iansfishy
she does float tail up more often than not

Sounds like gas bubble disease to me. Can you get diamox in Canada? Here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetazolamide) is a link to the medication. Its the only med I know of that is effective against GBD.