Bubbles in Seahorse's tail???

[shackscs]

Please take a look at these photos to confirm my concern. I think there are bubbles the tail. He can not swim without the tail being in the air. He can hitch but as soon as he lest go, the tail goes up.

Can I puncture these?

http://www.shackscs.com/reef/sh1.jpg

http://www.shackscs.com/reef/sh2.jpg


He is one of four tank raised Brazilian's and they are huge!

[ann83]

Do not puncture them. That would leave him vulnerable to infection.

Move him to a hospital tank and bring the tank temperature down to 68 degrees. Do it gradually by no more than 2 degrees every 12 hours. Also add a few extra airlines for increased O2.

Put an order in for Diamox here http://www.inhousedrugstore.com/neu...cal/diamox.html It will take about 10 days to get to you, so you want to order now.

If the bubbles haven't resolved themselves through the low temps and extra O2 by the time the Diamox arrives, you will want to treat him with Diamox in the hospital tank. If it gets to that point, post and I will track down the Diamox treatment instructions.

You're looking at external gas bubble disease. It is possible that there is an underlying infection causing it, so keep an eye on him for any other signs of illness, and make sure he continues to eat well.

[Jetdrvr]

Help! We just found a seahorse with the same problem only she only has 1 bubble. We are going to do the q-tank and lower the temp but we already have Diamox on hand. Does anyone have the instructions for treatment?

Thanks

[Jetdrvr]

I just found this:

Perhaps more promising is the use of a drug called acetazolamide. This drug, called Diamox in the medicinal trade, is very successful at treating all gas-related seahorse disorders. To use it, a solution of 1/8th of a 250 mg tablet should be dissolved in one cup of water. The solution should then be injected into ghost shrimp, which are then frozen. The prepared shrimp are then fed to the affected seahorse at a rate of two per day for four days to complete treatment. This treatment must be administered very early to work, but if done correctly, success rates can be high.

Is this what you are looking for or does anyone have another treatment method?

Thanks again.

[ann83]

Is the bubble causing her tail to float? If so, use the Diamox, if not, you may be looking at a bacterial infection that the Diamox will not treat.

Use the diamox in the water as a bath treatment instead of being fed. Use one 250mg tablet per 10 gallons of water. Fully dissolve the diamox in water before adding it to the tank. Do 50% water changes daily and replace the meds removed (i.e. 125mg per 5 gallons of water). Continue for 3-5 days, and make sure you have live food on hand since Diamox can affect appetite.

[Jetdrvr]

Yes the bubble is making her tail float. Thanks for the info, I really didn't want to try to feed the stuff. We already set up a Q-tank in a clean 5 gallon bucket with a new heater and airstone. Would you start the diamox right now or would you even try to lower the temp since we have the meds on hand?

[Jetdrvr]

Any tips on getting the Diamox to disolve? I crushed it all up but now it's like snow in the cup I'm mixing it in. I mixed in it fresh RO water, should I try salt water?

[panmanmatt]

Mix it up with a stick blender or use a regular blender if you can convince the significant other it's a good idea to ue the food blender for fish meds.

[shackscs]

The seahorse is back to normal after a dosing of Diamox. Thanks to everyone and a member of DVRC who supplied the Diamox.