weird situation

L

Layla

Two weeks ago, as I was looking at my seahorses, I realizes that I did not see one of my smaller females. I looked everywhere for her and couldn't locate her. Finally I peaked under a rock where a small cave was formed and she was there....looking extremeley uncomfortable and when I moved the rock that formed the cave, she kept her head down like she had been stuck in an awkward position too long and had a crick in her neck, she also seemed skinny so I moved her into a hospital tank where she seemed listeless and died within a few hours. :sad: Then yesterday, again one of my horses was missing. Again, I found her hidden in this time a different cave and already dead. Neither of these horses had shown any sign of sickness. Both had been eating, no marks on their bodies and I have not added anything new to my tank to cause this. Has anyone else experienced the sudden death of their seahorses??? Any ideas what it could be?
 
This is not uncommon at times. My first guess would be a vibrio infection. Can you tell me more about your tank? What inhabitants and where they came from, any corals, inverts and your water parameters?

So sorry to hear it :sad:
 
It's a 6o gallon tank that has been up and running for almost 6 months now. Current inhabitants are the 4 remaining seahorses, 3 reidi and one kuda. Two dragon faced pipefish and one banded pipe. One brittle starfish. One green clown goby. One or two peppermint shrimp and various cleaner snails. They have come from various places but nothing new has been added for well over 6 weeks to two months. Corals include several kinds of zoos, mushrooms, a gorgonian, kenya trees, xenia, and a christmas tree rock. They have a ton of copepods to snack on in addition to their regular feedings of mysis and the occassional ghost shrimp treat. I have always checked to make sure that anything I add is seahorse safe. Water paramaters are all normal. No excess of nitrates. Temperature is kept at 74 degrees.
 
Question - I notice you posted that your seahorse tank has mushrooms.
I thought I had read or otherwise learned that mushrooms, being a kind of anemone, should not be in with seahorses - that the mushrooms could sting the seahorses, the same as they can sting other corals.
?????????????
Am I wrong?
Brenda
 
I have never heard that mushrooms were anything but seahorse safe. They are listed on the seahorse. org as ok. http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/tankmates.shtml
 
I have lots of mushrooms - they are harmless. The only kinds of mushrooms that are any kind of risk is the hairy mushrooms, some of them can sting.

What color brittle starfish is it? I've heard the greens can be quite agressive.

Another thought - mixing pipefish and seahorses can be risky. I doubt this is your problem though as the risk lies in the fact they carry the same kinds of disease. You didn't see any signs of disease.

Were both the females eating well or were they acting kind of listless before they disappeared? Is the tank well oxygenated?
 
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