Gas In Male Seahorse Pouch

[Eyford01]

This was taken from the library section at seahorse.org, they also have a forum dedicated to seahorse diseases, it might be worth while to sign up and ask your question there for a more in depth answer




Pouch Emphysema

Pouch Emphysema is characterized by air trapped in the pouch of the male seahorse. This condition, like EGBD and IGBD, can cause the seahorse to float and interfere with his ability to swim, hitch and feed. The suspected causes of PE include micro-bubbles in the aquarium and error in the hydration of carbon dioxide to carbonic acid. The micro-bubbles referred to are not those produced by air stones and water overflow to a sump, but rather the microscopic bubbles like those produced under pressure by some skimmer designs or by air leaks before water pumps.

In most cases, pouch emphysema can be cured with a simple pouch evacuation. >>View article on pouch evacuations
PE can be relieved successfully through manual evacuation of the pouch. Persistent or reoccurring cases of PE have been treated with methods including flushing the pouch with carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and treatment with antibiotics, as well as modification of the environment to prevent micro-bubbles or release them through gas exchange. As always, to prevent reoccurrence, effort needs to be made not only to treat the symptoms, but to identify and correct the underlying source of the problem.