Bloated Seahorse

[swill]

Originally Posted by rayjay

Is this a dwarf in a 6.6g aquarium?
If it is a standard sized seahorse then you will almost certainly have continual problems with it as the tank is a WAY too small for it.
Bloating can be from a female that is producing a pile of eggs and hasn't transferred them to the male yet but is due to.
It can also be due to internal gas bubble disease but usually in that case she/he would be floating.
Another cause is edema which is fluid build up due to kidney failure. When this gets bad, the seahorse will usually be on the bottom, often leaning over due to the weight.
You will probably have to treat it in a hospital tank using Diamox (acetazolamide) which usually needs a prescription.

Question: I only have 2 females so would a female produce eggs when there is no male to transfer them to or do they do this no matter what?

[swill]

I would have to order Diamox online as I live in a small town no where near a store that would carry such a thing, do I time to order it and wait for it to come in or will my seahorse die before it arrives?

[rayjay]

No, I've never heard of eggs produced with just two females in the tank but if they are just a recent acquisition then production may have started with male exposure before you got them. If you've had them longer than about 20 days max, then it's not eggs.
You need a prescription to get Diamox so you have to find a vet that will get it for you. (or a sympathetic physician)
If it was internal gas bubble disease the cure rate is pretty good.
However, with fluid retention, success is not very good at all.
Both conditions are caused by water conditions and is normal when housing seahorses in tanks that are too small for them.
Two standard seahorses should be in at least a 29g tank for best chances of success. Each additional two require an additional 15g.
The only way to make it work with lower volumes is to be continually doing major vacuuming of detritus and uneaten food, with frequent large water changes, and it helps to have an oversized skimmer as well.
Dosing probiotics will also aid in keeping nasty bacteria away. (I use Sanolife Mic F)
If you check out the links at the bottom of the page at "My Thoughts......" linked in my signature, you can find out a lot of the basics that you should know for keeping seahorses.

[rayjay]

Forgot to mention that there is a seahorse forum as a sub forum of the marine fish forum here.