seeking advice on seahorses

[zeni9x]

hi all, got a bit of a concern about my seahorse - she seems to be really enjoying her tank, swimming around and all that, which is great, but what's got me worried is that she keeps laying on the sand and scratching like a dog, is this something i should be looking into

[kingrise]

I'm far from a saltwater expert, but I've heard that when fish rub against things, it's often a sign of ich. I'm only familiar with treating ich in freshwater aquariums, though. Not sure how it works for marine ones. Hopefully @Cobyx can offer some advice.

[Cobyx]

Fish, like other animals, will itch and scratch from time to time. It's nothing to worry about if it's an occasional occurrence - just like when we scratch an itch. However, frequent scratching could be a sign of a problem, often related to external parasites. Seahorses, in particular, can be susceptible to certain protozoa, commonly referred to as "ciliates." A possible solution for some saltwater creatures is a freshwater dip, where you temporarily remove the creature from your tank and submerge it in fresh water. The duration of the dip varies depending on the creature. Additionally, there are anti-parasite treatments available. It's essential to note that if the entire tank is infected, a dip will only provide temporary relief, and the seahorse may become reinfected once returned to the tank.

[zeni9x]

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. I'm also on reef2reef, and I've been told the same thing about my seahorse's behavior.

[Cobyx]

hi all, got a bit of a concern about my seahorse - she seems to be really enjoying her tank, swimming around and all that, which is great, but what's got me worried is that she keeps laying on the sand and scratching like a dog, is this something i should be looking into

Consistency is reassuring. Receiving the same advice from multiple sources helps put my mind at ease regarding my seahorse's behavior.

[zeni9x]

Fish, like other animals, will itch and scratch from time to time. It's nothing to worry about if it's an occasional occurrence - just like when we scratch an itch. However, frequent scratching could be a sign of a problem, often related to external parasites. Seahorses, in particular, can be susceptible to certain protozoa, commonly referred to as "ciliates." A possible solution for some saltwater creatures is a freshwater dip, where you temporarily remove the creature from your tank and submerge it in fresh water. The duration of the dip varies depending on the creature. Additionally, there are anti-parasite treatments available. It's essential to note that if the entire tank is infected, a dip will only provide temporary relief, and the seahorse may become reinfected once returned to the tank.

I completely agree. My husband had a terrible algae issue in his 180g tank and we were advised to do a 100% water change, try this and that. But the simplest solution - Algiefix - ended up being the solution. We were at our wit's end, but it fixed the problem in under an hour.

[Cobyx]

hi all, got a bit of a concern about my seahorse - she seems to be really enjoying her tank, swimming around and all that, which is great, but what's got me worried is that she keeps laying on the sand and scratching like a dog, is this something i should be looking into

That's quite an extreme measure.

[zeni9x]

Fish, like other animals, will itch and scratch from time to time. It's nothing to worry about if it's an occasional occurrence - just like when we scratch an itch. However, frequent scratching could be a sign of a problem, often related to external parasites. Seahorses, in particular, can be susceptible to certain protozoa, commonly referred to as "ciliates." A possible solution for some saltwater creatures is a freshwater dip, where you temporarily remove the creature from your tank and submerge it in fresh water. The duration of the dip varies depending on the creature. Additionally, there are anti-parasite treatments available. It's essential to note that if the entire tank is infected, a dip will only provide temporary relief, and the seahorse may become reinfected once returned to the tank.

Yeah and the next day it was back. But Algiefix really worked for us. We had all the water and conditioner ready to go, so it was a breeze. We had already prepared the trash cans, but those are actually for our freshwater tank.