Dear Eric:
Your stallion is floating because he is positively buoyant, sir. And he is positively buoyant because he is afflicted with gas bubble disease (GBD), which causes excess gas to accumulate in certain areas of the seahorse’s body. Pouch emphysema, in which the excess gas accumulates in the seahorse’s pouch, is the most common form of GBD.
In your case, Eric, if your stallion is floating but there is no gas in his pouch, then that indicates that excess gas is building up elsewhere in his system, most likely in his coelom (abdominal cavity) or in his gas bladder/swim bladder.
Acetazolamide (brand name Diamox) is the best way to treat those forms of gas bubble disease. If you contact me off list ([email protected]), I’ll be happy to send you a lot more information on GBD so you can do a little more research on the matter.
If you cannot obtain the Diamox, let me know, and we can discuss how to attempt treatment using the recompression/decompression cure for internal GBD.
Good luck resolving this matter, sir.
Respectfully,
Pete Giwojna, Ocean Rider Tech Support
Ocean Rider, Inc. is an Organic Hawaiian-Based Seahorse Aqua-Farm & Aquarium that Follows Strict Good Farming Practices in Raising Seahorses and Other Aquatic Life.
