Dear Elizabeth:

Dear Elizabeth:

That’s quite a quandary, Elizabeth, but I have one or two suggestions that may be helpful.

First of all, let me just say that seahorses can tolerate most all of the usual chemotherapeutic treatments used for other marine fish at the usual dosages, without any difficulties. However, the usual remedies for marine ich or Cryptocaryon irritans, such as copper sulfate (I prefer CopperSafe) or formalin could be harmful to the live corals.

However, you might consider administering hyposalinity or osmotic shock therapy (OST), which simply involves lowering the salinity of the aquarium to a point that the fishes and invertebrates can still tolerate well, but the marine ich parasites cannot. I will attach a document to this e-mail that explains how to administer hyposalinity safely in some detail, Elizabeth, so that you can download it, save it on your computer, and read through the information at your leisure.

OST or hyposalinity has proven safe to use with most seahorse species, with Hippocampus kelloggi seahorses being the only exception I am aware of. The Hippocampus kelloggi do not tolerate freshwater dips well at all, and therefore may not be good candidates for treatment using hyposalinity.

Otherwise, you might consider treating the tank with one of the products by Microbe Lift that are designed for use in reef tanks. One such product is Microbe Lift Herbtana, a 100% natural expellant for parasitic diseases, but I have never had occasion to try it, so I cannot say for my own personal experience how effective it may be.

That might be a good question for you to pose to a discussion group for reef keepers, Elizabeth, such as Reef Central. They may be able to recommend a good treatment for Cryptocaryon or marine ick that is reef safe, and therefore should not present any problem for your live corals and invertebrates.

Good luck!

Respectfully,
Pete Giwojna, Ocean Rider Tech Support