Dear Tom:
Yeah, I know from our previous correspondence that you are using the ozone in your tank according to recommendations, and observing all of the usual precautions, Tom. But when I’m analyzing a problem and I am quite unsure what is going on in this particular case what the proper diagnosis should be, I will bring up anything I can think of that could possibly account for the symptoms that were reported, and throw it out there in the hope that it may make some sense to the home hobbyist. As the first-hand observer, the home aquarist always knows his particular tank and the specimens he or she keeps best, and if I can mention something that may not have occurred to them but that resonates with them in retrospect, it is sometimes helpful.
Also, as I have learned the hard way from my own personal experience, even when you are using the ozone properly and observing all of the precautions, it still possible for problems to crop up because a casket or seal failed upon exposure to the ozone, allowing residual ozone to leak into the tank, or because the bed of activated carbon had become saturated and lost its potency…
I don’t know if it will help, Tom, but shifting to UV sterilization rather than ozonation certainly can’t hurt and may be helpful, so it is certainly appropriate under the circumstances. The daily doses of Sanolife MIC-F probiotics may also prove to be very helpful in the long run.
Also, as I mentioned in my previous post, if you want to try the modified hyposalinity that is suitable for a tank with live corals, it cannot do any harm as long as you are careful when you are ready to return the tank to normal salinity again, which must be done very gradually, over a period of a week or two, in order to eliminate any possibility of dehydration in the aquarium inhabitants.
I also am baffled as to why the Hippocampus reidi and ingens seahorses are the only ones that are sensitive to this particular problem. Those two species are very close relatives, whereas the Hippocampus erectus and Tigertails (H. comes) do not share the same ancestry, so there could be a genetic component to this particular issue, which may be why only the reidi and ingens seem to be affected…
Best of luck resolving this mysterious malady and returning your tank to normal again, 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.
