Dear sea lover:
You’re very welcome and I’m extremely pleased that you were able to obtain some the Diamox. Having access to a fish veterinarian who works at a local zoo is a wonderful resource so it sounds like you and Little Looy are in good hands.
Yes, it’s a very common mistake to try to keep the Hippocampus kelloggi seahorses in a tropical setup at standard aquarium temperatures. Unfortunately, that approach simply does not work with this species in the long run. The current thinking is that H. kelloggi is a deepwater seahorse and is therefore adapted for lower light levels than most seahorses and also requires cool water temperatures (Lisa Coit et al., pers. com.). The feeling is that this species should be maintained in temperate tanks rather than tropical aquaria, and that H. kelloggi will only thrive if they are maintained at a water temperature of 68°F or less (Lisa Coit et al., pers. com.). It is said that if the H. kelloggi are maintained at standard aquarium temperatures for a tropical marine aquarium (i.e., 75°F-78°F) they will inevitably be plagued by various bacterial infections and suffer as a result.
Best of luck resolving Little Looy problems with gas bubble disease, sea lover! And don’t forget to implement the preventative measures for protecting your seahorses from GBD that are outlined in the other discussion thread.
Respectfully,
Pete Giwojna
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.
