SICK SEAHORSE?

Question
Hi, we recently added two Great Seahorses (Hippocampus kelloggi).  One is thriving while the other has gotten himself in some situations.  Earlier this morning he was stuck in one of the filters.  We gently pulled him off of the filter and it looks as though his inerds are coming out of him.  I have some pictures... a little blurry trying to take pics through the tank but it gives the general idea.  The "inerds" are pinkish white in color and look as though they are coming out of his poop hole.  Let me know if you can help.  We do not believe that he is pregnant since they are both black and we were told that black means male.  Thank You

Answer
Hi Heather. Sorry to hear of the trouble your poor little seahorse is having. It is very hard for me to say weather or not he will be okay. It is quite possible that if the seahorse was stuck to the filter that the force of that suction could have caused a prolapsed where his intestines were actually pulled out through his anus. This sounds really gross however sometimes if it is not too far out it can repair itself. Usually bacterial infection is what you have to worry about the most. Also if the tissue looks torn or ragged that is not a good sign. From my experience usually when any fish gets stuck to a filter there was a problem with the fish before he got stuck. Most healthy fish have the ability and strength to pull themselves out of the suction from the filter before they get trapped. A weak fish cannot fight this battle and often has no choice but to succumb to the waters flow. Unless you have an extremely powerful filter(which would be a big mistake with these docile creatures) I would have to guess that this seahorse was already in a weakened state for some reason. You say that he has gotten himself in some situations. Could these situations you speak of have caused him to be weak? You can try treating him with an antibiotic however I don't know what else you have in your tank and weather or not that would be safe. You can try a product called melafix which is an herbal remedy made from tea tree oil that helps aid in infection but it is not always very effective. Or you could just wait and see if he starts doing better. If he seems to be acting normal and eating well you may want to just keep an eye on him to make sure he is healing. If he will not eat and is acting funny he may be in bad shape and require immediate attention.