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ABSTRACT: Diseases in Hippocampus:
A Current Look at Diagnosis and Treatment The
seahorse, Hippocampus sp., is highly regarded
as a popular aquarium display animal as well as
an important economic resource for many individuals
worldwide. Attempts to keep these fish in aquaria
have met with limited success until recently.
More and more, seahorses are becoming a popular
display animal for public aquaria. Their value
as a flagship species for promoting conservation
is almost unrivaled in the marine community. Because
of these issues, Project Seahorse and the Shedd
Aquarium have teamed up to help promote global
conservation. Working with governments, fishers,
collectors, traditional medicine practitioners,
and others to promote the sustained use of seahorses
has been a large goal of this project. Another
main goal is to develop and learn more about the
natural history and husbandry of seahorses.
Many species of the seahorse
and other syngnathids (notably Pychodurus and
Phyllopteryx) have been kept at the John G. Shedd
Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois for the past six
years. During this time, diagnosis and treatment
of seahorses has become more and more successful.
This talk will focus on
current diagnosis and treatment of the four main
diseases found in seahorses: Mycobacteria, Vibriosis,
Gas Bubble Disease (GBD) and tail rot. As we continue
to understand and diagnosis and treat these diseases,
it will only improve our success in captive aquaculture
of this genus.
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