Melafix killed my tang!

as long as the rest of the fish are looking ok take your time and follow the advise given so far, no drastic measures that might make it worse. I know it sucks but thats the way this hobby is sometimes

edit: just saw the last 2 posts - ditch the bottle if its suspect

 

how big is your tank and how big was your tang? Do you have lids on your tank? Sump?

 

lol, you made me go sniff the bottle, to me it smells like Vicks Vapor Rub lol... and my friend Mary thinks it smells like Noxzema.

 

Melafix does have a strong odor, I think it smells like tea tree oil (which is actually the main ingredient, I believe). Melafix depletes the oxygen level in the tank. When I was using it, my water got all cloudy and my fish all lazy - well that was why. I did a 25% water change and ran new carbon, and it cleared up and the fish perked up within a day. It could have been the low oxygen that hurt the tang, or it could have been the bite. Hard to say. Sorry about your loss.

Have you thought about selling/trading the blenny? He seems kind of mean....

 

Thanks for the help everyone. I don't have a dissolved oxygen meter, but I believe the oxygen levels are the issue plus I'm ditching the melafix just in case. My blenny was breathing heavy today too, so I cranked up my powerhead to help. I can't get rid of the blenny, 1 I really like him, 2 no stores around me take fish back. And 3 I've never seen him show aggression toward other fish. My shrimp even cleans him, so I think something else set him off on my tang those 3 times. I turned the skimmer off last night (melafix recommends that u do)so I think that plus the melafix may have drop the levels too much. Wish I knew it lowered the oxygen level, else I would have increased the flow. It doesn't say it does anywhere on the bottle. The tank is a 55 and def too small for my tang, which was 5 inches, but she was being moved in two weeks to my 90gal, hence why this is so frustrating. It is a lesson learned I suppose.

 

if it was the melafix, all your other fish would be dead too

 

Glad you figured it out. I made that mistake with the oxygen too at the beginning. Aim your power heads toward the surface and remove any lids to facilitate gas exchange. If you have an aerator (???), the thing that makes bubbles in the tank, throw it in there too.

Check this out:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/803420-post1.html

Good luck!

- Mag.

 

That's definitely not the only way to get rid of a fish. Lots of people will sell online or trade..

 

I know where you're coming from. I've been battling ich for a couple weeks now, with frequent water changes and a vitamin supplement added to their food I have kept it down to 2 spots on my butterfly until recently. Someone had suggested using melafix to help with stress and promote healing generally speaking. After the first dose the water became cloudy and I lost my spiny blue lobster despite the label reading reef safe. That is the only variable that has changed, so by using any kind of logic it must be the culprit.

Other than my anecdote, does anyone have advice on how to treat ich in a reef tank? Unfortunately I don’t have the space for a qt. I’m already using a combination of diet, water changes, and lowering the salinity although not drastically because of the invert population in the tank. Any and all tips, tricks, and even encouragement would be appreciated!!

 

I'm sorry for your loss.

BTW,since your keeping a fish that is known biter, definitely buy some Hikari Bio Bandage. liquid bandage - Google Search