melafix killing fish!

smork81

smork81

Member
Used melafix and pimafix in my reef tank once before an everything turned out FINE no deaths of anything and it healed my fish very well.
I used this stuff last night and when i awoke this morning ALL Shrimp, pods,
4 fish(the rest are on the bottom breathing really rapidly), crabs, and whatever else goes along with it i cant see, also stuff thats so smalll i never noticed but i see it floating around dead. WTF!!!!!! Could this company reimburse me for my fish and losses? Ive called their number but they arent open this early. This sucks! I cant believe i even lost my fish on this stuff...Im just in awe and dont know what to do now as far as my tank goes. will this crash my whole tank or what?
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
It could crash your tank. I have heard of it working with 0 problems, while others experience a significant drop in O2 levels, which kills all of their fish. Some one I know lost every single fish in their tank due to using the two products in their display.
I would definitely do a water change and try to get the oxygen levels up. How is your pH and kH testing?
 
smork81

smork81

Member
I do not test for PH...If my alkalinity is good then ph is fine....I have had too many CRAZY readings with different ph test kits so i dont use them anymore. But back to the matter at hand my alk. is 13 and this is LOW compared to what i usually keep it at which is 15. Will my starfish die, cucumber, spongas tunicates oysters and all that die in the next few days??? I will def. do water changes over this weekend. but whatelse can i do?
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
The Reef Vital DNA would not have done this.
Your kH is on the high side at 13, and even worse at 15.
Testing for pH is neccessary because your pH level can tell you how the oxygen level is in your tank, if you need more flow, etc.
 
smork81

smork81

Member
Well the last time i tested for PH which i occasionaly do it was at 7.9-8.0
this was maybe last week when i tested this. I dont know why your saying 13 is on the high side..I get all my info on any additives fish water parameters etc...from a reputable Wholeseller in my area. He does this as a hobby that spilled into a store and he offers advice to MAJOR fish store chains. His own tanks including his 1000g display have the same readings as my PH and ALK. I take his word to be the complete truth! I take my water to him and have it tested to double check my test with his. He has always kept his alk on the high side and also doesnt test for PH because ALK and PH are basicly hand in hand..if ur ALK is off then ur ph is too so whats the point to test for it when you get so many FALSe readings from kits. Sorry to have ranted on about this but ive read so much on this forum and im sorry but people who say to keep your ALK at natural seawater lvl of 8 is completely wrong. We are working with artificial setups and they are not the ocean. So many different opinions on these boards is the point im trying to make. I'm the type of person that will read and read on and form my own opinion about what i need to do. Anyways as far as flow i have a mag 3 on my skimmer which doesnt account for much at all..a rio 200 and 2 maxijets 1200's plus a emperor 400 biowheel that gives a little flw on the top of the water, so i dont think flow and oxygen lvls are an issue in my setup. I greatly appreciate your information Lion and by no means am i trying to undermind you
I lost a scopas royal gramma 4 stripe damsel all shrimp and crabs. my other 2 fish left seem to be doing better as the morning progresses. Any other ideas of maybe adding too much pima/mela fix to the tank? I turned my skimmer off and the biowheel but left all the powerheads on. Could this have been the problem causeof the oxygen lvl going to low by turning those off?
 
smork81

smork81

Member
Also i have about 100+ lbs of LR and a 2-3 inch LSB. My 4 starfish are alive and well. but i seen dead floating pods all over..Why would it affect the pods and shrimp and not my cucumber snails feather dusters and my LPS and softies...Im SOOO confused
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
I would say that your whole saler friend is offering wrong advice in some areas. While I do not agree to keep your kH as low as 8, 13 is a tad high. 12 is the highest that you want it ideally to go - thus, 15 would definitely be high. I usually like to stay right in the middle at 10.
It is true that if your alkalinity is not right, then your pH will have issues. However, if you have oxygen problems, your alkalinity will not show this. This is why I recommend you still test for oxygen.
I am not trying to undermine your wholesaler friend, since I obviously do not know him. However, testing pH is still vital, especially when you are experiencing problems such as this one.
When you dose a medication in your tank, some medications will actually affect the oxygen level in your tank. In normal conditions with no medication, that flow amount may be perfectly fine. However, when you add the medication, it will put a strain on the oxygen output, since the medication is using some of the oxygen in the water. Furthermore, since you turned off your skimmer and biowheel, I can almost say for sure that you experienced a huge drop in your oxygen.
I have watched fish in a tank that was just recently dosed with oxygen. A few times, I watched them swim around erratically as they began to gill pretty rapidly. This is from a low oxygen level, and they began to gill faster to get more oxygen into their body.
 
smork81

smork81

Member
SOO maybe it wasnt the mela/pimafix that made my animals die...Oxygen lvls were probably the culprit from what ive gathered reading from your post. Would shrimp also die from low Oxygen lvls as fast as fish will?
Ive got soo many micro bubbles from my skimmer...Should i just turn it off? its collecting on the underside of some corals and such and i know that isnt good. Or would this just add to the problem of low oxygen? Ive turned the powerheads up towards the top in order to help with Oxygen for the time being. Is this the right thing to do?
Also, if the problem persist how do you add oxygen? What is the best kit to test for oxygen also....its something i havent thought of. I use all saliferts kits for any testing cept iodine/iodide.
Thanks soo much for your info lion!!! you are da bomb!
 
scrad

scrad

New Member
I had this happen to my tank about a year ago. What happened is that you possibly added too much mela/permafix. It took all the oxygen out of the water. I lost my fuzzy dwarf, but immediately put open hoses on my powerheads to add bubbles to the tank. You need to aerate the tank as soon as possible and do a water change.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
I am thinking that it was the mela/pima fix. Low oxygen levels may cause some things to die, while not others. A couple that I am very good friends with went to work one day, and when they came back, they saw that their heater malfunctioned and their tank went up to 92 degrees in the course of the day. During that period, they last a good majority of their fish, however, not any of their shrimp or corals were affected (with the exception of their goniopora). The same thing happened here. Low oxygen levels killed a few of the fish from the high heat. I think you may have experienced the same thing with the meds.
Turning the powerheads up is a good idea, and I probably would turn the skimmer off until you can get most of the meds out, via water changes and lots of carbon.
The easiest way to get a possible oxygen indication is through a good pH test kit or monitor. If you are still a little bit weary of this method, investing in an oxygen test kit is not a bad idea either.
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=6
Please post any other questions you may have. I am glad I could be of help to you.
 
smork81

smork81

Member
Yeah Scrad and Lion I think I may have added too much also...i did not take into consideration all the LR and LS i have!!!! Doah my stupity!

you live and you learn i guess.
And i will be getting that test ASAP! I want my fishies happy!
Thanks again for the info!
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
No problem! I am glad that I could be of help.
Just remember, we all make mistakes at one point or time. The "master" reefkeepers are the ones who are able to learn from their mistakes and move on.
 
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