Pimafix and Melafix

[ghndnut]

I have a six line wrasse that has a few white patches on it. I had some pimafix and melafix that has worked well in my fresh water tank, so I thought I'd see if it was ok to use in a reef tank. The back side of the label said it was reef, coral, and invert safe so I decided to try them. As soon as I added them to the tank the protein skimmer started foaming like mad and filling the cup with water. The foam overflowed back into the tank. If that was all that happened, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal, but next I noticed that my black long-spined urchin was spewing out a thick white substance into the water. I removed him from the tank, as that substance was probably toxic. I also had a small colony of pulsing xenia that let go of it's rock. I did a partial water change and am hoping that will help. I emailed Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, but have heard nothing from them so far. Any suggestions or comments?

 

[hdesai123]

I am not sure what the white spots on the six line wrasse might be, possible ich? I have been using Melafix on my reef system quite often. I am not sure if there is different type of Melafix for saltwater and freshwater. Also you should turn your protein skimmer off when you add the Melafix because the skimmer takes it for soap and produces foam. Whenever I need to dose Melafix I usually dose it for 3-4 days and then do about 20% water change. If the fish is doing better after the 3-4 days dosage then I dont add any more and probably do another 15% water in a couple of days before turning the skimmer back on. If the skimmer is still producing foam then I wait till the weekly water change is due and only turn the skimmer on after the weekly water change. Hope this helps. Good Luck.

 

[ghndnut]

Thanks for the reply. I think it was some kind of fuzzy patch- maybe a fungus? Anyway, he is better now & everthing is back to normal. Thanks for the input.