microbe lift herbtana for reef fish help

[Gahamilton]

I had some ich on a new tang I got in my reefe tank and about a day after treatment started with this product the water got cloudy and my fish got lethargic and stoped swimming. All the fish in the tank. I currently have all of the fish moved to a 5 gallon bucket and I am doing a 75% water change. Any suggestions on why this happened and how to precede for here?

 

[siege]

No clue here. Hopefully someone else with an answer will be along soon.

Sorry to hear this is happening!

 

[chaples55]

Oxygen deprivation maybe? How's your surface agitation? Do you have a sump and/or a skimmer?

Since you have the fish out anyway I would treat them with copper and let the display tank go fallow. All of those herbal treatments do not work in my experience

 

[chaples55]

Other people have had similar experiences with this product

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/i...nk-hope-this-info-helps-other-reefers.902720/

 

[Gahamilton]

Relatively good surface agitation. It is a brand new tank have it set up on hang on the back filters while I get the sump up and running. I have had several leaks so far in the sump. But I got a new fish and it had some parasites and that is where my problem came from. I did a 90% water change in the end and was able to put the fish back in and they are doing ok now. Does the treatment cause low oxygen saturation?

 

[Gahamilton]

Other people have had similar experiences with this product

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/i...nk-hope-this-info-helps-other-reefers.902720/

The tank has had fish in it for about a month with no issues only an issue once I put that in it.

 

[chaples55]

Relatively good surface agitation. It is a brand new tank have it set up on hang on the back filters while I get the sump up and running. I have had several leaks so far in the sump. But I got a new fish and it had some parasites and that is where my problem came from. I did a 90% water change in the end and was able to put the fish back in and they are doing ok now. Does the treatment cause low oxygen saturation?

I don't know for sure for Herbtana specifically but most treatments do deplete oxygen to some degree. HOB filters are probably not providing enough aeration on their own to compensate for that. I would at a minimum add a large air stone or point a strong powerhead at the surface till you get the sump and a skimmer hooked up.

Also I HIGHLY recommend doing a proper QT on those fish. Tangs have a thin slime coat and are very prone to ich/velvet, especially in a new and unstable tank. An infection can easily spiral out of control and wipe out the whole tank. I've been there. Many others have been there. Most people come around to quarantining after they've had their first mass extinction event. I would skip that and do it right the first time!

 

[Gahamilton]

I will keep that in mind. Never had an issue with parasites till now. Might need to start quarantine

 

[siege]

I will keep that in mind. Never had an issue with parasites till now. Might need to start quarantine

Yeah. It's really not a matter of if, but when.

I was thinking I might skip QT with the first introductions to my new tank when I stand it up because there won't be any fish in it. A quick H2O2 dip, short observation, and they should be fine, right? After all, there won't be anything else in the tank except a couple of starter corals.

Problem is, IF any of them do come in with ich, I then have to either QT the fish anyway and keep the tank empty for up to 72 days before being able to be certain it's all past life-cycle, or I have to QT the corals and wipe out every invert in the tank by treating it directly, because the cysts or whatever they are can lay dormant that long. Either way kinda sucks

So I'm just gonna QT, probably TTM. Uses more salt and takes more effort than I'd like, but doesn't contaminate my spare tanks with copper until I absolutely have no other choice. Just not worth the risk.

 

[PJs_Bucket_List]

I will keep that in mind. Never had an issue with parasites till now. Might need to start quarantine

Take it from yet another new reefer, of the thousands, that made this mistake. I'm currently dealing with parasites and praying that I don’t lose all of my fish, because I didn't quarantine. Everyone thinks they'll be alright without it...until they aren't. And once you invest so much time, effort, money, and heart into your tank, a loss like that is devastating. It's a lesson nobody wants to learn the hard way.