Just a heads up to any would-be chemi clean users. I had a cyano bloom for months that I just couldn't shake. I have read a few threads about chemi clean and every experience was a positive one, saying it works exactly as intended and is totally reef safe. Well, my results prove otherwise. I added the chemicals to my tank Friday night. I used the correct amount, and turned off my skimmer and phosban reactor for 24 hours as instructed. I had a HOB filter running empty and 2 PH's pointed to the surface for aeration. I immediately noticed all my soft corals shrivelling up after adding the chemi clean, but figured that was normal. The sps were all fine, polyps remained out. I woke up Saturday and the tank looked fine. Some softies were a little retracted, but other than that everything was fine. Saturday night, after 24 hours, I turned my skimmer and phosban reactor back on. Went to bed with no worries. I woke up Sunday before lights on and the first thing I noticed was bright white standing out clearly from the rest of the tank. I took a closer look and 3 acro frags are completely dead, no tissue remaining. One other acro frag was about 75% dead. The weird thing is, my montipora frags were all fine. Only the branching acros were affected. Anyway, I did a water change and I hope the rest of my corals will survive, but this was so frustrating. I started keeping SPS corals over 2 years ago and this was my first loss, and what a dramatic one. That RTN is really rapid and thorough. I don't know if I had a bad batch of chemi clean or if it was some other unknown factor that caused the deaths, but everyone should be careful when using chemi-clean in the future. Hopefully this bad experience will save some people from having losses in the future.
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Chemi Clean = Not Reef Safe
- Thread starter Meloco14
- Start date
No, actually as I wrote that yesterday I thought to myself I should have checked all the parameters to see if it was a specific change in pH or ammonia/nitrite or something. I was just so shocked and frustrated by it that I really didn't feel like doing anything, and I just assumed it was the chemi-clean. The weird thing is I have soft corals, LPS, other SPS, shrimp, snails, hermit crabs, fish, and a clam and nothing else died. As mentioned, the soft corals shriveled a bit during the treatment, but yesterday all were back open and normal. Even the finicky xenia were all extended and pulsing. My clam has been perfect, and my watchman goby was out and feeding normally yesterday. My lps and all sps other than the branching acros are fine. I have a branching monti that is right next to two of the bleached frags and it didnt lose a single polyp. It's so strange. Anyway, thanks for your concern.
Wow. I am sorry to hear that. I never had that happen to me and I have a nice mixed reef too. Ranging from softies, lps, and sps.
I never had a problem like that and I always put a little more than I should, even when I do not have a large cyno out break.
That is very strange. I reconmend this product to people where I work. I never heard a story like this before.
Sorry for your lost.
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Futurama Forum
I never had a problem like that and I always put a little more than I should, even when I do not have a large cyno out break.
That is very strange. I reconmend this product to people where I work. I never heard a story like this before.
Sorry for your lost.
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Futurama Forum
Emily, I am sorry for your losses. I wonder if my alk shot up too. The weird thing is my other corals and clam weren't affected. Did you lose anything other than acros?
pwj, yeah, every thread I had read about had positive things to say about chemi-clean. I wonder if there is some strange factor that is present in my tank and Emily's tank that causes a bad reaction with the chemi clean. Or maybe Emily and I got the product from a bad batch. Do you have any acros in your tank? Or just other species of sps? Because it seems like only acros were affected.
pwj, yeah, every thread I had read about had positive things to say about chemi-clean. I wonder if there is some strange factor that is present in my tank and Emily's tank that causes a bad reaction with the chemi clean. Or maybe Emily and I got the product from a bad batch. Do you have any acros in your tank? Or just other species of sps? Because it seems like only acros were affected.
Chemi clean will burn some receptive-to-unusual-stress corals if overdosed, I've been using it in my picos and would still advocate it in careful doses, under certain conditions. I even used it twice last month on my current pico because I had let my current slow down due to pump clogging and coral density, this let a thin red blanket of red slime form in the refugium. Skipping a week's water change didn't help either. After a tiny toothpick dose of CC, it was oxidized and gone in two days. From there on out I'll return to aggressive water changes to offset feeding and waste accumulation...
Interestingly, I have noted that on almost every dosing occasion my common red blastomussa welsi almost dies and sometimes my acro recedes at the base...I too have some white now and I hope I can stop it. I knew it was likely, but I had to choose this or an outbreak of cyano which could choke my other favorites like the acan and the brain. Other blastomussa merletti's do just fine, expanding as they always do when dosed with this stuff. My one leather coral, a small colt, also shriveled up but came back fine as you report. This was a small dosing (I've gotten the amount down pretty well over the years through experimental dosings and partial coral kills) and I never add more than one wet toothpick's tip dipped in the powder to the 1/2 gallon. That just about does it, but it still almost kills blastomussa welsii.
Interestingly, I have noted that on almost every dosing occasion my common red blastomussa welsi almost dies and sometimes my acro recedes at the base...I too have some white now and I hope I can stop it. I knew it was likely, but I had to choose this or an outbreak of cyano which could choke my other favorites like the acan and the brain. Other blastomussa merletti's do just fine, expanding as they always do when dosed with this stuff. My one leather coral, a small colt, also shriveled up but came back fine as you report. This was a small dosing (I've gotten the amount down pretty well over the years through experimental dosings and partial coral kills) and I never add more than one wet toothpick's tip dipped in the powder to the 1/2 gallon. That just about does it, but it still almost kills blastomussa welsii.
I went to the manufacturer's website (Boyd enterprises) and found these recommendations when using the product. These should be the same ones included in the product manual.
SAFE FOR ALL REEF TANKS,
ALL INVERTEBRATES, DESIRABLE MACRO ALGAE, NITRIFING BACTERIA AND FISH FOR BEST RESULTS TURN OFF UV STERILIZER OR OZONIZER AND DISCONTINUE PROTIEN SKIMMER, REMOVE
CHEMI-PURE OR CARBON FILTRATION FOR 24 HOURS FOLLOWING EACH TREATMENT. IT IS ADVISBLE TO DO AT LEAST A 20% WATER CHANGE AFTER FULL TEARTMENT
YOU MUST USE AN AIR STONE WHEN USING THIS PRODUCT AND WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND USING THE WOODEN TYPES AVAILABLE - PLEASE PUT YOUR AIR STONE IN YOUR TANK, BEFORE YOU START TO DOSE YOUR TANK
Did you do a large water change after you did the treatment? Most chemicals used for pests such as Cyanobacteria, flat worms, etc recommend a large water change very soon after treatment.
I'm not saying it's your fault, but it is important to consider every factor.
The company did not list what was in the product. It says it does not contain any antibiotics. It would be helpful if we knew what was in it, then we could determine what component caused the Alkalinity to rise. The Alk could very well have cause problems with your corals.
Non-the-less I'm sorry to hear of your troubles.
SAFE FOR ALL REEF TANKS,
ALL INVERTEBRATES, DESIRABLE MACRO ALGAE, NITRIFING BACTERIA AND FISH FOR BEST RESULTS TURN OFF UV STERILIZER OR OZONIZER AND DISCONTINUE PROTIEN SKIMMER, REMOVE
CHEMI-PURE OR CARBON FILTRATION FOR 24 HOURS FOLLOWING EACH TREATMENT. IT IS ADVISBLE TO DO AT LEAST A 20% WATER CHANGE AFTER FULL TEARTMENT
YOU MUST USE AN AIR STONE WHEN USING THIS PRODUCT AND WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND USING THE WOODEN TYPES AVAILABLE - PLEASE PUT YOUR AIR STONE IN YOUR TANK, BEFORE YOU START TO DOSE YOUR TANK
Did you do a large water change after you did the treatment? Most chemicals used for pests such as Cyanobacteria, flat worms, etc recommend a large water change very soon after treatment.
I'm not saying it's your fault, but it is important to consider every factor.
The company did not list what was in the product. It says it does not contain any antibiotics. It would be helpful if we knew what was in it, then we could determine what component caused the Alkalinity to rise. The Alk could very well have cause problems with your corals.
Non-the-less I'm sorry to hear of your troubles.
Brandon - It's good to hear your experiences. I used the recommended dose for my tank, but maybe I should have used half a dose or less. If I ever decide to try this product again I will start with tiny doses and work my way up. It is interesting that you notice certain corals reacting to this product as well. There must be some factor about it that has an affect on certain corals, but obviously not all. I wonder what it is. I am glad to hear you are not losing whole coral colonies like I did.
Bethany - Those are indeed the instructions provided on the box that I followed. However, the one descrepancy I notice is that on the directions I read, it states to do the water change after 48 hours, which I did. I changed 13 gallons on a 55 gallon tank, which is a 23.6% change. If I had done the water change a day sooner, my corals may have survived. But my interpretation from the directions was that 48 hours was the full treatment duration. Also, as mentioned I turned off my skimmer and phosban reactor for 24 hours. I did not, however, use an airstone. I pointed 3 powerheads to the surface of the water for aeration, as well as running a HOB filter with no media. I felt this was sufficient, maybe it wasn't. I should have tested the pH. But again, why weren't other corals affected? This is the part that boggles me the most.
Bethany - Those are indeed the instructions provided on the box that I followed. However, the one descrepancy I notice is that on the directions I read, it states to do the water change after 48 hours, which I did. I changed 13 gallons on a 55 gallon tank, which is a 23.6% change. If I had done the water change a day sooner, my corals may have survived. But my interpretation from the directions was that 48 hours was the full treatment duration. Also, as mentioned I turned off my skimmer and phosban reactor for 24 hours. I did not, however, use an airstone. I pointed 3 powerheads to the surface of the water for aeration, as well as running a HOB filter with no media. I felt this was sufficient, maybe it wasn't. I should have tested the pH. But again, why weren't other corals affected? This is the part that boggles me the most.
Meloco14,
I have 5 or 6 differnt species of SPS 3 are Acropora. LPS of all kinds, encrusting gorgonians, zoos, softies, everything. None show any negative results by using Chemi Clean. I even put more than what is suggested, even though I did not have a bad break out.
I am making frags of my acros, monti's and such. Its stange that, even at there most delicate state they are in the process of attaching, i have not seen anything negative.
Do you think there was a depletion of O2? Thats my only guess, but then again, you fish would have died aswell.
For you lost, it makes me feel cautious to put Chemi-Clean in my tank.
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Honda Mobilio
I have 5 or 6 differnt species of SPS 3 are Acropora. LPS of all kinds, encrusting gorgonians, zoos, softies, everything. None show any negative results by using Chemi Clean. I even put more than what is suggested, even though I did not have a bad break out.
I am making frags of my acros, monti's and such. Its stange that, even at there most delicate state they are in the process of attaching, i have not seen anything negative.
Do you think there was a depletion of O2? Thats my only guess, but then again, you fish would have died aswell.
For you lost, it makes me feel cautious to put Chemi-Clean in my tank.
_________________
Honda Mobilio
I have used it before, without adverse results. Always the full treatment with the second dose after 48 hours. How soon after the last treatment then do you do the water change ? I've always done it 48 hrs after the last treatment, at least 20% if not more. Actually ends up being pretty much a steady water changing over the next week until the skimmer will run properly.....
I have never used an airstone, it's a 230g and there is a 70g sump and lots of flow, I wouldn't suspect that would actually make much difference in my case.
Anyway, clams, fish, LPS, unaffected. Not all SPS affected, only the really nice ones. :roll: I should really have immediately started doing large water changes to get the Alk back down, tried messing with vinegar for a bit.
I have never used an airstone, it's a 230g and there is a 70g sump and lots of flow, I wouldn't suspect that would actually make much difference in my case.
Anyway, clams, fish, LPS, unaffected. Not all SPS affected, only the really nice ones. :roll: I should really have immediately started doing large water changes to get the Alk back down, tried messing with vinegar for a bit.
Meloco14, you said you turned your skimmer back on and went to bed. But you didn't say what your skimmer did overnight. I've used this stuff and had no problems. When I turned my skimmer back on, it went crazy for several hours removing the stuff (very watery skimmate, probably about 1 gal. an hour). Sounds like yours didn't do that and that could have been the problem.
You're right, my skimmer did not go crazy, it was acting "normally". I wonder if it is supposed to remove this stuff out of the water and didn't for some reason. But even if that were the case, the chemical shouldn't kill off my corals. The instructions for chemi clean don't specify the need for a skimmer to remove the product after use. So, if this does have something to do with it, chemi clean needs to address this in their instructions. Did anyone else notice their skimmer going crazy after using chemi clean?
Meloco14":2o1aysfx said:You're right, my skimmer did not go crazy, it was acting "normally". I wonder if it is supposed to remove this stuff out of the water and didn't for some reason. But even if that were the case, the chemical shouldn't kill off my corals. The instructions for chemi clean don't specify the need for a skimmer to remove the product after use. So, if this does have something to do with it, chemi clean needs to address this in their instructions. Did anyone else notice their skimmer going crazy after using chemi clean?
My Euro-Reef flips out when I add Chemi Clean. Pulls out clear liquid when the riser tube is at its lowest. I think they let people find out on their own to turn the skimmer off. Nobody likes to read a chemical product that oxidizes organic sludge, to turn off their skimmer because the product says so. So they left it up to the user to understand the effects and administer to their own needs.
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Lebanese Forum
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