Pete Giwojna
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Re:chemi clean and problems - 2006/02/09 16:23
Dear Jean:
All my condolences on the loss of your seahorses. I am not familiar with the Chemi Clean red-slime algae remover, but after reading up on it, I suspect that it may have depleted the supply of dissolved oxygen in your aquarium and that your seahorses asphyxiated overnight as a result. It acts by oxidizing the organic "sludge and settlements" that accumulate in aquaria, in a process which apparently consumes oxygen from the water in much the same way as formalin does. That is why the online instructions specify that you add an airstone, preferably one with a wooden air diffuser, to provide efficient aeration and oxygenation of the aquarium when you use the product.
You must turn off your protein skimmer to use this product, which in itself reduces the aeration and oxygenation in the aquarium, and when this is combined with the oxidizing action of the Chemi Clean, which further reduces the dissolved oxygen level in the aquarium, I think it created a dangerous condition for your seahorses. The final straw that broke the camel's back may have been the usual drop in the level of dissolved oxygen (O2) in in the aquarium that takes place during the night. While they are photosynthesizing during the day, algae and zooanthellae consume CO2 and produce O2, but at night, in the absence of light, this process is a essentially reversed and the photosynthetic organisms consume O2 and give off CO2. This could certainly have been a contributing factor in an aquarium with lots of macroalgae and soft corals. Seahorse setups in particular are susceptible to such problems because hobbyists are so conscious of their seahorses' limited swimming ability that they tend to leave their aquariums undercirculated. Poor circulation and inadequate surface agitation can lead to inefficient oxygenation and insufficient offgassing of carbon dioxide.
Seahorses are more vulnerable to low O2/high CO2 levels than most fishes because of their primitive gills. Unlike most teleost (bony) fishes, which have their gills arranged in sheaves like the pages of a book, seahorses have rudimentary gill arches with small powder-puff type gill filaments. Their gills are described as “tufted” because they appear to be hemispherical clumps of tissue on stems. Their unique, lobed gill filaments (lophobranchs) are arranged in grape-like clusters and have fewer lamellae than other teleost fishes. Because of the difference in the structure and efficiency of their gills, your seahorses may have asphyxiated overnight while your cleanup crew and sessile invertebrates fared just fine under the same conditions.
I don't know of any seahorse keepers that have used Chemi Clean or have had problems with that product specifically, but I've have received several anecdotal reports linking Melafix with seahorse deaths, with asphyxia being the most likely cause of death due to much the same reasons. For example, Maleluca tree oil, the active ingredient in Melafix, may impair the breathing of seahorses under certain circumstances. For one thing, it seems to stimulate excess mucous production, and may cause the gills to be coated with a layer of slime. Secondly, it reportedly causes a drop in oxygen (O2) levels during treatment, just as Chemi Clean apparently does.
As with Chemi Clean, the drop in O2 levels when using Maleluca tree oil is definitely a cause for concern, particularly if excess mucous production is impairing respiration by causing the gills to be coated in slime at the same time. If a thin film of this oil covers the surface of the aquarium, it can interfere with efficient gas exchange at the air/water interface, resulting in a drop in O2 levels and a build up of CO2. One property of the Maleluca tree oil is that it dramatically reduces the surface tension of the water, causing protein skimmers to go nuts and overflow with copious amounts of wet foam. As with Chemi Clean, skimmers usually need to be shut off during treatment as a result, which further reduces the oxygenation in the aquarium.
It sounds like you did a very good job of of following all of the usual precautions that are recommended when using Chemi Clean, Jean, adding an airstone and using a powerhead and Magnum filter to increase the water circulation during the course of the treatment. Unfortunately, the same precautions that work so well with other fish may not be sufficient in a seahorse tank due to their primitive gills and the reasons we've been discussing above. That's the best theory I can come up with to explain what may have happened in your case. It would seem that seahorse keepers should probably avoid using Chemi Clean due to the danger of asphyxia, just as Melafix is contraindicated when seahorses are experiencing respiratory distress.
Best wishes with all of your fishes, Jean!
Respectfully,
Pete Giwojna
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