Stress Guard

[WaterWerks]

So I am a strong believer in a chemical free DT… but I have introduced a few new fish, mainly cleaners and a couple “pretty” fish to out tank. Well we lost our Royal Gramma last night do to some stress and fighting/bulling from our new Tailspot.
I tried to remove the gramma to put QT put kept hiding in a main footprint our reef.

Well today our cleaner wrasse “ten second Tom” was having some stress for reason unknown. We might have had a spike in ammonia over night because of the gramma but we have a pretty big bio system that take care of spikes pretty quick. (25 year old system) He has been in the tank for about a year and eat mainly green muscles that we feed twice a week to the blue tang.
After adding good dosing of stress guard he/she started acting pretty normal and now is cleaning the other fish like normal again.

I guess the question is, was it the chemicals or a rebalancing of the tank? I am pretty new to adding chemicals to the tank other than micro dosing bacteria before and after adding new fish.

 

[TX_REEF]

I think chemicals have their place, especially in emergent situations. It sounds like the stressguard did exactly what it is designed to do - reduce stress and toxic ammonia in a pinch!

 

[WaterWerks]

This morning he is up in his normal spot. Waiting for anyone to come to get cleaned

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I would not assume Seachem Stressguard does anything useful about ammonia.

 

[WaterWerks]

I would not assume Seachem Stressguard does anything useful about ammonia.

Our Bio system is pretty large for what we have in the tank. Normally strips away toxin spikes in a couple hours

 

[nereefpat]

Our Bio system is pretty large for what we have in the tank. Normally strips away toxin spikes in a couple hours

How big is the system? What ammonia reading did you see, and with what kit?

 

[WaterWerks]

How big is the system? What ammonia reading did you see, and with what kit?

 

[WaterWerks]

It’s a 140 gallon tank with rock so prob more like 120.
60 gallon sump
We have always just used the API master salt water kit and also take water samples down to my local coral shop that test my water without charge.
Our test kit always shows 0.0 ppm and only once have we seen .1 from a water test from the coral store
I replace reagents ever 6months to be sure they are fresh.
Plenty of live rock and live crushed coral substrate.
Our sump is mainly bio balls and a 150 octo skimmer
Not the cleanest set up but has been working for years.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

sounds like the stressguard did exactly what it is designed to do - reduce stress and toxic ammonia

First, I agree with Randy and don't trust Seachem's claims.
Second, they don't claim StressGuard reduces "toxic ammonia", they claim it reduces "ammonia toxicity"; in other words, damage caused by being exposed to ammonia.
It claims to be a "slime coat protector"

Per the label, it contains glutaral (likely somewhat toxic to sensitive fish and a known skin irritant in humans) and methylene blue (in fish, may help in healing ammonia burns and other cuts/abrasions)

 

[nereefpat]

In that big of a tank full of rock, with that sump full of bioballs, there is no chance that a dead gramma would raise ammonia enough to hurt any livestock.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I agree with above, one dead gramma should not cause any spike in a well established large tank.

One fish "seemed" stressed and you added stress guard and everything is ok, but I think everything was ok to begin with. Personally I don't see any problem and I don't see any solution.

 

[WaterWerks]

In that big of a tank full of rock, with that sump full of bioballs, there is no chance that a dead gramma would raise ammonia enough to hurt any livestock.

Good to know. My Father-in-law worked in the tropic fish industry for about 20 years and designed 4 warehouses pretty much just like this just in mass scale naturally

 

[nereefpat]

Good to know. My Father-in-law worked in the tropic fish industry for about 20 years and designed 4 warehouses pretty much just like this just in mass scale naturally

You certainly have enough bio-filtration, which isn't a bad thing.