Never Use Epsom salt with corals. New equipment.

[hrdneglcry]

I had a huge problem many months ago. It killed all of my coral. Even gsp. I added epsom salt (per instructions) to stop a fish from being blocked. So I went back to using Chaetomorpha Algae. I had stopped because it out competed my Sinualria. I had lack of enough nutrients to support both with a low bio load at the time. I added two Kessil H80s tuna flora to the 120 refugium. I added more rock to chamber one in the fuge. I turned the skimmer on which had been off. But I normally always run the skimmer. I have two Aquaclear 110s on the 180 gallon aquarium. I added two Maxspect Gyre XF 350s. I put the Maxspect Jump Gyre 2k into the sump in the Chaeto chamber on low for more flow with the Chaeto. Finally a few corals have sprung up out of the wasteland. I have two Pinktail Triggerfish, a Niger Triggerfish, a Graysby Grouper, a Clown Grouper, a Snowflake Eel, a Barred Eel and a Domino Damsel. I have lots of crabs and recently bought a bunch of large Nasarius Snails.
But I would encourage you to never use Epsom salt with corals. It did not work for my fishes blockage but if you were gonna try I'd quarantine the fish. I can tell you with certainty that it killed all of my coral and wreaked havoc on the parameters for a long time even after I did endless water changes.

 

[MnFish1]

1. Sorry about your coral loss.
2. Epsom salts (which is Magnesium) does not help 'blockages' in marine fish as there is already plenty of magnesium in the water. And unless you way overdosed unintentionally - or used a version that had another additive (did you measure your Mg at all during this time)? It alone should not cause coral loss or the problems you mentioned.
3. Many people underestimate the amount of water that needs to be changed if there is an overdose or problem with parameters - which may partially explain the length of time you had a problem. However, many times, when something 'bad' happens, tank can kind of spiral downhill having nothing to do with the initial insult, but rather the attempts to correct it.
4. It sounds like you have plenty of 'bioload'. It would be nice to know the chemistries. however, so many things were done, that at this point its nearly impossible to dissect out the very many possibilities that may have caused your problems - which again - is a major hassle and sorry you had to go through it.

In the end, your take home message is correct though - it is not helpful to add Epsom salts to marine water for 'constipation/blockages'. Second - whenever treating a specific fish for a specific problem to avoid the issues you have had its usually always best to treat in a separate hospital tank. Glad to see things are on the mend now!

 

[Doctorgori]

Finally a few corals have sprung up out of the wasteland. I have two Pinktail Triggerfish, a Niger Triggerfish, a Graysby Grouper, a Clown Grouper, a Snowflake Eel, a Barred Eel and a Domino Damsel.

4. It sounds like you have plenty of 'bioload'.

God knows I shouldn't soapbox (my tank is "loaded") but @MnFish1 might be slightly understating...
I also have some reserve that a O.D of epsom salts was a main cause...
Hope things turn around, ...tank sounds sorta badd Ash with the predators!!! ...follow up with pics :cool:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have no idea what you used or how much or what you did with it, but the general thread title is misinformation. Folks have been using Epsom salts for decades in reef tanks. I used it for 20 years. I expect ALL commercial magnesium supplements also use it.

Epsom salt is a fine way to make a DIY magnesium addition, assuming it is adequately pure, such as with a USP designation.

 

[MnFish1]

I have no idea what you used or how much or what you did with it, but the general thread title is misinformation. Folks have been using Epsom salts for decades in reef tanks. I used it for 20 years. I expect ALL commercial magnesium supplements also use it.

Epsom salt is a fine way to make a DIY magnesium addition, assuming it is adequately pure, such as with a USP designation.

Agree - the point is it does not help (and should not be used) for 'blockages:)

 

[Dburr1014]

Agree - the point is it does not help (and should not be used) for 'blockages:)

I have used it in some food for my fishes but they were in quarantine.
Epsom being in the water and having them eat it are two different things and the OP never stated how much he used or how he used it.

I did not use epsom for blockages and I'm not sure if it would or wouldn't help to be honest. I used it for uronema.

 

[MnFish1]

I have used it in some food for my fishes but they were in quarantine.
Epsom being in the water and having them eat it are two different things and the OP never stated how much he used or how he used it.

I did not use epsom for blockages and I'm not sure if it would or wouldn't help to be honest. I used it for uronema.

Im curious - how would Mg help with uronema? I've never heard of that being 'a thing'. However, the question I had with the thread IMHO related to the title 'Never use Epsom Salts with coral/new equipment' - suggesting it was being added to the water (to me?). FWIW - (general comment) I'm not a big fan of adding medication to food unless you can carefully control the amount of food the fish is eating, and carefully control / measure the dosage. For example - I would use lets say metronidazole for internal parasites in food, but I would do it with one individual fish in an individual tank. IMHO - if one does this in a community tank, one fish may get 10x the dose of metronidazole as another depending on how much food they eat. Metronidazole (and Magnesium, FWIW) can be toxic when dosed orally.

 

[Dburr1014]

Im curious - how would Mg help with uronema? I've never heard of that being 'a thing'. However, the question I had with the thread IMHO related to the title 'Never use Epsom Salts with coral/new equipment' - suggesting it was being added to the water (to me?). FWIW - (general comment) I'm not a big fan of adding medication to food unless you can carefully control the amount of food the fish is eating, and carefully control / measure the dosage. For example - I would use lets say metronidazole for internal parasites in food, but I would do it with one individual fish in an individual tank. IMHO - if one does this in a community tank, one fish may get 10x the dose of metronidazole as another depending on how much food they eat. Metronidazole (and Magnesium, FWIW) can be toxic when dosed orally.

I followed humble fish mixing food to the tee for treatment.
If you'd like to see the recommendation he uses I can certainly pull that up and Link it here if you'd like to see it.

It's more of a general way to use food in quarantine. It helps expel worms and other parasites if they have them. It worked for me and I suffered no losses.

I also use epsom salts dissolved in water in my main system with lots of coral to keep mag up.

Thread 'Metronidazole' https://humble.fish/community/threads/metronidazole.24/

From that;

1 tbsp food (preferably frozen food or pellets)
1 scoop (~ 1/8 teaspoon) of medication
1 scoop Seachem Focus (binder)
A pinch of Epsom salt to help expel dead worms/parasites
Several drops of saltwater or fish vitamins to wet everything down
Stir until a medicated food slurry has been achieved
Feed after soaking for 30 mins
Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers for future use

 

[MnFish1]

I followed humble fish mixing food to the tee for treatment.
If you'd like to see the recommendation he uses I can certainly pull that up and Link it here if you'd like to see it.

It's more of a general way to use food in quarantine. It helps expel worms and other parasites if they have them. It worked for me and I suffered no losses.


Thread 'Metronidazole' https://humble.fish/community/threads/metronidazole.24/

From that;

1 tbsp food (preferably frozen food or pellets)
1 scoop (~ 1/8 teaspoon) of medication
1 scoop Seachem Focus (binder)
A pinch of Epsom salt to help expel dead worms/parasites
Several drops of saltwater or fish vitamins to wet everything down
Stir until a medicated food slurry has been achieved
Feed after soaking for 30 mins
Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers for future use

Thanks - so he is actually using it 'prophylactically' to prevent a blockage. I do not like to specifically critique other regimens from other sites. I will only say that when dosing oral medications, knowing the exact amount of the ingredients is extremely important.