Sailfin too stressed?

Im doing my 6-month tank scouring today, and I think I stressed my Sailfin. I had my arm and hand in the tank for a while, scraping away at algae with a razor blade and scrubbing the algae off of rocks with a tooth brush. Then I put pH buffer in, along with phosphate remover and calcium supplements for my corals. The water has settled, and he's not nipping at his food, and he's breathing unbelievably fast. He does have Ich, could that be the cause? Do you think that what I did could cause him to go into shock?

 

The reason why most fish get ich is becuase of stress...But i have had my hand in my tank alot before also with many fish..non of them every get ich.

How big is your tank? it says 29g? thats somewhat small for a saiflin which could also add stress.

 

I know. I'm planning on getting a large 125 around Christmas, and letting it cycle for a couple of months. The Sailfin is currently about one and a half inches in length. Do you think his breathing and nervousness will calm in a couple of hours? I'm hoping he won't die of stress is all..

And the Sailfin has had ich cysts for about a month. It's not new. I'm just wondering if it's stress of a symptom of Ich. Or both..

 

Possibly...My yellow tang would start to breathe quickly after i would do a water change, and other things. He would start to calm down after about 20 mins or so.

 

Thanks for the reassurance. :/ maybe I overdid it with the chems.

 

Wait - are all of those fish in the BC?

If so, that is way overstocked IMO.

A sailfin tang needs a MIN. of a 120+ gallon tank even when a juevenile.

If you have Sailfin Tang
False Perc. Clownfish
Yellow Watchman Goby
Longnose Hawkfish+ "and more" . . .


then you are going to run into many problems.

That tank is large enough for the clowns and the watchman goby. You are pushing it with the hawknose "and more". The sailfin tang is way out of place in a 29 gallon tank and you should take it back to whoever told you it was a good placement and never patronize that establishment again.

It's like someone telling me (who lives in a small apartment) that I can keep 3 boarder collies indoors all the time and not expect my place to be a large litterbox or smell or be just plain destroyed.

Same goes for a sailfin which grows over a foot long in the wild - in your 29 gallon tank - regardless of the tanks age or filtration - its not a good home for it.

 

I know. It was a bad decision on my part. I could have my friend keep him in his 500g until I get a larger tank, which should be very soon. But he won't be back for another week and a half.