clownfishking
In Memoriam
I wanted to know if you microwave some RO water what would happen? I need to dip a fish in it that has ick...
Can you microwave RO water?
- Thread starter clownfishking
- Start date
jdhuyvetter
SWFMAS Event Coordinator
Why would you want to do that? Just put it in a bag and float it until it has the same temp as the tank water.
clownfishking
In Memoriam
So i don't have to wait for the water to warm up. I didn't know if it would ruin the water?
chrisstie
Premium Member
You wouldn't want to microwave it for very long. Such pure water can be super heated and while it looks like water in a container, breaking the surface tension could cause it to explode. This is why things you microwave tell you to let it sit for just a minute.
Here's an example of what can happen (putting in a spoon, etc has similar effects)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAqqpDF4bVw
If you nuked it for like 3 seconds I doubt it'd have that problem however it will probably become too warm and you'd have to wait for it to cool.
+1 for letting it float in tank water.
Here's an example of what can happen (putting in a spoon, etc has similar effects)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAqqpDF4bVw
If you nuked it for like 3 seconds I doubt it'd have that problem however it will probably become too warm and you'd have to wait for it to cool.
+1 for letting it float in tank water.
clownfishking
In Memoriam
Ok thanks for the good advise..I gues I'll be doing the floating method..
AuroraDrvr
New member
A quick 20 second trip in the microwave for 1/4 gallon of RO should be fine.
clownfishking
In Memoriam
Will the hyposalinity treatment hurt any of my corals? My purple tang has ich as well. How does ich effect the fish anyway?
chrisstie
Premium Member
Hyposalinity is different from a freshwater dip. It needs to be done in a separate tank from your corals etc. It effectively makes the water's salinity much much lower and other inverts cannot survive in it.
Also its okay for fish to experience a drop in salinity relatively quickly, but going back up needs to be very slow.
Ich is a parasite that typically shows up when a fish is under stress. This could be from a poor immune system, temperature fluctuations, territorial dispute, etc. When the fish's immune system cannot fight it off it shows up as little white specs. It's naturally occuring in our oceans but the ocean being very large has many ways of dealing with ich. Cleaners like gobies and shrimp, balanced diet, potentially other things to counteract the effects of ich.
In our closed systems you can either a)quarantine every single thing that goes into the tank including fish inverts coral etc since ich can drift in attached to something or b) manage ich with removing fluctuating temps, stress, territorial disputes etc.
You can also supplement your food with vitamins and galic to boost the fish's immune system.
The only two things that effectively kill ich are copper treatments which also must be done outside of the tank and hyposalinity. Other ich treatments are mostly snake oil as they do not properly address the problem.
If you chose hyposalinity make sure you read about it more here on RC and do your homework. Its not risky but more of a delicate process that requires a lot of attention and your fish will need to be out of your tank for 6-8 weeks.
I personally just manage ich. The only time I have an outbreak, if any, is when a new fish is added. Most of my fish have been around since I got them and have never shown it since. My losses have been fish who can jump through egg crate, fortunately, and not ich.
Also its okay for fish to experience a drop in salinity relatively quickly, but going back up needs to be very slow.
Ich is a parasite that typically shows up when a fish is under stress. This could be from a poor immune system, temperature fluctuations, territorial dispute, etc. When the fish's immune system cannot fight it off it shows up as little white specs. It's naturally occuring in our oceans but the ocean being very large has many ways of dealing with ich. Cleaners like gobies and shrimp, balanced diet, potentially other things to counteract the effects of ich.
In our closed systems you can either a)quarantine every single thing that goes into the tank including fish inverts coral etc since ich can drift in attached to something or b) manage ich with removing fluctuating temps, stress, territorial disputes etc.
You can also supplement your food with vitamins and galic to boost the fish's immune system.
The only two things that effectively kill ich are copper treatments which also must be done outside of the tank and hyposalinity. Other ich treatments are mostly snake oil as they do not properly address the problem.
If you chose hyposalinity make sure you read about it more here on RC and do your homework. Its not risky but more of a delicate process that requires a lot of attention and your fish will need to be out of your tank for 6-8 weeks.
I personally just manage ich. The only time I have an outbreak, if any, is when a new fish is added. Most of my fish have been around since I got them and have never shown it since. My losses have been fish who can jump through egg crate, fortunately, and not ich.
dugg
New member
As said above, do some research before the hyposalinity treatment, but a frshwater dip is very stressful for your fish, and stress is the main cause of the ich in the first place. Not only is the dipping in frsh water by it's self stressfull, but the capture of the fish to do this is very stressfull too. If you don't have a quarantine tank to do the hypo treatment in, try soaking it's food in garlic before feeding. Garlic is like a natural anribiotic for fish, and can work wonders on treating ich by boosting the immune system. Don't waste your money on any of the ich medications, as 95% or more of them don't work anyway. Copper does also work, but it also must be done in a quarantine tank. Copper will kill your reef and ruin everything in it. If your live rock it contaminated with copper it will only be good for fish only tanks from now on. Copper soaks into the rock and is next to impossible to ever get out.
If you just have a minor case of ich, try the garlic out first. It won't hurt the reef at all. If you have a bad case, i highly recommend the hypo treatment. Just research it first and follow the directions exactly. You can lower thier salinity in 24 hours or so, but when the treatment is over in 6 to8 weeks, it takes about a week to raise the salinity back to normal levels safely. If you raise it too quickly, the fish can't secrete the salt from it's body quick enough and will die.
If you just have a minor case of ich, try the garlic out first. It won't hurt the reef at all. If you have a bad case, i highly recommend the hypo treatment. Just research it first and follow the directions exactly. You can lower thier salinity in 24 hours or so, but when the treatment is over in 6 to8 weeks, it takes about a week to raise the salinity back to normal levels safely. If you raise it too quickly, the fish can't secrete the salt from it's body quick enough and will die.
