Combining Hyposalinity with Tank Change methods

[Outerbank]

Has anyone tried hyposalinity treatment for 8-10 days, then performed a complete water and tank exchange with 1.009 saltwater? I would think within several days after the tank change, maybe even within 1 day, you could start bringing the water back up to normal salinity and the fish would be healed of ich. I think the change at 10 days would pretty much ensure all trophonts have fallen off the fish.

Advantages:
1. Inexpensive
2. No chemical exposure
3. Limited exposure to hyposalinity--most fish do fine, but not all tolerate treatment well
5. It ensures all trophonts, tromites, and theronts stages are eliminated.
4. More sensitive fish can be placed in the DT quicker.
5. Little work
6. Only 1 tank transfer and thus only 1 time netting/catching the fish.
7. Tank change would occur at a convenient time to remove nitrates and nitrites

Disadvantages:
1. I literally cannot think of one.

 

[snorvich]

Since tank transfer is so effective and only takes 12 days, why even consider doing it? Hyposalinity would add no additional value.

 

[snorvich]

Advantages:

3. Limited exposure to hyposalinity--most fish do fine, but not all tolerate treatment well No need for any exposure to hyposalinity, and no need to worry that you have a hyposaline immune strain of CI or that your measurement of hyposalinity is inaccurate
5. It ensures all trophonts, tromites, and theronts stages are eliminated. Actually, it does not. Assuming synchronicity is not a good assumption
4. More sensitive fish can be placed in the DT quicker. tank transfer will have all fish free of ich but does not insure they are free of the more virulent pests such as velvet, brook, uronema



Disadvantages:
1. I literally cannot think of one.

Disadvantages in magenta

 

[Outerbank]

I was thinking adding hyposalinity will assure there is no cross contamination with any free swimming theronts which there is, perhaps slight, with TTM alone. You would have a less strict protocol since there is no preference to swap the tanks in the morning or at exactly three days. If you miss a day here or there swapping tanks or adjusting salinity, it is no problem. This is advantageous to hobbyist with difficult time frames. Essentially, it simply shortens the duration and improves the effectiveness of hyposalinity treatment.

I thought the trophont stage was only 3-7 days. Within 8-10 days in hypo, all the trophants should be off the fish and no free swimming theronts would survive hypo. Swap tanks and water once and you are done with treatment--you just have to return back to NS. You can observe and then treat any of the other ailments you mentioned. The combined TTM with Hypo just seems, to me, more flexible and should be essentially harmless and near 100% effective against crypto.

 

[snorvich]

Hyposalinity affects only the free swimming stage of the cryptocaryon irritans life cycle; these occur only in the back end of the life cycle which is highly variable. There is at least one species of CI that the hyposaline immune. Tank transfer exploits the front end of the life cycle and since no theronts will ever emerge during tank transfer, that is totally a non-issue. That is why the 72 hours limitation on a given cycle is critical.

Since you must observe the fish for about 5 weeks in all cases, they do not enter the display tank any faster.

But of course, you are free to do what you wish.

 

[Spar]

The combined TTM with Hypo just seems, to me, more flexible and should be essentially harmless and near 100% effective against crypto.

Also still comes back to that certain strains of Ich are resistant to low salinity. Using the same strategy but in replacing the hypo concept with copper I have considered in the past. In theory should work, however are you really saving any extra time/effort? maybe a couple days, but you still need to monitor for an extra few weeks anyway.

one other reason I like TTM is that you get a 2 or 3 daily reassurance that you are ridding the fish from any ammonia exposure since you are doing a 100% water change.

 

[snorvich]

one other reason I like TTM is that you get a 2 or 3 daily reassurance that you are ridding the fish from any ammonia exposure since you are doing a 100% water change.

And with no copper, dosing Prime on day 2 alleviates any ammonia concerns.