hypo ick treatment

[kouma]

Hello,

My tank is a 90gal + 30gal sump with a 6" koran angel, 3" yellow tang, 3" hippo tank, and a zebra moray eel

My display tank recently acquired ick due to the introduction of a hippo tank - I do not have a QT. To resolve this, I have moved my LR to a rubbermaid bucket with a powerhead and started a hypo treatment in the display tank. Over the course of 4-5 days, I have lowered my salinity to 1.010.

Does anyone have experience with hypo treatment, how long can fish tolerate these levels of salinity. Also, what is the lowest level of salinity that I can successfully keep my fish and LR in order to deter future ick outbreaks.

Thanks, F.

 

[Jerry W]

Drop your specific gravity to 1.009. Actually focus more on the salinity and bring it to 14 ppt. Maintain this level for a minimum of three weeks after all symptoms are gone. Don't rush the procedure and be patient. It's also important not to let the salinity stray higher than the target or the treatment may fail. Teleost fish can tolerate hyposalinity quite well, and the recommended time frame for treatment is not going to hurt them. I've kept fish in hyposaline conditions for well over a month with no adverse effects.
Bear in mind that there are strains of ich that are resistant to hyposalinity so extending the treatment may be necessary or you may have to resort to other interventions. I've used hyposalinity in my 120 FOWLR in the past, doing what you did; removing the rock and just treating the display. It worked well. Keeping the salinity low permanantly in order to prevent another outbreak is pretty futile. Treat this outbreak, making sure you follow the time frame, and then be sure to quarantine all new fish for a minimum of three weeks before adding them to the display.

 

[kouma]

Thanks for the reply Jerry.

When you finally brought your salinity back to normal in your 120Gal, how did it go?

I am concerned about two things: first, what is the best method of increasing the salinity back to normal because I heard it is more stressful for fish to increase than to decrease. Second, when returning all the LR back to the tank and rearranging them, etc. I am worried this will stress the fish again thus resulting in another outbreak.

Thanks, F.

 

[scuzy]

well if all ich has die the stress won't casue another outbreak. you might want to let the rocks sit in the tub for 6-8 weeks to make sure all eggs have hatched that has been on the rocks.

 

[Jerry W]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13919453#post13919453 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kouma


When you finally brought your salinity back to normal in your 120Gal, how did it go?

I am concerned about two things: first, what is the best method of increasing the salinity back to normal because I heard it is more stressful for fish to increase than to decrease. Second, when returning all the LR back to the tank and rearranging them, etc. I am worried this will stress the fish again thus resulting in another outbreak.

Thanks, F.

Raise the salinity over 5-7 days. Fish can actually tolerate a fairly rapid decrease in salinity, but the increase must be gradual. A week is a safe time frame. If the treatment is succesful and the parasite's life cycle is broken, another outbreak isn't likely going to happen. Ich is not caused by stress. It is a parasite that is introduced to your system via an infected fish or other organism that transports it. Stress can weaken a fish's immune function, making it more susceptible to contracting the parasite once it is in the tank, but stress by itself doesn't cause ich to occur. You can certainly add the rock back in gradual increments (this way you can take your time aquascaping too!) I took three days to add my rock (about 120 lbs) back to the tank. The fish were not bothered by the disruption and seemed to enjoy the grazing and shelter they had been w/o for a month.
hth

 

[kouma]

Thanks for all the replies.

I was under the impression that ich is present in all fish and it magically presents itself when fish are under stress. But your replies have clarified my misconception.

Thanks again

 

[Jerry W]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13925834#post13925834 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kouma
Thanks for all the replies.

I was under the impression that ich is present in all fish and it magically presents itself when fish are under stress.

This is simply not true. A lot of hobbyists and even lfs staff are under this impression as well. It is entirely possible to have a system free from c. irritans (ich).
Good luck with your treatment.