For hyposalinity to be effective, the salinity has to be below 1.012. The range for treating ich is 1.009 to 1.010, anything over 1.010 will allow the ich to survive. As for duration, the few weeks needed to treat, or even a couple of extra weeks, is a plenty short enough duration to avoid any problems from prolonged (i.e. months or more) time at hypo. While copper can be used in conjunction with hypo, great care must be taken to ensure that proper SW alkalinity is maintained...as copper is more toxic at lower alkalinity. There's also no reason that stirring a sand bed should increase the incidence of ich. In regards to immunity, yes, in some cases the fish can develop an immunity...this requires the infection be light enough not to overwhelm the fish, which quite often doesn't happen with the what is the equivelent of the fox in the hen house scenario that is our glass boxes. So I wouldn't rely on it.
For a good read on ich and various treatments, including the proper way to perform hypo...
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php[/QUOTE
Please note COPPER POWER is my drug of choice not copper safe sorry for the confusion
Thank you for your response
Hypo alone is not enough to kill ick as Painted skin POINTS OUT
Hyposalinity kills parasites by osmosis ,the parasites body ruptures as hypo saline water rushes into the body .The Lower the salinity is the more effective the treatment will be.This is why people advocate fresh water dips, which are usually too stressful for the dibilitated. Hypo salinity is the safer way and once again depending on how severe the infection is and how strong the infected fish is all influences the outcome.Exposing a fish to 1.009 for 48 hours most often will do no harm. Most fish will live through an abrupt drop in salinity which is the most effective way to destroy both ick and oodinium.1.025 down to 1.015, or 1.021 to 1.012 will kill ick on the fish.ie a modified dip.
Keeping fish in1.012 is safer for the fish and raising the water temp to 82F and sometimes as high as 85F[aerate well] will dislodge the few remaning slime protected stubon parasites from the fish .COPPER POWER WILL KILL THE FREE SWIMING and is an essential part of the treatment plan.
Kidney damage can happen in 3 -4 weeks of hyposalinity.THE LOWER THE SALINITY THE GREATER THE LIKELY HOOD Damage to the sodium pump is irreversible and fish will die. The theraputic goal is to kill the disease and not the patient. my proven treament will do just that,as I have employed it for hundeds of times over the past 40 years. Each fish is different and we do not know what the fish was expose to prior to acqisition.
AS for the GARLIC iT is a fact that garlic or ALICIN the medicinal compound in garlic will also help disloge ick and irritate the parasite and is part of a multi prong approach to killing ick
Sand stirring
MAY cause an increase in ick since the tomont which developes from the parasite that matures and naturally falls off the fish can take up to 3 weeks to divide and release the free swimming tomites. This is why ick infections seem to suddenly appear in well established tanks months after any new fish have been added. Usually when tank temps rise in the summer to 82 or greater. [ RESTING TOMONTS]
Ick will confer immunity to fish which survive the infection and are healthy enough to muster a good level of immunity . ie no kidney damage for starters and proper nutrition. Immunity does not mean that you will not see ick on a fish it rather implies that ick immune fish are seemingly not affected by the few parasites that invade them
Im sure your intentions are good but pointing me to an article which basically agrees with my treatment is no substitue for experience.
Between working in the ornamental fish trade and running wet labs for universities, I've gotten to learn much about fish disease and treatment just due to the sheer volumes of fish I've handled. With large dollar amounts and important research projects riding on my knowledge, I've got to be on the ball as well.
