Hypo-salinity. Can you lower Salinity too slowly?

[Charlene]

I read the sticky on Hypo-Salinity and could not determine an answer to the question. Can you lower salinity too slowly? The sticky said to lower salinity to 1.009 over 48 hours. A friend and I were talking about our QT strategy and I proposed using my Litemeter dosing pump to slowly lower salinity over a course of weeks. Very gently. My friend suggested this could be too slow and the parasites may be able to acclimate. Is this possible?

 

[sleepydoc]

Possible, but unlikely. Why drop so slowly? I'd just do some 25% water changes, adding DI back over an hour or so. Fish tolerate dropping fairly well. It's the return to normal salinity you need to be careful with.

 

[Charlene]

As far a lowering salinity goes, I guess my question is does the lowering have to happen in 48 hours? Is there something specific about this step? Can it happen in over say a week? For me it's automated so I can do it as fast or as slowly as I like. Generally unless it's an emergency, in reef-keeping nothing good happens fast.

 

[MrTuskfish]

The downside is that you'll have more parasites and more time for them to seriously damage, or kill, your fish. There is no problem dropping SG to 1.008 over two days. You mention the fact that nothing "in reef-keeping nothing good happens fast." Eradicating parasites ASAP is an exception to this rule.

 

[Mrscribbled]

I have dropped salinity in the past from 1.025 down to 1.009 in a matter of hours and the fish were fine. However I no longer use nor endorse this trearment.

 

[JoshuaG]

I have dropped salinity in the past from 1.025 down to 1.009 in a matter of hours and the fish were fine. However I no longer use nor endorse this trearment.

Care to share why?

 

[Mrscribbled]

Care to share why?

For me its too time consuming, tough to regulate ph, I do believe certain strains have developed resistance to it. JMHO

 

[MrTuskfish]

I have dropped salinity in the past from 1.025 down to 1.009 in a matter of hours and the fish were fine. However I no longer use nor endorse this trearment.

I'm with you.

This forum section has had countless failures of hypo since I started hanging around here. It is very demanding and there is no room for error. Just a days evaporation can ruin the whole process. Its also possible that some strains have developed a tolerance for the usually suggested 1.008 SG. Also, it only works on ich, not velvet, brook, or other protozoan parasites. Its surprising how many hobbyists can't diagnose ich and I think that's a big part of the problem. I'm on a soap box here, I know, but you can't become proficient in this hobby with info coming only from your LFS and the internet. Reading good books on the subject is vital for new hobbyists, IMO.

 

[snorvich]

I'm with you.

This forum section has had countless failures of hypo since I started hanging around here. It is very demanding and there is no room for error. Just a days evaporation can ruin the whole process. Its also possible that some strains have developed a tolerance for the usually suggested 1.008 SG. Also, it only works on ich, not velvet, brook, or other protozoan parasites. Its surprising how many hobbyists can't diagnose ich and I think that's a big part of the problem. I'm on a soap box here, I know, but you can't become proficient in this hobby with info coming only from your LFS and the internet. Reading good books on the subject is vital for new hobbyists, IMO.

Exactly. Very difficult to do correctly and assumes you do not have a variant that is insensitive to low salinity.

 

[JoshuaG]

For me its too time consuming, tough to regulate ph, I do believe certain strains have developed resistance to it. JMHO

Oh I got ya, I thought you meant you didn't endorse dropping the salinity that fast. You are just saying you no longer endorse hypo.