hyposalinaty Help

[rogergolf66]

Ok I have read the articals on ths top in sticky but I still have some question

1. Ok the easy stuff is a take my fish out put them into a qT tank so that the ich has no place to host. Well can I leave the snails, crabs, and shrimp in the tank that has no fish in it. Will the ich beable to host the inverts? (can the ich host anything other them fish to stay alive?)

2. Ok so I have no fish in my display now. no reason to feed the tank, but I have sps corals that will want to eat, so do I still feed every other day or so even thought I don't have any fish in the tank? ( I have a moster skimmer that should be able to remove the waste with out a problem)


I think that is all my questions for now but here is the process I am planning to use.

I don't have a QT tank setup as of now but I will make up 80 gallons of water as I am going to be using an extra 72 gallon bow front for the hypo treatment. I will take 75 gallons of so from my 125 and move it to the QT tank. Make sure my ph, alk, cal, sal, and temp, match my 125 water parameters and put the new water in the maint tank. I thought this would be a good way to do a large water change. I plan on leaving my fish in the display tank till the QT cycles. What do you think any changes I should make to this?

To get the water down to 1.009 in thw QT tank I plan on removing 20 oz. of water in the morning and night and replacing it with RODI water. that is after the tank cycles and the fish are in the tank.

 

[stingythingy45]

1)Yes you can leave your inverts in the display,no th Ich can't host on inverts.
2)By all means,feed the display tank.Just don't over feed.

There's no reason to leave the fish in the display while the QT cycles.Just move them right in with possibly a piece of LR to help get bacteria going in the QT.Even a used filter pad or cup of substrate or something like that will work.Remember,no substrate and provide PVC for the fish to hide in/behind.

IME..I would not wait for the tank to cycle.BTW,it's going to take literally gallons of water to change the SG.You should drop the SG at least .002 that first day and then continue that over the next few days til 1.009.

I just did this and it's a PITA.Get yourself some Amquel for reducing ammonia spikes.And always keep water mixed and on hand.

 

[rogergolf66]

Well I have plenty of LR and Live sand I can put in the QT tank.

Really you don't think I need to have the tank cycle? I don't want to kill the fish. I thought at may cycle in only a week or so with live rock from my tank?\

here is a list of the fish I have

Powder blue tang med.
2 reagal tangs small
sailfin tang med
yellow clown gobie
shrimp gobie
pair of perc clowns
maroon clown
lawn mower blenie
mandian gobie
cleaner wrasse
bar gobie
jail bird damsel

I think that is all the fish.

should I go get a sponge filter and put it in my display now and then move it over to the QT tank when it is setup?

Roger

 

[stingythingy45]

Well Roger,

If the fish aren't stressed out from the Ich then it would be Ok to wait for the QT to cycle.Wasn't sure if you had fish that were suffering from respiratory distress.Ich can really knock down the gills ability to work even when it's not present on the outside.
You'll want to keep any substrate from the display in a container as if you need to use copper you can remove it as well as the rock.You wont need much to get bacteria present.I took a HOB filter from my display and moved it directly to the QT.It cycled in 2 weeks with 5 fish in there.Water changes and Amequel got me through the ammonia.
Good Luck

-Bob

 

[rogergolf66]

I don't have an HOB filter on my system just filter socks do you think adding a filter sponge in my display would be a good idea, or just add on into the QT tank with the live rock and live sand?

Or do I need the filter sponge at all?

Thanks Roger

 

[amike5]

You need a sponge with fine pores to maximize the surface area. Take the sponge and wipe on the sides, inside your sump to grab some bacteria.

Just keep up with water changes and testing until the bacteria multiply enough to contain the ammonia.

You may need more than one sponge for the QT. Maybe 3 with 3 powerheads on them for a 75 gallon QT.

 

[amike5]

BTW, in the future keep a sponge in your sump for QT purposes. Then you already have a seeded sponge to use with adequate bacteria.

 

[rogergolf66]

I have a prefilter sponge that is in my overflow box. can I use that for anything?

Roger

 

[loyalrogue]

Absolutely.
That prefilter sponge is already "charged" with bacteria.
Every little bit of established bacteria will help.

I've been going thru the same thing after losing a few fish due to an Ich outbreak.
Display tank is now going fishless for the next 8 weeks to exterminate the Ich by starvation.
55g hospital tank has been going for about a week now with daily water changes and Amequel plus when needed.
All fish are eating and doing well in QT.

I had been planning on doing the hyposalinity treatment, but now after exhuastive research it appears that hypo is not a permanent solution.
According to Bob Fenner over at WWM, in far too many cases the hypo treatment simply reduces the Ich population down drastically without completely eradicating them 100%.
This results in the Ich being reintroduced back into the "fallowed" Ich-free display tank with the fish when they come out of QT which can cause a future outbreak when they multiply back up to a problem level and the conditions are right (stress, temp change, water quality, etc.).

Because of this I've decided that I'm going to change course on treatment and go with a copper-based medication while my fish are in QT which seems to be the most effective solution to the problem.
Now I'm just doing research on what the "best" brand or compound is to use... that's how I stumbled into your thread.

Best of luck to you.

 

[rogergolf66]

well let me know what you come up with on the copper research. I was considering copper also but I had read the the hypo salinity will work. I just got the 72 bow front setup in the house. I am making water now for the transfer. Hope to have it running in 2-3 days I think I will let it cycle as my ich problem is not out of control yet. knok on wood

Roger