Hyposalinity for all new fish?

[MarkD40]

I have been reading about the use of hyposalinity in the quarantine tank for the treatment of ich. It seems to me that it would be a good idea to hold all new fish in quarantine in water with a sg of 1.009. If the new fish looks healthy with no signs of ich, wouldn't 2 weeks of quarantine be adequate to eliminate any occult ich the fish might have? The larvae of the ich could not live or reproduce and so the quarantine period could be reduced no? Comments please.

 

[oct2274]

i would say minimum of 2 weeks, but preferably 3 weeks.......you'll probably get a variety of answers on this, but i think everyone here will agree when you spend that much money on your fish you don't want to put an infected one in with your other healthy ones....

 

[kingtoad]

I would keep them quarantined for four weeks. I also would not introduce the fish into a QT with an SG of 1.009. I would keep it roughly 1.022 - 1.024 and spend the next 3 - 4 days gradually lowering the SG to 1.009.

 

[MarkD40]

True, but I can't stand the wait to put him in my display. I know I'm not the only one. It's like getting a new toy that you can look at but not play with for 6 weeks. By the time you finally play with it the thrill is gone. lol

 

[kingtoad]

haha, trust me, you're not alone!

I've been guilty of putting them straight into the main display because of my anxiousness and excitment of a new fish.

Four weeks is such a long time too. But you realize time does fly when you're in the process of putting them into your display

 

[MarkD40]

I realize that you have to gradually reduce the salinity. :lolspin: :rolleye1: I just think that since the cyst stage only lasts a week or so, and the free swimming larvae can't survive hyposalinity, the fish could not be re-infected, which would greatly shorten the life cycle of the ich if it was present. Again, I am talking about a "healthy" new fish with no signs of ich present.

 

[crumbletop]

IME, quarantine with _treatment_ such as hypo is the only way to make sure you are not introducing something like ich to your display. I learned the hard way by accepting some fish from a friend who had a great reef tank and who had been closely observed in his tank for >6months without any issues. I decided I didn't need to quarntine because they were all so "healthy" -- well they brought in ich and it killed all the fish that were already in the display These fish showed no signs of disease until after the ich was rampant, and even then it was only a spot or two. I guess they had become carriers (mostly immune). So IME the only way to be sure before introducing a new fish into your tank -- even if from a good friend -- is to treat with something like hypo...

Jack

 

[kingtoad]

I gradually reduce salanity over the course of 3 - 4 days because extreme salanity changes like that are very stressful on the fish.

 

[lagatbezan]

I have read that the life span of ich is 3 weeks, so I would recommend quarentine w/ hypo for 4 weeks min. better safe then sorry.

 

[WaterKeeper]

I'm not so sure I'd just routinely treat fish in quarantine by hypo or other methods of ich control. These treatments are somewhat hard on the fish and they may already be weak form transport. I suggest plain Q-tanking for 4 weeks and only treating if visible signs of disease manifest themselves. I know many people do medicate but to me it is an unnecessary step if you get fish from a reliable source.

 

[MarkD40]

Thanks Waterkeeper. Us reefing rookies are always looking for a shortcut. It helps to be reminded by an old timer who has learned the hard way that some things should not be rushed!

 

[WaterKeeper]

Thanks Mark,

Another factor is many fish have been exposed to copper and antibiotics by the collectors. Quite a few dealers routinely treat with broad spectrum treatments. It is just like humans given high doses of antibiotics over long duration. One selectively breeds antibiotic resistant bacteria and may also cause liver and kidney problems for the patient. My feeling is only medicate when disease is present as we have very little data on the long term effects of medications on fish.

 

[WaterKeeper]

P.S.

I should add that hypo, while not a medication per se, has been shown to damage gill structures especially if not tightly controlled.

 

[MarkD40]

Good advice. I did not realize that hyposalinity was not a completely benign treatment. I would have to agree that it makes no sense to put the fish through that in the absence of obvious disease.

 

[crumbletop]

I can't remember where I read it, but I seem to recall that some large aquariums routinely quarantine all new fish in hypo or copper. In my case (which may be extreme), I got some fish from a reliable source and they had not shown signs of disease for >6 months. I doubt anything would have manifested in 4 weeks of quarantine as he watched his fish like a hawk every day and never noticed anything suggesting disease.

I think this is where I read about hypo for all incoming bony fish (teleost)...

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2004/short.htm


Jack

 

[WaterKeeper]

Good article Jack,

Of course one of the differences here is we are talking about a large public aquarium with all sorts of technical staff. They probably also collect their own specimens. No doubt they can hold salinity within prescribed limits for extended periods. I still feel that OST is somewhat chancy for the novice.

 

[ChunksInClemson]

Hey Waterkeeper, "Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk"

 

[foob]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7192511#post7192511 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WaterKeeper
P.S.

I should add that hypo, while not a medication per se, has been shown to damage gill structures especially if not tightly controlled.

May I get a link to the research? I've read a lot of articles a few years ago and never read that before.

What do you mean by "not tightly controlled"?

 

[WaterKeeper]

I'll get you some links but the search on the subject is fairly hard as the are all sorts of papers on Osmotic Shock not related to fish. Give me a day or two.