How to Cure Saltwater Ich

cranberry

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChaosFyre http:///t/394389/how-to-cure-saltwater-ich#post_3516677
@Kayleigh: Raising the temp to 80-82 is a good way to attempt to prevent the ich from breeding.
I don't mean to just jump in out of the blue, but this is not correct. To stop the marine ich cycle with temperature, it has to be risen up higher than any fish can tolerate. 80-82 is still in the optimal stage. I can find those studies for you, if you would like, if you give me a day or two. Freshwater Ich has a lower tolerance for heat and temperature changes has indeed been utilized as an effective treatment.
BUT, having said that. There are different strains of Ich and each can have it's own optimal range. There are even some cold water marine strains. So, indeed 80-82 would stop the cold water variety, but not in the way one would expect.
 

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Hi I have a few questions I would like you to clear up for me
Quote:
Fill the tank with salt-water at 1.009 salinity. I adjusted mine until it was exactly this. Put your fish in. You can acclimate him if you like (though I didn't). Lowering the salinity will not harm the fish, though raising it quickly might.

Since most of us keep our tanks at salinity level of 1.025 don’t you think that putting already stressed fish due to ick in a tank with a sudden drop of salinity is doing harm?
Quote:
ily: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> The method I have used to successfully treat a lightly infected fish

Do you use a different method for a full blown infestation?

Quote:
Set the heater in your quarantine tank to 88 degrees. The high temp inhibits the ability of the ich parasite to breed, and will not harm most fish.
How so? Is the reason to raise the temp really to increase the metabolism of the ick and thus speed it its life cycle so we can move it to its susceptible stage with our treatment of hypo?
Hi Renee how goes it sweet potato. Sorry was typing my reply about the temp so I did not get a chance to read yours before I posted
 

chaosfyre

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by florida joe http:///t/394389/how-to-cure-saltwater-ich/20#post_3516712
Hi I have a few questions I would like you to clear up for me
Since most of us keep our tanks at salinity level of 1.025 don’t you think that putting already stressed fish due to ick in a tank with a sudden drop of salinity is doing harm?
Do you use a different method for a full blown infestation?

How so? Is the reason to raise the temp really to increase the metabolism of the ick and thus speed it its life cycle so we can move it to its susceptible stage with our treatment of hypo?
Hi Renee how goes it sweet potato. Sorry was typing my reply about the temp so I did not get a chance to read yours before I posted
Yes, 1.025 is the normal range for saltwater tanks. 1.009 is the range in which the free form of ich will die or lyse. You only change your quarantine tank to 1.009 and not your display tank to prevent harm to invertebrates, corals, or beneficial bacteria. You fish will be absolutely fine in that environment.
I recently tested hyposalinity at 1.009 in my quarantine on a purple tang with a full-blown infestation that I rescued from the LFS for half off. On the first day, all the spots disappeared. After three days, I placed him in the display tank because I was going out of town and didn't want any mishaps in the QT while I was gone. When I came back a day or two later, his ich was beginning to come back. Three days was NOT long enough for him, but it WAS long enough for my mild case. I put the purple tang back into quarantine and he stayed there for two weeks. He would have been in there for a third week, but yesterday my heater in the quarantine tank died, so I moved the purple tang into the display tank. So far he has been in there now for two days with no sign of ich. I will keep an eye on him for the next week or two. If any ich shows up, he is going back into the quarantine for 3 weeks again.
So far though, the fish looks healthy. Beautiful color. It appears that hyposalinity is capable of rescuing a fish with a bad case. Also, the heater in the QT was weak, and the temp was at 75 the entire time the tang was in there. That could be one reason it took him longer to be cured than the other tang did. Perhaps it was because the life cycle of the ich was slower/normal at 75 degrees and not all the ich had fallen off in just 3 days. Another reason could be because some of the ich fell off in 3 days, but the fish was so infected that many of the spots were at a different points in the cycle, and the ones that had not yet fallen off began to re-appear when I dropped him in the display tank after 3 days.
As for the temp, I did read somewhere that it can speed up the life cycle so that the ich drops off faster, and also can inhibit breeding. I would not depend too much on the temperature curing ich, but I do keep my display tank and quarantine at at least 82 degrees.
I personally feel that hyposalinity is the more sure way to go, but that raising the temp can't hurt in most cases. Watch out for hermit crabs though, sometimes they don't like higher temperatures. If you raise your temp in your display tank and you see something suspicious happening to the invertebrates, lower it again.
@Cranberry: I would love to see more info about the temperature effects on marine ich. I'm not sure where I read about the temp anymore, so I don't know about the credibility of that statement. However, others in the thread have claimed to stop ich with solely raising the temp and not lowering the salinity, so it probably has some credence. I used both methods so I can't say for sure which is more responsible for curing ich in my particular case.
However, it did take the fish with a bad case of ich longer to be cured than the fish with a mild case (as you would expect), but I used 75 degrees for the bad case and 80+ degrees for the mild case. The difference in time for the fish to be cured could be due to a number of factors, but maybe higher temperature played a part in speeding the recovery of the mild case.
 

sweatervest13

Active Member
IDK if I would put a fish right from a DT @ 1.026 to a QT @ 1.009. IMO that is way too much stress on an already sick fish. I usually take about a day in a half to drop the salinity to 1.009 ( and about twice that time when I am raising the salinity back to 1.026). But I am super cautious...
I keep a QT or HT going at all times and keep it as close to the same salinity as my DT. Just in case something goes amiss with any fish, or if I have need additions. Not all fish go into my QT or a HT for hypo treatment, so I would not keep mine at 1.009. If it works for you though, have at it, but I would not advise others to follow your lead.
Also, along those lines you state that a 3 week treatment of hypo is all that is needed. This is just asking for trouble if you ask me. The life cycle may take exactly three weeks (maybe to the minute, IDK) for Ich. So why not go a little longer to make for certain?? I usually go for 5 weeks. Again, if it works for you, go for it, no problems there. But please be careful on the advice you give others.
Joe was baiting you BTW.
 

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Joe was baiting you BTW.
Was it that obvious
First I want to thank you for the info. Now let me throw out some numbers.
In the Trophont stage where the adult parasite is attached to a fish and feeding on it the time frame is 3 to 7 days
In the Trophont free swimming stage where the parasite has fallen off the fish it looks for a place to attach its self, this stage can take up to 18hrs.
In the Tomont stage where the parasite goes into reproductive mode while it is attached to something the time frame is 3 to 28 days.
In the Theront stage where the newly hatched parasite is fee swimming and looking for a host. The time frame is 24 to 48 hrs.
If we add the longer time frames we come up with approximately five weeks add one week for a margin of error and most people I know hypo for six weeks.
Quote:
. After three days, I placed him in the display tank because I was going out of town and didn't want any mishaps in the QT while I was gone. When I came back a day or two later, his ich was beginning to come back. Three days was NOT long enough for him, but it WAS long enough for my mild case.
Even with the mild case you run the risk of contaminating your DT via water transport of the parasite. You may have just lucked out.
Quote:
However, it did take the fish with a bad case of ich longer to be cured than the fish with a mild case (as you would expect), but I used 75 degrees for the bad case and 80+ degrees for the mild case. The difference in time for the fish to be cured could be due to a number of factors, but maybe higher temperature played a part in speeding the recovery of the mild case.
why would you use a lower temp for a bad case and a higher one for a mild one ? Higher temp does speed braking the life cycle of ick as i stated in my other post
FYI I spent a good amount of time on line trying to find some documentation stating that raising the temp to the highest safe level for the fish would kill the ick parasite. i could not find any I then put in a call to my friends at Mote marine and ask about temp and ick this is what I was told. a higher temp in of itself does not kill saltwater ick. A few degree increase will speed up the life cycle enabling the parasite to enter the killing zone quicker.. However, solubility of oxygen in seawater goes down as temperature goes up, so additional circulation and aeration may be required.
 

chaosfyre

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweatervest13 http:///t/394389/how-to-cure-saltwater-ich/20#post_3516750
IDK if I would put a fish right from a DT @ 1.026 to a QT @ 1.009. IMO that is way too much stress on an already sick fish. I usually take about a day in a half to drop the salinity to 1.009 ( and about twice that time when I am raising the salinity back to 1.026). But I am super cautious...
I keep a QT or HT going at all times and keep it as close to the same salinity as my DT. Just in case something goes amiss with any fish, or if I have need additions. Not all fish go into my QT or a HT for hypo treatment, so I would not keep mine at 1.009. If it works for you though, have at it, but I would not advise others to follow your lead.
Also, along those lines you state that a 3 week treatment of hypo is all that is needed. This is just asking for trouble if you ask me. The life cycle may take exactly three weeks (maybe to the minute, IDK) for Ich. So why not go a little longer to make for certain?? I usually go for 5 weeks. Again, if it works for you, go for it, no problems there. But please be careful on the advice you give others.
Joe was baiting you BTW.
Well, these are known treatments. You can do a google search and see quite a few articles. I followed the advice in the articles, and it has worked for me so far. Here, we are sharing our experiences and other articles about hyposalinity treatment. I am by no means an expert, so your own experiences are welcome.
It couldn't hurt to slowly adjust a fish to hyposalinity, but another type of treatment is freshwater dip. I did not mention much about freshwater dip in my original post, but If you research that, it is said to be more stressful than hyposalinity. For the few fish I have treated in hypo, I just acclimated them like normal, taking 15-30 minutes and partial water changes or drip acclimation. I watch the fish carefully afterwards to see how they respond. So far nothing bad, no visible reaction from the fish going straight into hypo. Even my hard case was okay.
I always keep my QT at hyposalinity so incoming fish are treated for ich before it becomes visible... but I have never had any sick fish besides those with ich. If someone needs to treat a fish for something else, it is actually beneficial for the fish to be in low salinity, or so I read here: http://atj.net.au/marineaquaria/hyposalinity.html
The lower salinity helps the ion regulation functions of the fish, lowering stress.
As for leaving them in for 6 weeks, thats a great idea. I have seen articles suggesting up to 8-10 weeks of quarantine. I am somewhat impatient, and follow the minimum (3 weeks). I have had fish that languished in my little 10 gallon quarantine, and though I may take some risk, I like to get them out as soon as possible. Especially for my huge purple tang. The smaller aquarium parameters change quickly, and I know at least one person whose fish died in quarantine because a heater broke. Mine broke the other day, an it froze that night. Luckily I got my fish out in time. If I'm not going to be around to check the tank daily, I feel it is worth the risk to introduce the fish to the DT earlier. I read that it takes 2 weeks for ich to infect a fish, after it drops off. If my spots disapear on day one because of quick salinity drop, I wonder if that means the free form of ich is forced? That is something interesting to research.


Upon rereading the article I originally posted by Stan & Debbie Hauter, I saw this on the next page, you may find interesting. Of course, other articles vary, like you say.
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Maintain the aquarium as a hyposalinity system for at least 3 weeks, 4 is better, and follow normal maintenance procedures using tank parameter matched hyposalinity water if and when water changes are needed.
[*]
Final Phase Option A)
For a main aquarium, once the treatment period is finished the salinity level needs to be returned to normal. HOWEVER, IF FISH OR OTHER ANIMALS ARE PRESENT, THIS HAS TO BE DONE GRADUALLY OVER A PERIOD OF DAYS, AS NOT TO SHOCK THEM! Start by removing about 1/4 of the hyposalinity water and replace it with regular level saltwater it had prior to treatment, such as 1.024ppm. Wait a day or two and repeat this process, and continue to do so until the salinity is back to normal.
[*]
Final Phase Option B)
If the main aquarium is being treated under hyposalinity, and the fish where removed and are also being treated in the same way in a QT, with the parameters of the aquarium and the QT water matched as closely as possible, the fish should be able to be placed directly back into the main aquarium, followed by Step 5 instructions above.
[*]
Final Phase Option C)
If the a main aquarium has no fish or other animals present, a complete water change can be done using normal level saltwater.

Tips:

Hyposalinity is most effective at "exploding" ich organisms when they are subjected to a "rapid" rather than a slow change in the osmotic pressure of the water around them, which is done by exposing them to a quickly lowered salinity environment.
Hyposalinity is most effective at destroying ich organisms when they are most vulnerable, which is primarily during their newborn free-swimming phase of life, and before they are allowed to become mature parasites.
Hyposalinity will kill delicate corals and invertebrates, therefore this treatment should NEVER be used in a reef tank system, unless these animals are removed!
[/list type=decimal]
Here is an excerpt from this article that I find really interesting!: http://atj.net.au/marineaquaria/hyposalinity.html
How does it work?

For the treatment of "Ich", hyposalinity works by breaking the life cycle of the parasite. The lower salinity may also reduce stress, although there is no hard evidence to date to support this.
C. irritans is a ciliate protozoan found in sea water and it has a number of stages in its life cycle. Infective stages burrow into the skin and gills of the fish and form a protective outer covering of skin. Here they feed on tissue fluids and skin and grow. When mature, the parasite breaks out of the cyst and after some time as a free-swimming form encysts on any suitable substrate such as the sand or rocks and divides many times to produce the infective forms (Colorni, 1987). The infective forms must find a suitable host or they will die.
The total time from the mature parasite detatching from the fish and reinfection of the fish is about 2 weeks at normal tank temperatures. This is why "Ich" may appear to clear up but then comes back a a week or so later but a lot worse.
The low salinity causes the most of the tomonts to rupture, killing them
Marine teleost fish (higher bony fishes) maintain their osmotic concentration at about one quarter to one third that of sea water. In normal sea water, these fish have a tendency to lose water from their gills due to osmosis and also in their urine. Fish have to drink a lot of water to make up for the loss, however, as the water contains a lot of salt (35‰) they must remove the excess salt from their system. The sodium and chloride ions are secreted by the gills and magnesium and sulphates are excreted in urine. This is an active process and requires energy much like the energy required to keep warm blooded animals warm.
When fish are under stress, one of the processes that is affected is ion regulation. This means they have difficulty adjusting the concentration of ions (sodium, chloride, etc.). Lowering the salinity of the tank water makes the concentration of ions closer to that of the fish"s internal fluids and reduces the fish"s efforts to maintain the correct concentrations.
Please note that only the higher bony fishes have lower osmotic concentrations and can be treated this way. Marine invertebrates have the same osmotic concentration as the surrounding water (Schmidt-Nielsen, 1975) and if left in the aquarium during hyposalinity treatment are most likely to die due to osmotic shock. Sharks and rays may not survive hyposalinity due to their unique method of osmoregulation. They have similar concentrations of salts to that of marine teleosts (one quarter to one third that of sea water), however, they also have very high concentrations of organic compounds which gives their internal fluids the same osmotic concentration as sea water. While some can adjust to lower salinities, most will succumb to osmotic shock just like invertebrates.
Lots of food for thought! I'd love to see any other articles if anyone would like to share.
 

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Well again I must thank you for the enlightenment. I will be the first to admit I am no expert on the hobby but I also must submit this Is not my first rodeo. That being said let me address all your highlighted (in red reprints)
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Maintain the aquarium as a hyposalinity system for at least 3 weeks, 4 is bette
[/list type=decimal]

at least meaning in my opinion the best case scenario most hobbyists I know, when it comes to the welfare of their livestock deal in the worst case scenario
The lack of osmotic pressure deprives the ick parasite of fluid transfer this transfer is of major importance when the parasite is dividing not in its free swimming stage
Marine teleost fish (higher bony fishes) maintain their osmotic concentration at about one quarter to one third that of sea water. In normal sea water, these fish have a tendency to lose water from their gills due to osmosis and also in their urine. Fish have to drink a lot of water to make up for the loss, however, as the water contains a lot of salt (35‰) they must remove the excess salt from their system. The sodium and chloride ions are secreted by the gills and magnesium and sulphates are excreted in urine. This is an active process and requires energy much like the energy required to keep warm blooded animals warm.
Not sure of what you are trying to convey in relation to ick
When fish are under stress, one of the processes that is affected is ion regulation. This means they have difficulty adjusting the concentration of ions (sodium, chloride, etc.). Lowering the salinity of the tank water makes the concentration of ions closer to that of the fish’s internal fluids and reduces the fish"s efforts to maintain the correct concentrations.
Again not sure what your point is But IMO any sudden change to normal parameters is detrimental to the fish
Please note that only the higher bony fishes have lower osmotic concentrations and can be treated this way. Marine invertebrates have the same osmotic concentration as the surrounding water (Schmidt-Nielsen, 1975) and if left in the aquarium during hyposalinity treatment are most likely to die due to ososmotic shock. Sharks and rays may not survive hyposalinity i find this hard to relate to average hobbyists
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Quote:
Originally Posted by florida joe http:///t/394389/how-to-cure-saltwater-ich/20#post_3516759

Even with the mild case you run the risk of contaminating your DT via water transport of the parasite. You may have just lucked out.
FYI I spent a good amount of time on line trying to find some documentation stating that raising the temp to the highest safe level for the fish would kill the ick parasite. i could not find any I then put in a call to my friends at Mote marine and ask about temp and ick this is what I was told. a higher temp in of itself does not kill saltwater ick. A few degree increase will speed up the life cycle enabling the parasite to enter the killing zone quicker.. However, solubility of oxygen in seawater goes down as temperature goes up, so additional circulation and aeration may be required.
Absolutely, you've spelled it out!
Any contact of infected fish (or water, rock, substrate, etc. that have been in contact with infected fish) with the display tank could be disastrous. You may have lucked out, or the resurgence of ich may be in the near future.
Also, raising temp to eradicate ich is pointless. In order to kill ich, the temp would have to be raised to a level that fish would not survive either. And, yes, a hike in temp may accelerate the lifecycle of ich, making it possible to treat the parasite a tad quicker. In my view, the risk of raising temp and stressing fish is not worth any possible acceleration in life cycle it may (or may not) cause to the parasite.
 

cranberry

Active Member
Within the temperature range our tropical fish can survive, ich is viable at every degree and beyond. The cold water strain, however, have optimal temperatures below what we would see in the tropical setting. I promise I'll get those exact numbers to you once I finish my set of shifts. I think you will enjoy reading some nice raw data and/or research studies for yourself.
Do you have access to a library that does inter library loans? Or one that happens to have a rocking marine biology section? Friend in a hospital? (they usually have good library connections). The library is where all the correct answers are, not forum falsities.
The articles that you referenced above are not the type of articles I'm referring to. I'm talking gorgeous academic peer reviewed research articles. It's too bad they can be so difficult for most people to get their hands on.
 

sweatervest13

Active Member
Quote:
If we add the longer time frames we come up with approximately five weeks add one week for a margin of error and most people I know hypo for six weeks.
Great info Joe. I am going to add an additional week when doing hypo going forward. Better safe than sorry, right?
Quote:
Was it that obvious
LOl... Sorry Joe, did not mean to call it out that bad. Every post I write, I try to make sure that I don't get the Florida Joe, "please help answer these questions for me" reply. Much respect for you sir!!
 

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Much respect for you sir!!
back at you my friend, i like six week time line for hypo and keeping a DT fallow as well
 

al mc

Active Member
I don't visit the site for several months and I am immediately drawn to another Joe/Beth/Ich thread. It is great to see some new people on the forum and Joe (who is quite knowledgeable) indicating that he is not an expert! Some things never change! Hello to all. Al Mc
PS At least no one on this thread is claiming garlic, pepper juice, etc will 'cure' Ich
 

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Hi Al any truth to the rumor you won the lottery and moved to Fiji?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Mc http:///t/394389/how-to-cure-saltwater-ich/20#post_3516907
I don't visit the site for several months and I am immediately drawn to another Joe/Beth/Ich thread. It is great to see some new people on the forum and Joe (who is quite knowledgeable) indicating that he is not an expert! Some things never change! Hello to all. Al Mc
PS At least no one on this thread is claiming garlic, pepper juice, etc will 'cure' Ich
 

chaosfyre

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by florida joe http:///t/394389/how-to-cure-saltwater-ich/20#post_3516774
Well again I must thank you for the enlightenment. I will be the first to admit I am no expert on the hobby but I also must submit this Is not my first rodeo. That being said let me address all your highlighted (in red reprints)
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Maintain the aquarium as a hyposalinity system for at least 3 weeks, 4 is bette
[/list type=decimal]

at least meaning in my opinion the best case scenario most hobbyists I know, when it comes to the welfare of their livestock deal in the worst case scenario
The lack of osmotic pressure deprives the ick parasite of fluid transfer this transfer is of major importance when the parasite is dividing not in its free swimming stage
Marine teleost fish (higher bony fishes) maintain their osmotic concentration at about one quarter to one third that of sea water. In normal sea water, these fish have a tendency to lose water from their gills due to osmosis and also in their urine. Fish have to drink a lot of water to make up for the loss, however, as the water contains a lot of salt (35‰) they must remove the excess salt from their system. The sodium and chloride ions are secreted by the gills and magnesium and sulphates are excreted in urine. This is an active process and requires energy much like the energy required to keep warm blooded animals warm.
Not sure of what you are trying to convey in relation to ick
When fish are under stress, one of the processes that is affected is ion regulation. This means they have difficulty adjusting the concentration of ions (sodium, chloride, etc.). Lowering the salinity of the tank water makes the concentration of ions closer to that of the fish’s internal fluids and reduces the fish"s efforts to maintain the correct concentrations.
Again not sure what your point is But IMO any sudden change to normal parameters is detrimental to the fish
Please note that only the higher bony fishes have lower osmotic concentrations and can be treated this way. Marine invertebrates have the same osmotic concentration as the surrounding water (Schmidt-Nielsen, 1975) and if left in the aquarium during hyposalinity treatment are most likely to die due to ososmotic shock. Sharks and rays may not survive hyposalinity i find this hard to relate to average hobbyists
----> Ah, this part is in relation to hyposalinity and stress to the fish. Someone mentioned stress to the fish, and also in early posts there was some question as to what critters were and weren't harmed by hyposalinity so I found this interesting and relevant.
I read on one source that it is not entirely certain which part of the ich cycle is affected by hyposalinity. Given, most sources I have seen say that hyposalinity causes the free-swimming stage to lyse. Here is one report... Can't link to that particular article.

"There are conflicting reports as to which part of the cycle is killed. Some say it will cause the Theront (free swimming/infective) stage to rupture, killing it. Some say it causes problems in the Tomont (encysted/reproductive) stage. Tomonts need a higher osmotic pressure to finish the reproductive cycle; at a specific gravity of 1.009 they cannot complete their part of the cycle. They die, never to emerge. Whichever the case, hyposalinity works."

I found this cute little schematic summing up the life cycle of ich, and which stages take how long, and the temperature at which the ich cycle continues. According to this page, the ich cycle runs between 78-84 degrees. I wonder if we can then assume that temperatures outside that range will stymie the cycle?

http://www.chucksaddiction.com/ich.html
I think someone may have quoted this article earlier.
Regarding fish stress, I found another article that somewhat supports the last one, but quotes actual research this time which is good news.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/6/fish
"There may be some concern that hyposaline conditions could be stressful to marine teleost fish, or otherwise potentially harmful. While this is true in extreme salinities, studies indicate that this is not the case in more moderate salinities that would be employed in hyposalinity therapy (Wu & Woo, 1983. Woo & Chung, 1995. McDonald & Grosell, 2006).
Natural Sea Water is much more saline than the internal fluids of marine fish. Because of this, they expend a considerable amount of energy to reduce the excessive salt load through the process of osmoregulation. The kidneys are not the primary site of electrolyte management in marine teleost fish (Stoskopf, 1993). Chloride cells in the gills excrete excess chloride and sodium. “The kidneys of marine fish do play a role in electrolyte excretion; however, there function is more important in the balance of magnesium and sulfate levels and not, as might be assumed, in sodium and chloride elimination” (Stoskopf, 1993)."
As for how quickly to acclimate, this article addressed this somewhat, though it seems it suggests that hyposalinity can only have a positive effect, immediately out of acclimation. I found this very interesting. Apparently temperature and PH changes are the most stress-inducing parameters.

"Acclimation and alleviating the effects of stress
The effects of stress caused by capture, transport and handling is a major concern when acclimating fish, especially when they have been bagged for a prolonged period. Stress affects fish in two ways: it produces effects that disrupt or threaten homoestatic equilibrium and it induces adaptive behavioral and physiological responses (Wendelaar Bonga,1997). Osmoregulatory dysfunction is closely associated with stress in fish. This is recognized by an increase in osmolarity in saltwater species (Carmicheal et. al, 1984. Robertson et. al, 1988.). This can manifest in the loss of up to ten percent of body weight due to dehydration in one or two days (Sleet & Weber, 1982.). Reducing the salinity gradient between the water and the internal fluids of fish is effective in counteracting osmoregulatory dysfunction and other physiological responses to stress (Johnson & Metcalf, 1982. McDonald & Milligan, 1997.) With marine teleost species, this is accomplished by reducing the salinity of their environment.
Quickly acclimating recently transported, or otherwise stressed marine teleost fish to low salinity water will help them to recover normal homeostasis more rapidly. Marine fish are most sensitive to changes in temperature and pH during the acclimation period. Match these parameters in the quarantine tank closely to the shipment water, provided they are not at levels that are dangerous to the fish. Then the pH and temperature can be adjusted slowly over a couple of days to match the display aquarium."
This article also addresses whether to keep the quarantine tank at hyposaline levels at all times.
"Quarantine

Placing fish in hyposaline conditions during the quarantine period is a proactive approach to dealing with some types of external parasites. Rather than waiting for fish to exhibit signs of infection, why not be one step ahead? This can save time, improve an animals odds of survival and help protect the established livestock in the display aquarium. Hyposalinity therapy is an excellent treatment for Cryptocaryon irritans (saltwater ich). It can also be effective against some other types of parasites such as the Monogenetic trematode Neobenedenia melleni."
Also,
"Hyposalinity can be employed in better acclimating recently transported fish, for quarantine, treating wounds, with antibiotics, getting fish to begin eating, conserving metabolic energy, improving growth and alleviating the effects of stress.
I am not suggesting that all marine fish be kept in hyposaline conditions indefinitely. What I am suggesting is being open to investigating the various potential applications for hyposalinity therapy."
Sorry for posting about all the articles if no one else finds them interesting. I would prefer to keep the atmosphere of the thread open and non-competitive, and I feel that a good way to do that is by steering the forum towards professional opinion expressed in articles as scientific as possible, rather than hear-say or guesses. In the spirit of this, I have avoided quoting posts on other forums or threads. That said, opinions and experiences are definitely still welcome. If anything, I will do searches for articles that can either prove or disprove them, and preferably both. I will try not to be biased towards one method or another. I welcome articles that contradict what I've said here, because I would honestly love to get to the bottom of this topic. Together we can come up with a mainstream procedure for treating ich with hyposalinity. And I will edit the original post based on our findings.
So far, by everyone's recommendations, I believe it would be wise to change the recommended time in the OP to longer. Also, I still have not had a chance to research the effects of temperature on ich. Is there anything I forgot that needs to be added or changed?
 

chaosfyre

Member
Here is an article by a Ph D.
http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-health/saltwater-conditions/marine-ich.aspx
The main points he confirms are: ich is there even when you can't see it-- some symptoms besides white spots are darker mucus spots on the fish, or the fish scratching against solid objects (if you see this, its in your tank, even if there are no white spots visible). Increase in temperature does speed up the life cycle of marine ich to its vulnerable stages more quickly; but use aeration because high temps kick oxygen out of the water. Changes in temp affect specific gravity; use a refractometer or keep a close eye on salinity. Ich is vulnerable during "free-living" stages -- both theronts/tomites or protomonts. Use hyposalinity for a month to kill off free-living stages in a fish-only environment.
Also,
"Some strains of Cryptocaryon irritans are more tolerant of low salinities than others, in which case reducing the salinity further and/or extending the period of hyposalinity may be required."
"Treating Reef Aquariums
Because copper and reduced salinity regimes cannot be used to treat reef aquariums, the only completely safe way to deal with marine ich in a reef aquarium is to remove all of your saltwater fish to a hospital aquarium where they can be treated separately.
Once the reef aquarium is devoid of saltwater fish, the parasites will not be able to find hosts and will eventually die. This takes a minimum of four weeks.
Prevention
Because treating marine ich is not easy in aquariums containing anything other than bony fish, prevention is the best way to manage this particular disease. All new livestock should be quarantined for a minimum of four weeks prior to introduction. This will provide ample time to detect, and if necessary treat, ich infections."
 
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