5 Days to Hypo

patandlace

Active Member
Instead of taking 48 hours to lower the salinity we took about 5 days. Our fish started showing signs of Ick right before the 4th of July so we took out all the sand and live rock and started hypo. We ordered a refractometer but due to the holiday it took about 5 days to get to us. The fish have now been in hypo with 1.009 for 7 days and the ick is still present. All the ick dropped off a couple of days ago but just started to show up on the fish again. My questions is....... if you take longer than 48 hours to lower the salinity will ick still live? Should we bring the salinity back up and then drop it again. By the way all other parameters are great and fish are doing fine.
I really don't want to lose my fish to this. Thank you for helping us out....
Lacey
 

theirr

Member
I was wondering that too. Sometimes parasites would have an oppurtunity to get acculmated if it isn't done suddenly. But I don't have an answer.
 

lion_crazz

Active Member
Hyposalinity does not immediately kill ich. Taking a little more time to lower the SG will not be a detriment to you. Hyposalinity stops ich from being able to reproduce. This is why you need to run hyposalinity for at least 3 to 4 weeks.
 

patandlace

Active Member
So it will be fine? We are aware that you don't start the 3 week count until the ick is all off the fish. That had happened in the first few days and now the ick is back on the fish. So we will just wait for it to fall off again to start the 3 week count?
Thank you very much for your help!!
 

patandlace

Active Member
Used distilled water to calibrate. Then rechecked it a couple days ago with RO water it was still reading 0.
 

xtreme_1.8

Member
I dont mean to steal this thread but, I have 2 clowns, and 1 royal gramma and the 2 clowns just got ich this morning and i'm going to hypo them starting tomorrow, my question is should i add the gramma in the QT as well. Main tank is 55 QT is 10
kelly.
 

patandlace

Active Member
I would. I have read that all of the fish carry it if one has it. They just don't get symptons unless they are unhealthy. Only 2 of our 5 fish have it, but we are hypoing all of them. Plus the display is supposed to be fishless for 3-4+ weeks to rid it of ick too. Everything I have learned has been from the threads on this site!!
 
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