Beth, Terry, help on hyposalinity

[stupid_naso]

I'm planning to do hyposalinity treatment for ich. Tonight my sebae has turned into a heavily ich infested fish. I tried to look for the way to do hyposalinity but I couldn't find any.
Here's some q's:
1. The process of lowering the sg down to 1.009 is in 48 hours period, how do you do this? Change water into fresh water every 2 hours?
2. Once the fish undergoes the hypo treatment, I read that you need to change your water everyday. I understand that the fish has to stay in hospital tank for 4 weeks in order for the fish to be fully cured from ich. Do I keep changing the water everyday, throughout that 4 weeks?
3. After I finish with the treatment, how do I get the sg back to the normal sg? Add instant ocean?
4. Is there any other option for curing ich? I know hypo is the best way, but is there any medicine that you might recommend?
Thanks, I really appreciate it.
sebae_the_clown
PS: I guess I thought wrong .

 

[jimi]

I am not who you asked but I do have first hand experience on using hypo on a variety of fish, not just what I have read. Over two days lower your sg down to 1.009 by removing water and replacing it with fresh but dont forget to adjust the ph accordingly because fresh water have a much lower ph then salt. You only need to change the water if it is not an established qt meaning you have nothing supporting the nitrifying bacteria like base rock or filter sponge,also to get rid of any ammonia that may build up also it gets rid of more ich but it will die anyway, keep checking for ammonia and do partial water changes if needed. After the four weeks bring the salinity up over 4 to 5 days by adding water with a higher sg. DO NOT ADD SALT DIRECTLY TO THE QT TANK IT MUST BE PREMIXED, preferably for 24 hrs prior. Yes there are other options like copper but hypo is by far the safest and effective treatment.

 

[jimi]

By the way make sure your hydrometer is accurate or use a refractometer for measuring your sg. It may be critical in the treatment. Because you need to reach 1.009 not any higher.

 

[beth]

Jimi is right.
As to the alternative treatment, you can use copper. Copper, however, may have unknown and far reaching negative effects on fish exposed to it, thus we recommend the hyposalinity specifically for the treatment of ick. There are other marine parasitic diseases where the use of copper is requisite.
Here’s my writeup on hyposalintiy procedure:
The method of lowering salinity/SG is simple: Over the course of 48-hrs, salt water in the tank is replaced with fresh RO or DI water in small increments until a SG of 1.009 is achieved. Maintain pH, as pH tends to lower is hypo-saline water, and you need to maintain same pH. Watch for pH, especially at night. If you are not using a salinity monitor which gives more precise readings, then try using 2-brands of hydrometers to make sure that you get an accurate reading. The SG MUST be dropped to 1.009, nothing above that will do. As to the beneficial microbes you are working to establish in your hospital, NOT TO WORRY! The bacteria colony will survive, the fish will be more than fine; but the Ich, however, will not survive. By lowering the salinity, you will also be lowering the osmotic pressure of the water. The parasites NEED high osmotic pressure to convert saline water into freshwater. All marine animals need freshwater as we do [parasites are considered marine animals as well, BTW]. They just convert it differently, usually via their tissues. Reduce this necessary pressure and the ick will die—explode actually. As a higher life form, the fish will do fine with this treatment. [My preference for this treatment of ick over copper is based on the toxicity of copper.] Hypo has no ill effects on fish during or after treatment, whereas copper is a toxin, and could have enduring negative effects on fish even following a successful treatment. Better to use copper for when you really need it---where hypo is not effective, like with oodinium.
Maintain the 1.009 SG in the tank for 4 wks AFTER no visible signs of ick are present with your fish. After that time, you can slowly, over the course of several days, raise the SG back to normal levels in the hospital. Take longer raising then you did lowering the SG. Leave the fish in the hospital for 5-7 days after returning the SG to normal levels before moving it/them back home.
In the meantime, feed your fish garlic soaked food several times a week, and, if you can get either Zoe or Zoecon, alternate feeding your fish with these excellent vitamin supplements. No need to feed with vits and the garlic at same time. MORE is not better either with fish meds, additives or supplements. Garlic is a natural parasite repellent for ick. It also has mild antibiotic qualities as well as being an immune booster. Anybody ever hear about giving their dogs garlic tabs to get rid of flees? Well, it works with fish too---to an extent! No, don't add tabs to water. use fresh crushed garlic or garlic extract to soak the food--don't add the garlic to the water!
Good luck!

 

[jimi]

A note about hydrometers. First a refractometer is about the most accurate means of measuring your sg. Using two brands of hydrometers does not guarantee in fact they will both probably be off. Hydrometers are not precise. The best thing to do is buy a refractometer or guage your hydrometer againts a refractometer that your lfs may have so you know where you stand.