Hypo in main tank attempt.

[chrismilano]

I know, I know but what if...
If I have a 70 gallon tank with 2 triggers, a lion and an eel in it and nothing else, Can I perform hyposalinity in the main tank?
I need to treat all 4 to eradicate ick and they are too big for a hospital tank. Its much more appealing to me to simply remove the live rock, 2 stars and cleaner shrimp for a month and perform the hypo right in the main tank.
Will it ruin my cycle? Tanks 10 months old.
Is it risky to the fish? I dont see any reason not to, do you?

 

[simm]

So where are you going to put your Live Rock, stars and Shrimp during the hypo process? Do you have another tank for this?

 

[marinerock]

HI CHRIS........
I HAVE A FISH ONLY TANK WITH MAYBE 50+ HERMIT CRABS AND I DID A HYPOSALINITY ON THE MAIN TANK.....I TOO HAVE SOME
LARGE FISH AND NO QT/HT.....I DID THIS APPROX. 1 MONTH AGO
BECAUSE I HAD GOTTEN ICK IN THE TANK FROM A GRAY ANGEL
WE PURCHASED....NEEDLESS TO SAY OUR LARGE POWDER BLUE TANG GOT IT ALSO AND THE BOTH OF THEM DIED.....
I ADDED COPPER SAFE AND LOWERED THE SALINITY TO 1.015
AND ALL THE OTHER FISH IN THE TANK ARE NOW 100%"CLEAN"
I DONT THINK I WILL RAISE THE SALINITY UNTIL I AM DONE
ADDING ALL THE FISH WE WANT IN THE TANK ......
ALL THE FISH IN THE TANK....EVEN THE ONES THAT DID NOT GET
ICK.....LOOK SUPER SINCE THE LOWERING OF THE SALINITY...
I HAVENT SEEN ANY SIDE EFFECTS ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE WITH LOWERING THE SALINITY.....IF YOU WANT ANYMORE INFO...LET ME KNOW...SORRY FOR THE LONG POST EVERYONE....
GOOD LUCK....
MARINEROCK

 

[marinerock]

ALSO WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF IT AFFECTS ANYTHING ELSE
I.E....BIOLOGICAL FILTRATION OR LIVE SAND ETC...
IN A NEGATIVE WAY....
HOPEFULLY BETH WILL READ THESE POSTS....SHES THE
EXPERT ON THIS STUFF....ALONG WITH MANY OF THE OTHER MEMBERS ON THIS BOARD....
MARINEROCK

 

[chrismilano]

I have access to a 30 that only has a baby snowflake eel in it to store the stars and shrimp. Its just not practical to put 30 inches of fish in a 30 gallon hosp. tank. The live rock Ill put in a big tupperware with a powerhead.
What is the lowest safe salinity for triggers and the lion and ribbon eel? You say 1.15, Ive seen 1.09... Is living in low salinity going to hurt my fish?

 

[marinerock]

I LOWERED MINE TO 1.015 BUT A FRIEND SAID ITS OK TO LOWER IT TO 1.011 AND NOW I HEAR 1.009....THE YOUNG LADY
ON THIS BOARD,BETH... SAYS ITS OK TO LOWER A QT/HT
TO 1.009 AND SHE SEEMS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ......MINE IS DOING THE JOB AT 1.015 SO UNLESS SOMETHING, DISEASE WISE ARISES....I WILL LEAVE MINE THERE FOR NOW.....HOWEVER,
I WOULDNT HESITATE TO LOWER IT TO 1.009 IF NEED BE.....
REGARDS...
MARINEROCK

 

[beth]

1.009 is the theraputic target. Anything above this will not kill ich. The fish will be fine.

 

[marinerock]

HI BETH......
A FEW QUESTIONS.....
DOES HYPOSALINITY HAVE ANY NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON THE
BIOLOGICAL FILTRATION, LIVE SAND, WATER QUALITY OR THE
FISH?
WHY DO YOU HAVE TO RAISE THE SALINITY AFTER THE PROBLEM
I.E. ICK,OODINIUM..... IS CLEARED UP....OR DO YOU HAVE TO RAISE THE SALINITY? IF SO, WHY?
I DID THE HYPOSALINITY ON MY 125 GAL.....PLEASE READ ABOVE POSTS....ALL THE FISH SEEM MUCH MORE CONTENT IN THE LOWER SALINITY WHICH IS WHY I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY THE
"ACCEPTED" SALINITY OF 1.018-1.025 IS THE RANGE....
THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ...
HAVE A NICE DAY AND REGARDS...
MARINEROCK

 

[beth]

The reason that hypo is done gradually, over a 48 hr period, is so that fish, as well as the biofilter [bacteria], have time to make the adjustment to the lower salinity. Given a gradual readjustment to 16ppt salinity, the transition is harmless to fish and will have little, if any, ill effects on the biofilter.
Bony marine fish have an osmotic concentration around ¼ of that found in sea water [which is around 35ppt salinity]. In their oceanic environment, these fish lose water from their gills due to osmosis as well as thru waste elimination. To replenish water, in turn, fish must drink a lot to make up for the loss. Excess sodium, chloride, magnesium and sulphates that naturally are also consumed as fish drink water, are excreted via the gills and urine. This process is energy draining. When fish are stressed this function is particularly affected; fish experience difficulty adjusting the concentration of these substances. Lowering the salinity of the tank water makes the concentration of sodium, etc., closer to the fish's internal fluids and reduces the fish’s efforts to maintain the correct concentrations. Thus, the notion that hypo is stressful or dangerous to fish is dispelled. It is, in fact, a stress reliever.
Some people do keep fish in lower concentrations of salt water for the very reason that you are asking the question. It's not natural, however, to do so, thus most hobbyist attempt to simulate what is natural to the specimens we keep. Can we do better than Mother Nature?

 

[marinerock]

BETH....
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME IN ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS...!!!
REGARDS...
MARINEROCK