hyposlalinity & ich

[reavely]

ok, I've got my QT down to a specific gravity of 1.009 - can anyone tell me what ratio of salt & h20 I should mix for water changes at this level of salinity? I want to keep it stable for two weeks so I know I've knocked out the ich for good.
Also, is there anyway of testing for ich? I emptied out all the fish from the dislay tank so I could starve the ich cycle (i've cranked up the heat to 82* to speed the life cycle) but I want to be sure I've killed it off before I reintroduce the fish three weeks from now.
Last question - SWF.com lables flame & oriole angels (both are pygmies) as being "reef safe" but my LFS's have told me that these fish will eat my corals & anenomies - Tullock's book (CMA) & Michaels' "marine Fishes" also says that angels in general will eat corals- I need experienced opinions to help me out here.

 

[dreeves]

Just pre-mix your saltwater in a small container..measure salinity and then add it to the tank...you could use a 5 gallon bucket as well.

 

[saltfisher]

Wow, 1.009. You went really low. I would do a water change and take it up to 1.014. Then about 5 to 7 days later go to about 1.019. I would leave it there and keep your temp at 80. You should look into a UV. Once I bought one, Ich was a thing os the past. Some say they dont work. I'm one to say they do.

 

[michelle13]

In order for hyposalinity to work it must be kept at 1.009 for about 3-4 weeks. I kept my perc and damsel in hypo for about 3 1/2 weeks and then very, very slowly (like over the course of 4 days) brought my salinity back up to regular tank conditions. By using hypo there is no need for a UV. When you finally put your fish back in the main tank the ich will have completed its life cycle and be gone. Then if you don't want to get ich again you should quarantine all new arrivals. You can get more info on hyposalinity in the disease and treatment forum. Good Luck!

 

[mykgillespie]

I must agree that a 1.009 S.G. is necessary to get rid of the ich. I would also say that it's a good idea not to drop the salinity too slowly. Divide it up into a day or 2, fish can handle a pretty quick drop in S.G. On the other hand, when it's time to come back up it must be done very slowly. Hyposalination is a very effective way of eliminating parasites. I own an Aquarium Maint. Company in N.H. and it's a standard procedure for all fish before they go into a customers aquarium. A U.V. is a good piece of gear to have, but I wouldn't recommend running it full time as you will kill off your beneficial critters as well as the bad guys. Not good for a LSB. Also, most U.V. sterilizers are not powerful enough to effectively eliminate most parasites. To get rid of most higher parasites and some viruses, you would need a very high wattage U.V. system in comparison to the size of your aquarium. And finally, as far as pygmy angels go. I kept alot of them in many of my customers tanks and the only one that seems to be absolutely safe is C. argi (Cherubfish) the little blue guy. The usually safe specimens that I've been able to keep with minor problems are the Flame Angel and the Coral Beauty. Most others (especially lemonpeels!) have given me a lot of problems with corals. Just remember, don't give them a reason to eat the corals! Feed well! And with that I must also say to watch water quality closely, regular partial water changes and heavy skimming.
Some personal favorites, Euro-Reef, Precision Marine, and AquaC.
You may also want to consider some other angels for the reef like any of the Geniacanthus (Don't think I spelled that correctly) are great reef fish. Also, I have not tried yet and can't say from experience, but I've read many accounts of Red Sea Emperors and Asfur Angels being mostly reef safe, do some reasearch on those guys first though! I've also had luck with longnose butterflys and niger triggers in my reef tanks! Hope that's helpful.
Thanks,
Myk.

 

[reavely]

Thanks for all the comments - I spent a week getting it down to 1.009, was going to continue it for three weeks at that rate and then bring it back up over a weeks time, that's five weeks in the QT and from what I gather, far longer than ich's life cycle.
I considered the UV sterilizer but ditto on the LSB critters, plus it makes feeding corals and anenomies a more difficult process than letting them feed off of free floaters.
During the first week I added copper to the QT, I know this completely ruins it for any inverts in the future, but would live rock be ok? would the critters on LR be ok if I did a complete water change and charcoal filtered for a while before adding them? If I've got to keep this thing running I might as well make it look good - the pvc pipe in there now is kinda dull!
PS getting the blu neon gobies was a great investment - they've been hitching on the regal tang, even the fridmani (!!) and chomping off the ich spots - I highly recommend them since they will eat a varied diet unlike cleaner wrasses.

 

[michelle13]

It is my understanding that the copper will kill the live rock. I also think that even by doing a water change and running carbon the copper can not be entirely eliminated because it seeps into the silcone on the tank and anything else that is in it. You might get some more opinions on that though.

 

[mykgillespie]

I'd recommend running a poly-pad to get rid of the copper as the carbon will do little to remove it. There is some evidence that using copper even at a difficultly maintained "safe" level can have some long term side effects on your fish so it's probably best never to use it. Copper is also known to cause HLLE in fish that are prone to it. I know what you mean about dressing up the QT, but LR is poreous and will give places for little nasties to hide and sometimes elude treatments to kill them off. Stick with the PVC or some other artificial decor. I also agree that the neon gobies are awsome! Not to mention they look great too. Very good choice. Good Luck.
Myk.