questions on hyposalinity and ich

apolyom

apolyom

Member
i am currently treating a puffer for ich with hyposalinity. from my reading i have found that this treatment is supposed to kill inverts however i have several shrimp still quite alive in the tank. is this normal?
also my puffer's spots have greatly reduced in numbers but there are still some, does it take a few days for the parasite to "drop off"? how long generally does it take to see no spots?
also is it essential for the salinity to be dropped in the 48hr period? or does it still work if done over say 4 days?
 
fedukeford

fedukeford

Active Member
How low is the salitinity?
Yes it must be dropped over around 48 hours, otherwise the ich will get used to the lower salinity and wont die off.
 
apolyom

apolyom

Member
its 1.009
guess i'll have to raise it and drop it again lol
i did it over several days due to work and the ridiculous amount of hours i work.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
The ick CANT get use to the lower silinity just get it down to 1.009 and keep it there for at least 4 weeks
 
apolyom

apolyom

Member
Originally Posted by earlybird
Why are you hypo-ing shrimp? They won't make it that long.

because they are in the tank already and they are good clean up after the puffer eats.
so which is it? does it have to be over 48 hours or not?
the only 2 answers i've had are both arguing against each other.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
I think there may be some confusion over the 48hrs it has nothing to do with the ick the reason you need to lower you salinity over 48hrs is to give the fish you are treating time to get used to the lower salinity so you lower it gradually over that time frame and you will need a longer time about a week to raise it back up after the full treatment of hypo your shrimp can not live in the lowered salinity but your fish can
 
apolyom

apolyom

Member
Originally Posted by florida joe
I think there may be some confusion over the 48hrs it has nothing to do with the ick the reason you need to lower you salinity over 48hrs is to give the fish you are treating time to get used to the lower salinity so you lower it gradually over that time frame and you will need a longer time about a week to raise it back up after the full treatment of hypo your shrimp can not live in the lowered salinity but your fish can

yes there is confusion, the confusion is that DO you NEED to lower the salinity over the 48hrs OR can it be done over the course of say 5 days?
that is my original question and STILL i have not got a definate yes or no.
i have had both 1 saying yes and 1 saying no.
all i am asking for is a simple YES or NO answer.
i understand about the whole fish getting used to it thing and to raise it back up over a longer period. all i want to know is if the 48hr lowering time frame has to be followed precicely or not.
the reason i am asking is because i lowered my salinity over the course of about 5 days and i want to know if i wasted my time and should start again.
sorry for the long post
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
NO DONT RAISE IT UP AGAIN the 48 hr is the shortest time you can lower your tank to 1.009 if your fish have ick you would want to start the hypo as quickly as you can and that is with in 48 hrs you could take a mouth to lower if but i dought your fish would live that long with ick
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by florida joe
I think there may be some confusion over the 48hrs it has nothing to do with the ick the reason you need to lower you salinity over 48hrs is to give the fish you are treating time to get used to the lower salinity so you lower it gradually over that time frame and you will need a longer time about a week to raise it back up after the full treatment of hypo your shrimp can not live in the lowered salinity but your fish can
I think you may have some confusion. The 48hrs has everything to do with the ich. A 48 hr drop is enough time for the fish to acclimate into the lower salinity. If you take longer than 2 days to lower the salt then the ich has a chance to become used to the lower salinity. Ich is a parasite and can easily adapt. 48 hours is the safe zone for the fish acclimation and the ich being unable to attatch. If during hypo you allow the SG to fluctuate to 1.010 or 1.011 and then back to 1.009 the ich will re-attatch. Hyposalinity does not kill ich the moment it reaches 1.009, it makes the ich unable to stay attatched. This is the reason that you have to wait 3 full weeks AFTER you no longer see any ich at all on your fish. The ich that cannot attatch will die due to not being able to host a fish.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by apolyom
yes there is confusion, the confusion is that DO you NEED to lower the salinity over the 48hrs OR can it be done over the course of say 5 days?
that is my original question and STILL i have not got a definate yes or no.
i have had both 1 saying yes and 1 saying no.
all i am asking for is a simple YES or NO answer.
i understand about the whole fish getting used to it thing and to raise it back up over a longer period. all i want to know is if the 48hr lowering time frame has to be followed precicely or not.
the reason i am asking is because i lowered my salinity over the course of about 5 days and i want to know if i wasted my time and should start again.
sorry for the long post
No, do not raise your SG. I, personaly, would bring the SG to 1.008 for about 3 days then slack on the top off until the SG reaches 1.009. Hold it there for the remainder of the hypo.
 
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