What is a hypo????

gobyguy9686

Member
i am reading up on diseases to make sure i can prevent any and i keep hearing of a procedure called hypo can anyone tell me wat it is and how it is done thnx
 

al mc

Active Member
Hypo refers to hyposalinity. The lowering of the specific gravity (in SWF terms, the amount of salt) in the water to 1.009 will eliminate some parasites, especially ICH, if done correctly.
There is a nice write up about it in the archive files in the disease and treatment section. Beth, a moderator here, wrote up the step by step instructions.
 

reefkprz

Active Member
Hypo = Hyposalinity, its a treatment for ich, the treatment involves slowly lowering the salinity to a level that will kill the invertabete parasite but the fish can survive, then slowly raising the salinity once the parasite is defeated.
 

keri

Active Member
not to hijack the thread, this is on the same topic, but I was wondering.... is it better to slowly lower/raise salinity for your fish to treat ich or do a "dip" (where you place the fish into the hypo solution) I've seen suggestions on both.... Does anyone know if one way is preferable to the other? (or is the slower method used on the Entire tank when you can't remove one fish?)
Thanks :)
 

al mc

Active Member
Keri...Better to slowly drop the tank salinity from 1.026 to 1.009 over 48 hours
to achieve hyposalinity. Most fish can be maintained at this lower specific gravity for weeks with minimal, if any, adverse effects.
A fresh water dip (SG 1.000) is done by some. This can not be used long term and should be pH balanced ( 8.2-8.4) and have a proper temp (roughly 78-80 degrees). Generally it is done in emergency situation to reduce the numbers of unwanted parasites (like ich). Since it is done for a short period of time it may not break the ich life cycle which can be done with hyposalinity.
 
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