Opinions on Hyposalinity

[howdy20012002]

Just wondering if anyone has had experience with Hyposalinity.
I am looking at keeping my fish only tanks for the store at around .012 salinity or at a state of hyposalinity constantly.
I do like copper or copper like substance for diseases and feel that Hyposalinity will be the answer for fighting ich and such.
Just wondering if I can get some input on this and see what people think.
what are the pros and cons?
thanks
Neal

[Joe Reefer]

I would be a little upset if I were to take a fish home and have to aclimate it for over 4 hrs cause my sal. is around 1.025. It would make more sense to have a qt tank with hypo salinity and not sell the fish until they are healthy and ready to go.

[howdy20012002]

unfortunately, I won't have enough space to have a complete quarantine system for all the fish..that would require 2 complete sets of tanks.

[michika]

I unfortunately have to second Lando's comment.

Is there an option to use the same tanks you have now, and do a hypo treatment while they are in QT? Then you can bring the salinity up to par and customers won't have any issues.

[howdy20012002]

nope...don't have the space for the 2 sets of tanks.
I am surprised to see that the acclimatization would be that big of a deal for people.
interesting.
Not sure how to deal with this.
As well, I would definitely have to charge more for fish if I keep them in QT for a week or two.

[michika]

For me its not that you have to acclimate them, its the time it takes to acclimate.

I think you have a great idea, although how would you get things from the salinity they arrived at, to your hypo levels? What about inverts, clams, and corals who require higher SG levels? Will you just keep them separate?

[howdy20012002]

i am going to have 5 different systems basically.

1. corals/clams for sale system
2. corals for propogation system
3. fish for sale system
4. inverts for sale system
5. and a small QT system for things that can't be treated by hyposalinity.

I have been told and my limited experience has shown, that as long as the temperature is the same, fish can handle going from a higher to a lower SG quickly without difficulty. In fact, when treating the tank with hyposalinity, it is suggested to do as quickly as possible for the greatest effect on the parasites. basically, the parasites are unable to adjust to the difference in the lower SG and pretty much explode.
So basically, I would float the bags, once the temps are the same, take the fish out and just put them in the tanks...

the reason I am considering this is because I am tired of fighting ich in my tanks(pretty much every time I bring in a new shipment I get ich in at least one of my tanks)....and I have killed more fish attempting to treat it with chemicals than the ich would have killed.

Besides the longer acclimitization period, I don't really see any other downfall besides that.

[Okguy]

Bringing a pest into my tank is always my biggest worry. I would actually appreciate the fact that I knew you took extra steps to prevent that from happening and would be willing to take the extra time to acclimate the fish in return for that piece of mind.

[michika]

I totally agree with your ideas Neil, and the fact that you have separate systems for each is great. As long as you inform your customers, I don't think it would be a problem for most people, although you may hear the occasional objection, or get an inquiry as to why/how your tanks are running with hypo.

[Slick Fork]

I quarantine fish with Hypo when I buy them, they can adjust to a lower sg pretty quickly however the acclimatization period is days not hours to bring them back UP to 1.026 with a minimal amount of stress. That's the big issue I see with keeping your Fish Only tanks at 1.012 (I always go down to 1.009 for my hypo though).

I would be very worried about someone buying a fish without realising the extra acclimatization needed, and having the fish keel over when it's put into the tank, then phoning you and griping about it.

That being said, if you can manage a proper qt system (I'm trying to picture your place with even more tanks!!!) you should be able to charge a little extra and guarantee that the fish will be Ich free. There are also some benefits to the fish's overall health by being in a hypo tank while he's under stress.

[howdy20012002]

I think I came up with a compromise.
If I set up the system so that a couple tanks are together with a sump are sytems. Instead of having one big system, I would have several smaller systems that can be adjusted as required.
that way I can start them off in a hypo situation, then after a couple of weeks of hypo, raise the SG up to normal conditions over 2 or 3 days.
this way I can use the same tanks, and if people want the fish before the 2 week period, I can sell them understanding the need for a longer climatization.
This would increase the costs of the livestock a bit, but I think would be a good compromise between have a full QT system and a full sale System.
neal

[michika]

:) I like it a lot.

[mark]

Are you sure about being okay for the quick drop of fish into a tank with lower salinity and staying. I understand the concept for FW dips as that they are short duration and the fish can handle it for a bit and the parasites can't.

Like the idea of getting fish from you knowing that they are quarantined but I think we're asking a bit much from you. To correctly quarantine fish, each of your shipments would need to be isolated from the next, as you would be breaking the QT if adding more stock to the same tank say in a week or two. Also if something like ich did show up after a period, then the clock starts again for everything. Just can pull out the one fish that might show signs. Then there's the issue of sterilizing tanks between shippings plus running without substrate during.

Think as buyers we need to be responsible, plus then also you're not opening yourself up if your QT goes wrong.

Also have read one of the reasons LFS go low is to save salt.

[howdy20012002]

actually according to some sites, a rapid drop is the most effective.
I know from personal experience that it doesn't appear to affect the fish.
As for the other concern..
when receiving a new shipment, I would move all of the fish that i had before the shipment around into the tanks that were at normal SG and then lower the SG in the receiving tanks.
neal