Hyposalinity Questions

There isn't a lot you can do at this point, if the condition is Marine Ich. If the fish was mis-diagnosed, then you've been treating the wrong disease. If the fish was far along in dealing with the parasite -- that is -- the parasite got too far before treatment began, there isn't a lot to do.

In a hyposaline water, a FW dip isn't going to do that much. I mean, when you think about it, the fish right now is almost in freshwater, right? If the sp. gr. is reading 1.008, then a FW dip won't help. If you think the fish has a different parasite, then a FW has about a 5% chance of helping it at this stage. If you choose to do it, follow the guidelines in the sticky post in this Forum, but only do the dip for 8 minutes,

Keep in mind that about the only thing hyposalinity will 'cure' is Marine Ich.

The rapid breathing and not eating is usually a sign of approaching death in general terms.

Thanks Lee. He passed last night. This whole process sucks.

So I have been monitoring all parameters are checking out okay. The wrasse has not even found/slept in the sand I put in there for him. Most fish seem really stressed but I guess that is the nature of the beast.

The one question I have is about pH. I have been measuring pH and it is stable at 7.8 t0 8.0. I then measured my DT and it has the same pH. I am wondering if having a lower pH is harmful at all? I have had my tank for two years with no ill effects and have not buffered my DT at all.

Yamaha,

should be OK, but my personal preference is to have pH between 8.0-8.3

Aquarium pH Control For Dummies - Saltwater Aquarium pH and Alkalinity Simplified

Most hobbyists don't realize the importance pH is to a fish. Their entire metabolic processes are dependent upon the pH of their surrounding environment. These wild-caught fishes we keep come from a place of extreme pH stabiity, usually near 8.2. Some come from areas of a slight variation. Some, but not many come from coastal regions where pH and water quality shifts with every heavy rainfall.

Fish slowly die when their physiology is not working properly. A shift in pH as little as 0.1 is enough to kill some fishes. It looks like a small number to humans, but pH units are not linear, they are exponential (if these words don't make sense, you might want to look up on the Internet just what pH units measure).

Look through the post on, "What is Water Quality." Start properly balancing the chemicals in your water, slowly. Don't use buffers, just make sure the alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium are balanced. Once they are balanced, the water will buffer itself to the proper pH.

Good luck!

Well my Midas Blenny has taken a turn for the worse. He is now dead.

That is 200 dollars worth of fish in the freezer waiting to get buried.

I just dont get what to do.

I am tempted to just put the fish that are left (leapord wrasse, two clown fish and a watchman goby) back into the DT and use a reef safe treatment. It may not kill the Ich but whats the point in Hypo if all my fish die anyways.

Did a water change and the leapord wrasse is swimming erratically. He will most likely be next.

All the parameters check out fine. The only thing I can think of is a contaminant. Maybe from the tank I bought, the pump used? I have no idea.

yamaha,

sent you a PM..

Kirk

So things are going great about 2 week into the treatment. I am having troubles keeping the pH stable and it seems like I am adding too much baking soda.

It is about 7.8-9 right now but I bring it up to 8.2 during the day but it falls again the next day. I am concerned about this fluctuation.

The fish are not eating very well right now. All other parameters are okay.

pH fluctuations are not good. Can you arrange a drip addition for the night?

I could try Lee but how would I know how much to drop in and at what rate?

Ideally, the stock solution you prepare would be a constant concentration. Always the same amount in the same amount of water.

The next thing to do is experiment during the day. The drop size is about the same regardless of drip rate (actually, close enough for this purpose). So all that is left is the drip rate. You start slow and check the pH every hour to see its effect. This you'll need to do with a good pH meter that will read 0.02 pH units at least. This is best done at a time when you'll be home all day (weekend or day off).

Then you do that same drip over night. Each morning you check the pH and adjust the drip rate to tweak it for overnight rates.

Well I thought everything was going great but now my female (2.5 inch) is swimming very slowly and has not eaten in 3-4 days. I feel like she is on her way out. I am not sure why everyone keeps on dying. What am I doing wrong?

I would think my leapord wrasse would be more delicate than a clownfish.

All I have to feed is a mixture of formula one, formula two, brine shrimp, mysin shrimp, and some flake food. She is not interested in eating any of these. Anything I can do right now? All parameters are okay and pH fluctuations have stopped.

Unfortunately, if a fish won't eat, there is not much you can do to get it to eat....but i will agree it is not a good sign that it has gone 4 days with no food..

Just to be conservative, I would perform a huge (over 80%) water change. Don't attempt this unless you can in fact do more than an 80% water change. Anything less is not going to help. This sometimes 'shocks' the fish to eating. Also, this will take care of anything in the water that may be there that you can't test for. Since this is such a large water change, be sure to follow these guidelines: How to Make a Successful Water Change.

Good luck!