How to perform Hyposalinity treatment

[weileong]

Had been getting a lot of PM asking how to perform hyposalinity therapy, so I guess better start this thread.

1. The salinity only needs to be checked once a day while administrating treatment. Chemical filters such as carbon and Poly Filter™ can be used when employing hyposalinity therapy.

2. Alkalinity and pH tend to fall in diluted saltwater. Check these parameters daily and add a buffer as necessary to maintain the pH between 8.1 and 8.3

3. Make two water changes per day for two days, reducing the salinity about 5ppt per water change.

4. Maintaining the salinity at 16ppt or less has proven to be a highly effective treatment for cryptocaryonosis. The salinity (not to be confused with specific gravity) must be maintained consistently at 16ppt or less for the entire duration of treatment. I suggest 14ppt to allow for any fluctuations in the salinity during therapy while providing some margin for error. Salinity is best check using a refractometer which is more accurate.

5. Treatment should continue for a minimum of six weeks (eight weeks recommended) after a therapeutic salinity level has been reached. Unlike most other forms of treatment for cryptocaryonosis, hyposalinity does not target the "free-swimming" or theront stage. Hyposalinity therapy works by interrupting the life cycle at the tomont stage. Tomonts are destroyed by hyposaline conditions, thus preventing re-infection.

The lifecycle of the parasite is interesting and important to understand when evaluating a treatment. The stage where the parasite is attached to a fish is called a trophont. The trophont will spend three to seven days (depending on temperature) feeding on the fish. After that, the trophont leaves the fish and becomes what is called a protomont. This protomont travels to the substrate and begins to crawl around for usually two to eight hours, but it could go for as long as eighteen hours after it leaves it's fish host. Once the protomont attaches to a surface, it begins to encyst and is now called a tomont. Division inside the cyst into hundreds of daughter parasites, called tomites, begins shortly thereafter. This noninfectious stage can last anywhere from three to twenty-eight days. During this extended period, the parasite cyst is lying in wait for a host. After this period, the tomites hatch and begin swimming around, looking for a fish host. At this point, they are called theronts, and they must find a host within twenty-four hours or die. They prefer to seek out the skin and gill tissue, then transform into trophonts, and begin the process all over again.

[flamey]

great write up! thanks for sharing bro...

[Derek0925]

Thanks bro weileong.....

[Alvin Tan]

very comprehensive...thx bro weileong..

[hotlemond]

i am bookmarking it for my ref. Good job Weileong

[hammy]

although i do not know weileong , but i can testify that his write up is proven effective against ich.

Summary

Isolate the fish from any invertebrates or sharks and rays

Lower the salinity (specific gravity) to 12-14ppt (1.009 @ 27°C) over a 72 hour period

Closely monitor the pH and specific gravity

Do regular water changes with low salinity water

Keep the salinity (specific gravity) at 12-14ppt (1.009 @ 27°C) for 4-6 weeks, or at least 4 weeks after the last disappearance of the "Ich".

Raise the salinity to normal over a 3-7 day period.

Leave an untreated display tank fishless for at least 30 days.

hypo

for providing a great info for everyone

[Frosflame]

Let's say my display tank (with LR) contains 2 out of 4 fish down with ich. Is it possible to do the hypo on the entire display tank iteself? Does that mean if I complete the hypo, the tank would be totally ich free? thanks.

[ClOwNy_LoVeR]

must i isolate the fishes?

[uLtRaMaN]

Sigh......my fowlr tank kena ick outbreak and i am doing hypo now. It's already the 3rd day and so far so good. I can notice the parasites on the fishes body had lessen. Hopes everything goes on fine. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[[V]tEc]

Sigh......my fowlr tank kena ick outbreak and i am doing hypo now. It's already the 3rd day and so far so good. I can notice the parasites on the fishes body had lessen. Hopes everything goes on fine. Keeping my fingers crossed.

remember to do regular water changes. ur skimmer is useless at such low sg

[uLtRaMaN]

remember to do regular water changes. ur skimmer is useless at such low sg

thks will monitor,yup not much bubbles in my skimmer

[Lee1]

All marine creatures require freshwater just as we do to survive, they just process it differently. Since their bodies are less salty than the water surrounding them, to prevent the loss of needed freshwater they take in seawater, process it to eliminate the salt molecules, and then retain the freshwater to maintain a balance with nature. When the salinity of seawater is lowered, or hyposalinity is applied, it results in a lowering of the osmotic pressure of the water at the same time, thus the related name Osmotic Shock Therapy (OST). Fish and a few other sea creatures can withstand and adjust to this change in pressure, but protozoan (Cryptocaryon/White Spot Disease, and Brooklynella/Clownfish Disease), dinoflagellate (Oodinium/Velvet or Coral Fish Disease), and flat worm (Black Spot Disease) ich organisms cannot. Reduce this necessary pressure, particularly rapidly, and they literally explode! Although delicate corals and invertebrates may not immediately rupture as ich parasites do, these too are marine animals that cannot tolerate exposure to low osmotic pressure, resulting in a rather quick death.

When is hyposalinity most effective on ich?

Hyposalinity is largely ineffective on mature ich parasites that are well protected in the gills surrounded by thick mucus produced by an infected fish, when embedded deep in the tissues of their host, and during the final encrusted cyst stage of life. It is primarily during the free-swimming phase of life when newborn organisms are released from a mature cyst, and before they have the chance to fully attach and develop into mature parasites that they are most vulnerable and can be eliminated with hyposalinity.

[moscowites]

had an ich outbreak recently. purple tang died

[mug888]

Good to learn from you all. Thanks!

[Soong Yu Juan]

What are the types of marine algea that can survive in hyposalinity? Does it make sense to use an algea like cheato as a way of filtration since a skimmer is useless in hypo.

[Harlequinmania]

What are the types of marine algea that can survive in hyposalinity? Does it make sense to use an algea like cheato as a way of filtration since a skimmer is useless in hypo.

More of the algae cant survive in low salinity level , skimmer will still work in low sg level but not as effective.

[Jenaellyn]

will this method b advised if I've got corals?

[Gouldian]

will this method b advised if I've got corals?

It is best to do hyposalinity treatment is a hospital tank. Most organism cannot survive hyposalinity treatment is long term except for higher life (Fishes).

I saw your other post on your powder blue and I suggest you remove your fish for hypo.

Also, as some reefers has already advised, your tank may be too new and unstable to have fishes that are prone to ich.

Hope that helps.

[Shamsul]

Thanks for the write up, following it now in my DT (FOWLR)

[Leong_varian]

FYI best effective treatment for itch is copper.. I had spent hundred of dollar on medicine & even try reducing salt level...at the end , found best treatment is copper. Treatment purely for fishes only

[mhcraft]

On 2/14/2014 at 1:29 PM, Leong_varian said:

FYI best effective treatment for itch is copper.. I had spent hundred of dollar on medicine & even try reducing salt level...at the end , found best treatment is copper. Treatment purely for fishes only

Yep - for ich eradication, the best path is copper. There are a lot other treatments that claim to do X, Y or Z. The issue with copper is you need a QT tank which might not be a luxury most reefers have.

[CK191]

Great write up!