HypoSalinity

[Sherri]

Okay I have a bristletooth, a bellus angel and 4 small neon gobies in my 35 QT. I am doing very regular water changes and feeding them up. The two big fish are eating but I don't see the gobies eating. The two big fish are not getting with the whole cleaner goby program either. I have seen the gobies trying to do their job but the big fish will not let them for long.

So two questions:

First question: What will the gobies eat? I am feeding nori, flake, brine, and pellets. The big fish are eating like pigs.

Second Question: The tang was in there for a week before I added the other fish in and showed no signs of ich. The bellus has been rubbing against stuff from the first day. I have seen the tang starting to rub but not much. There is no visual evidence -- no white spots. Since the gobies aren't allowed to do their job as far as I can see, can I cure the ich through hyposalinity and garlic? Can the gobies handle hypo?

TIA ...

 

[UncleJT]

Have you tried feeding mysis?

For ich, lowering the salinity to about 1.015-1.017 seems to inhibit the breeding cycle of the parasites. Raising the water temperature shortens the disease cycle and may add a little spunk to the fish's defense system. The gobies should be able to handle it ok if you do it slowly.

Are the fish breathing normally? Have you been doing fresh water dips on the big fish just in case? I like Cupramine for treating ich in a QT environment. If you want to try a more holistic approach, the garlic and hyposalinity with a slight bump in temp might work.

 

[stingythingy45]

I don't know what to tell you on question 1.
Seems like you've tried a whole bunch of different stuff.
Every time I've tried cleaner gobies they've died in QT.

Sure,you can do hypo on the QT tank.
I see no reason why gobies wouldn't be able to take hypo treatment.

 

[Sherri]

JT -- the fish look very normal except for the rubbing. That concerns me. Breathing, eating are all fine. The swimming is a bit jerky but I was assuming that's due to whatever is bugging them on their bodies. Like my cat's tail is twitching because she has a lump of fur that she won't let me cut off -- it bugs her.

I will try feeding the gobies some smaller stuff and see what happens.

 

[stingythingy45]

Gill Flukes will also cause a fish to rub and jerk it's head around.
Prazipro will take care of that in a jiffy.

 

[UncleJT]

Yup, most likely flukes as Sherri and I are also discussing on the NH club forum.

 

[stingythingy45]

You can test for flukes by giving the fish a freshwater dip,Sherri.
Make sure you follow the correct procedure with temp,alk,aeration and duration.
Some flukes will immediately fall off and be visible in the bottom of the container.

 

[Sherri]

We have it going in two places. Okay -- so now to get some prazipro .... available at Petco???? Sigh.

 

[stingythingy45]

We have it going in two places. Okay -- so now to get some prazipro .... available at Petco???? Sigh.

I don't think I've seen it there.
Flukes rarely kill large fish.They're more of a nuisance than anything.
The very first SW fish I purchased was a Royal Gramma,it died from flukes.

 

[UncleJT]

Fill a container with fresh RO/DI water.
Try to match the pH and temp of the freshwater to the QT water.
Aerate the water with a airstone or just sticking an air hose in the water.
Place the fish in the freshwater for a duration of 3 to 4 minutes. If the fish is showing signs of undue stress after a minute or two, remove it. However, it is not uncommon for a fish to lay down or sit at the bottom of the tank during this process. You can nudge him a bit but he should be ok.

You should notice the flukes drop off while he's in the bath and you will definitely notice them at the bottom of the container after the bath is over.

 

[stingythingy45]

If you've got the time,you could just order it.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4615+12098&pcatid=12098

 

[UncleJT]

Jay's or AA might have some, worth a phone call. PraziPro is an essential treatment to have on hand if you are QT'ing fish.

 

[Sherri]

What do you think of this process?

http://www.reefland.com/forum/marin...tment/18887-freshwater-dip-marine-fishes.html

 

[UncleJT]

I don't like the meth blue and it's not really necessary for your case. My simple procedure above will work fine. No need to over complicate matters right now.

 

[stingythingy45]

I have used Methylene Blue in the past.
It's actually in Kordon's Rid Ich+ along with formalin.

 

[Sherri]

Seems like the Prazipro is less stressful than a freshwater dip. Less stressful for me too! I have a couple of small pieces of liverock in the Qt for the tang to chew on and the gobies disappear into the holes at night. Does the Prozipro do anything to the rock? There isn't any thing really growing on the rock ...

 

[UncleJT]

I have used Methylene Blue in the past.
It's actually in Kordon's Rid Ich+ along with formalin.

Yup, but for a quick freshwater dip to confirm flukes or not, it's not really necessary. Just dip the fish, check for flukes, put back in QT. If there are flukes, you are going to want to treat the tank with PraziPro.

 

[UncleJT]

Seems like the Prazipro is less stressful than a freshwater dip. Less stressful for me too!

Nothing stressful about it and an essential/effective tool for any keeper of fish. Why are you asking for advice and then second guessing or not taking our advice?

 

[stingythingy45]

Seems like the Prazipro is less stressful than a freshwater dip. Less stressful for me too! I have a couple of small pieces of liverock in the Qt for the tang to chew on and the gobies disappear into the holes at night. Does the Prozipro do anything to the rock? There isn't any thing really growing on the rock ...

Some folks have used this right in the DT without incident.
From what I've read,it only effects feather duster worms.

 

[JayM]

The only other commentary I would add is IIRC, 1.008 is now the hypo standard to get rid of ich once and for all, as opposed to 1.015-1.017

a cleaner shrimp did wonders for the last QT'd fish I had with flukes.