A Hyposalinity Treatment Process

[leebca]

I've not posted the general instructions for a hyposalinity treatment before now. Mostly it isn't that difficult to perform. However, there are some pitfalls and for some aquarists (especially those that think it will be easy) it isn't easy. Hyposalinity is the nicest (to the fish) and easiest (on the fish) way to treat marine fish of Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans).

The hyposalinity treatment only treats a very limited number of ciliated parasites. The most notable in this group is Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans). The home aquarist will not be using hyposalinity to treat any other disease or condition. Is this clear? I'll write it again -- hyposalinity cures ONLY Marine Ich.

A hyposalinity treatment will kill: Pods, snails, crabs, invertebrates, corals, live rock, most marine algae, and Marine Ich. This is why it is best performed in a separate, bare bottom, hospital tank. It has been performed successfully in fish only aquariums where there is no live rock and the substrate doesn't have worms and pods in it. But the best treatment tank is a bare bottom hospital tank, set up like a quarantine tank.

A hyposalinity treatment will not kill other parasites or conditions. A hyposalinity treatment does not kill Marine Velvet (Amyloodinium ocellatum), bacterial infections, injuries, intestinal parasites, external parasites, and a few hundred other diseases. Let's get to it!


GENERAL

Setup/System
Use a suitably clean tank or a setup/establish quarantine tank. The size should 'fit' the fish to be treated. About 5 gallons per inch of fish works out okay for this treatment, except for large adult Angelfishes, Tangs, and Rabbitfishes. For them, it would be better to use the ratio of 9 gallons per inch.

Lighting on the treatment tank should be dimmed so that you can see the fish, but not bright. Provide the fish with some hiding place(s) (e.g. PVC pipe, fake rock, etc.). Do not put substrate, live sand, live rock or any other kind of living thing in the treatment tank. A simple bare tank with a corner sponge filter is more than adequate. Use one corner filter for every 15 gallons of tank water.

Don't add/use power heads or strong circulating pumps. Set the tank up in a quiet area of the home, where there is minimal human traffic. Use heater or chiller and thermometer to hold temperature steady and constant. A UV may be used if you have one suitable for that size tank. Just don't overcook the water! Do not attach a skimmer -- they don't usually work well with this kind of water. Besides, you should be making water changes to control organics/dissolved proteins.

DO NOT USE AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE during treatment. DO NOT ADD ANY OTHER MEDICATIONS TO HYPOSALINE SALTWATER without knowing it is approved by the medicine manufacturer for use specifically during a hyposalinity treatment. When fish are in a hyposaline liquid, the effects of medicines and medications changes. Some meds become lethal, like copper. NEVER USE COPPER when doing the hyposalinity treatment.

The only different equipment needed besides the above is a refractometer. They are less than $50 and well worth the investment. A hydrometer is just not accurate enough for controlling the salt content in the treatment tank. Control will be essential to a successful treatment.

First Water and Water Changes
Water is taken from the display tank system or water is made up to match the water the fish is coming from. Match specific gravity, temperature and especially pH to very close to the water the fish is currently in, if water is being prepared from salt. The pH should be within 0.05 pH units -- that's how close I mean by 'close.'

pH Control
pH is hard to control in a hyposaline solution because at this dilution, the buffer ability of the diluted saltwater is not good. Be prepared for this.

Make pH adjustments with pure baking soda (e.g., Arm & Hammer) you find in the grocery store, or better yet is sodium carbonate. Sodium carbonate can be made in the home oven. Take a pound of pure baking soda and spread it out evenly on a large cookie sheet. Put into a preheated oven to 350F. Bake it for 30 minutes. Take the sheet out of the oven, let cool to warm and put into an air-tight, clean container for use. Now the baking soda has been turned into sodium carbonate, a more potent pH + additive.

DO NOT try to control the pH with pH buffer or other off the shelf additives. Use only the two mentioned above or a specific strong pH+ control.

Do not add the baking soda or sodium carbonate directly to the hospital/quarantine tank. Always thoroughly dissolve some powder in RO/DI or distilled water then drip/add that in slowly to move the pH up.

If you mess up and the pH has lowered considerably (more than 0.2 pH units) then raise the pH VERY SLOWLY -- no more than 0.10 pH units per day. A large pH change can seriously harm a fish, especially a sick one.


PROCESS

Lowering Salinity
Over a period of about 36-48 hours (use 48 for most Tangs, Butterflyfishes, Lionfishes, Puffers, and Dwarf Angelfishes) lower the specific through water removal and RO/DI or distilled water additions. Watch pH and temperature of the added water -- match that of the water being replaced. Use only a refractometer to measure the specific gravity. Lower the specific gravity to a reading of 1.008 to 1.009 sp. gr. units. Hold it there throughout the treatment.

Maintenance
This is why I mentioned above this treatment is not easy on the aquarist.
If the treatment tank has an active biological filter, don't assume it's working. When salinity is lowered the bacteria sometimes enter into a state of suspension and hold off in their metabolism of ammonia and nitrites. Controlling water quality and especially pH will be the challenge. Check for ammonia, nitrites, and pH twice each day at the start, until readings are zero for ammonia and nitrites. Don't count on the pH to remain steady. It must be checked no less than twice a day and if needed, adjusted.

Make water changes to control organics, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, etc. If all is steady, still make water changes of 35% or more every other day. After the first water use, the only water to use to make changes is made up water from salt. DO NOT USE DISPLAY TANK WATER to make water changes in a treatment tank, no matter what disease is being treated.

Nutrition
The fish must be offered and gotten to eat throughout the process. The best foods must be given. Choose the right foods and feed frequently as recommended here: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...nutrition.html

I would also seriously recommend the fish foods be fortified/supplemented with immune boosters during this time of disease treatment.

Salinity Control
If the tank water salinity is allowed to go up, the Marine Ich parasite will not be killed or stressed into submission. If the tank water salinity goes below the target salinity, the fish are in danger. HOLD THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY very closely within 1.008 to 1.009 sp. gr. units.

Treatment Time
The fish is kept in hyposalinity 4 weeks after the last spot is seen. After the last spot disappears, the hyposalinity continues for another 4 weeks. If during that 4 weeks, if any spot is seen, the time/clock starts over. There must be a minimum of 4 solid weeks with no spot EVER seen PLUS another four week to verify the fish is cured.

Raising Salinity
Now raise the specific gravity slowly. The raising of the specific gravity is very stressful on fish and this part must be done slowly. It should take 6 to 7 days to return the water to its normal salinity. Raise the specific gravity by about 0.003 sp. gr. units or less, per day. Less is okay. No need to be ultra conservative and go beyond 8 days to do this. BUT in no way try to shorten the time to less than 6 days.

When the treatment time is over, there is no need to add back distilled water to compensate for water evaporated. Let that be part of the raising of the salinity. When you go to raise the salinity, add small quantities of high specific gravity mixed and aged salt water.

Continue to monitor all water parameters and chemistries.


PROOF

Verification
After the salinity is returned to normal, hold the fish in the treatment tank for another 4 weeks to verify it is cured. Look for spots every day, very closely. Observe the fish behavior, breathing rate, flashing (scratching) and look for any other Marine Ich symptoms. At the end of this time, the fish is cured/free of Marine Ich IF no other symptoms are seen/observed.

[DrHank]

Thanks Lee. Didn't think it would be easy and you've shown that it's not. A very strong case for QT on all new arrivals. How long would recommend in the QT before it's safe to move to the display?

[leebca]

I have my own QT process which is tied in with acclimation and treatments.

Essentially if all goes well, the quarantine process is 6 weeks. If things turn up or go 'sour,' it goes beyond that time.

[Woodstock]

Excellent info! Thanks Lee!
Is there a maximum time that fish can live in hyposalinity?

[leebca]

The answer to that one hasn't been totally figured out. There is a lot of speculation, but the fact is that marine fishes have lived in hyposalinity for years. Is this good for them? It isn't conclusively known. Most professional aquarists are 50/50 but veterinarians and the scientific community say that the hyposaline state is not good for the internal chemistries (physiology) of the fish. Still, fishes have been kept alive in this low salinity for years.

Some fishes are more tolerant of it than others. About 1 in a 100 don't seem to be able to handle it even for a short time. It's not a species problem, but an individual fish intolerance.

[dionysusjg]

So by my calculations they must be in the tank for well over 10 weeks?

approx 2 weeks for spots to completely go
4 weeks of disease-free existance
1 weeks or so of raising salinity
4 weeks of observation in normal salinity water.

am I correct?

[leebca]

Almost correct. The initial time is flexible and may be as little as a couple of days. The 4 week count begins when the last spot is seen to go away. That can be your estimated 2 weeks or it can be less or more.

If all goes well, the fishless display system will be ready (if the fish came out of an infected system).

[sqrle]

I noticed when you were talking about ph control, you didn't let us know how to control the ph with the sodium carbonate.

pH Control
pH is hard to control in a hyposaline solution because at this dilution, the buffer ability of the diluted saltwater is not good. Be prepared for this.

Make pH adjustments with pure baking soda (e.g., Arm & Hammer) you find in the grocery store, or better yet is sodium carbonate. Sodium carbonate can be made in the home oven. Take a pound of pure baking soda and spread it out evenly on a large cookie sheet. Put into a preheated oven to 350F. Bake it for 30 minutes. Take the sheet out of the oven, let cool to warm and put into an air-tight, clean container for use. Now the baking soda has been turned into sodium carbonate, a more potent pH + additive.

How much do you use and when??

[sqrle]

[quote=leebca;316041][size="3"][font="Arial"]pH Control
pH is hard to control in a hyposaline solution because at this dilution, the buffer ability of the diluted saltwater is not good. Be prepared for this.

Make pH adjustments with pure baking soda (e.g., Arm & Hammer) you find in the grocery store, or better yet is sodium carbonate. Sodium carbonate can be made in the home oven. Take a pound of pure baking soda and spread it out evenly on a large cookie sheet. Put into a preheated oven to 350F. Bake it for 30 minutes. Take the sheet out of the oven, let cool to warm and put into an air-tight, clean container for use. Now the baking soda has been turned into sodium carbonate, a more potent pH + additive.

How much and when do you do this procedure??

[lcstorc]

High pH: Causes and Cures by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
Low pH: Causes and Cures by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

I believe these articles will help.
You may also want to look at the thread where Frankie is currently using hyposalinity to treat his fish.
Going Hypo!

[leebca]

You can take some pure water (if your system needs water to add-back for evaporation) or salt water from the QT and add some (0.5 lb per gallon or around there) of the pH adjusting powder to it. This 'pH+ adjusting fluid' is added on an as-needed basis, in the amount needed. If pH is dropping a lot, make a stronger solution. This adjusting fluid can be drip added, too.

[sqrle]

So, I should use a .5 pounds/gallon, and just keep an eye on the ph and use as needed. Did I understand right?

[leebca]

You understood perfectly. When wet it doesn't store well, so make up what you need and use it as you need it, and then, adjust the quantity/concentration to suit the way you use it. This is not a precise or a 'must' concentration.

[Frankie]

My ph stays 8.0 perfectly 24/7. Other then the 24/7 very slow drip of baked baking soda I believe having no light over the tank is also helping keep things stable. They get natural indirect light during the day time and that is it.

[sqrle]

Originally Posted by Frankie

My ph stays 8.0 perfectly 24/7. Other then the 24/7 very slow drip of baked baking soda I believe having no light over the tank is also helping keep things stable. They get natural indirect light during the day time and that is it.

That is all that mine gets to. I turn the light on just for a couple of seconds for examination.