hyposalinity

[Deuce]

Being that my tank is FOWLR, I'm going to run it hyposalinic. Right now its sitting at 1.021. Is that good, or should it be lower or higher?

Thanks!!

Jason

[Casey]

Most people I know that do that keep it at 1.019

[Twitterbait]

that would be the high end

[Deuce]

Originally Posted by Twitterbait

that would be the high end

What would be the high end? The 1.021 that I have, or the 1.019 that Casey suggested?

I guess what I want to know, what is the ideal salinity for a hyposalinic tank?

[Twitterbait]

1.019 is good. don't go below 1.017 or above 1.021 for hypo.

[Deuce]

Originally Posted by Twitterbait

1.019 is good. don't go below 1.017 or above 1.021 for hypo.

That clears things up, thank you!

[Twitterbait]

Sure thing, I have had Zero problem with fish disease since i went to 1.019. Glad to help

[Kevin1000]

What are you trying to accomplish? Slightly lowering salinity levels provides some stress relief to fish but has no direct impact on ich.

In the old days people thought the running tanks at 1.019 -1.021 was an effective method for keeping the tank ich free ... those days are long gone since the ich parasite long ago adapted to those levels of salinity. Fish are regularly shipped by the wholesaler at levels of about 1.019 .. not for ich reasons but because the lower salinity level is suppose to provide some level of stress relief to the fish.

Running a FOWL at 1.019 - 1.021 should not have any adverse impact on the fish ... however you should note that if you have anything else in the tank (snails etc) that live in a reef environment - those reef critters would prefer a salinity closer to that of a reef 1.025 or so.

If you dealing with an ich problem you will need to QT and use hypo which would require an SG of about 1.009. Also remember that hypo doesn't kill ich on the fish ... it simply interupts the ich life cycle by preventing the tomont/cyst stage of ich from hatching.

Hope this helps.

[Twitterbait]

You answered your own post... It provides stress relief, which is the biggest cause of ich taking over. Healthy fish that are not stressed will not succumb to ick even if it is present in the system. And i have never had a single problem with my inverts at a lower salinity. that includes shrimp, snails, crabs, corals, etc...

[Casey]

It allows the water to have more oxygen for the fish which will releave stress and lower the chance for ich.

[Kevin1000]

Lowering salinity levels is suppose to provide less stress to a fish because it allows the fish to excrete salt using less energy. While stress does impact a fish's immune system which inturn will impact how well a fish can handle the effects of ich .. there is no direct correlation between stress and ich - thats an old myth.

If you have ich within your system ... its because you placed it there. If you put an ich free fish in an ich free system you can stress it as much as you want and that fish will never get ich.

Heres a quote from Terry Bartlemes 5 part series on ich
http://www.marineaquariumadvice.com/...um_fish_1.html

Myth and misconception
It is a common misconception among hobbyists that fish must be in a weakened state before they are susceptible to infection with Cryptocaryon irritans. Stress is a factor as it does reduce immune function in fish. This makes it less likely that fish will develop some level of acquired immunity after becoming infected. However, stress (or weakened condition) is not a prerequisite to infection with Cryptocaryon irritans. Healthy fish that are not unduly stressed are susceptible to infection upon exposure to this pathogen

[Casey]

Lets just say stress can increase the chances then.

[Twitterbait]

Perhaps... Perhaps not... I Prefer to quote my own experience. I have never had ick in my tanks and i have always kept them hyposalinic. Whatever Terry Bartlemes says if fine for him... But my experience has been different. I helped out at an lfs where he always kept the salinity at 1.023-1.025 and he always had someone with ick. I brought a few fish home before they caught it in the tanks at the shop and they have never had a single white spot since in my system. My corals fish and inverts thrive... Thats proof enough for me.

[Kevin1000]

Ich is probably the most researched of any SW disease out there and there isn't much about ich that isn't known. Unfortunately the aquaculture industry which provides the funding for research does not give a rip on how to kill ich within a reef tank.