Hyposalinity

[Capt. Nemo]

Hi everyone,

Will hyposalinity make a fish less active? I bought an Australian Harlequin Tusk almost 3 weeks ago. As a preventive measure I began to hypo his quarantine tank 4 days ago. Tonight I lowered the salinity to 1.09 which I will maintain for the next 4-6 weeks. I have noticed a decline in the fish's activity and swimming the last couple of days. Is this a normal reaction to the lower salinity? Can I expect him to adjust and become more active again? He had been very active before, but now he spends most of his time hiding and resting at the bottom of the tank. He is eating well. The PH has lowered but only slightly to between 7.7 and 7.9. Let me know if this is all normal for hypo since this is my first experience with this.

Thanks!
Gary

[Capt. Nemo]

Can all you hypo pros please give some input/feedback. Your wisdom and experience would be greatly appreciated and provide some peace of mind as well. Thanks.

[TerryB]

You need to check the pH daily and add a buffer as needed. The pH is probably stressing out the fish. Do not change the pH too much in one day. Check the salinity not the Specific Gravity and use 14ppt. Try to bring the pH up to 8.0 the first day and then 8.3 the nest day or so. Watch the ammonia if the tank isn't cycled.

Terry B

[Steve_B]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9364047#post9364047 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TerryB
You need to check the pH daily and add a buffer as needed. The pH is probably stressing out the fish. Do not change the pH too much in one day. Check the salinity not the Specific Gravity and use 14ppt. Try to bring the pH up to 8.0 the first day and then 8.3 the nest day or so. Watch the ammonia if the tank isn't cycled.

Terry B

I have read that hypo is bad for wrasses, and freshwater dips can be fatel. I have used hypo and had the same reaction. I did a freshwater dip on 2 of mine and they laid on their sides and didn't move for many hours after going back into the tank. I figured they were on their way out. Wrasses do lay at the bottom in many cases, just because that is what they do, and its normal. I have had nothing but problems after using the isolation tank system. I never used it for years and years and only in a few cases was a disease brought into the show tank. I think the stress of just taking them from the LFS and introdusing them into a new tank and then into another one, after being caught out of the ocean, transported, passed from here to there to there, is already too much. I have killed more fish using the isolation system than I ever have just placeing them straight into the show tank. Anyway, as Terry said, get that PH back up, its too low under any curcumstances as far as I know.