aclimating a PBT

[Mike de Leon]

I have all my fish in a 75 gal in hypo at the moment due to an Ich outbreak.
I am thinking of picking up a PBT to go in to the QT as well.
My question is, since the hypo is at 1.009 and where the PBT is coming from is at 1.017 can I aclimate him just by dripping for a couple of hours? Has anyone out there tried this?
Will it kill the fish with such a drop in SG?
Any thoughts pls will be appreciated!Thx!

[sufunk]

How many fish are already in the 75g for hyp?

Personally, i think it's a very bad idea to buy another fish to add to a qt full of already sick fish. I know you wanna try to kill 2 birds with 1 stone but i would wait until all the fish are healthy and happy and back in the display before adding any more fish, especially a nottorious ich magnet like a PBT.

[Mike de Leon]

I have four fish. A YT, a regal, clown and a Blue face.
They have been in the tank two weeks and they are all without Ich. I plan to keep them in there for another 10 wks. They are no longer sick.

[sufunk]

I dont know what your qt setup is like but i'll assume you dont have any/much lr or hiding places in there. I'd be worried about the PBT getting aggressive in a tank that size with minimal hiding places for 10 weeks. I'd also worry about reintroducing ich to the qt and having to start all over.

I

[Mike de Leon]

I appreciate your concerns....
I am thinking about it carefully.
The tank actually has base rock, so plenty of hiding places. There is also a skimmer that's pulling gunk pretty good. As for reintroducing ich, it will never survive in a tank with 1.009 sg.
My main concern is the change in SG the fish will have to go through. I know that PBTs are sensitive as well..
Thanks for the replies...

[poppin_fresh]

I would not buy a new fish and place it into Qt with the rest of the fish, but thats just me. Why the urgency to add another fish? The added stress can potentially only result in more problems.

[JustinReef]

I have bought new fish during an ich outbreak but I QT'd them in a seperate QT. It was a great time to buy the fish and QT them while the tank was fallow anyways but it would be a huge mistake to add them to the current QT. I just bought a huge rubbermaid for the new fish and it worked great for a few months.

Remember if you add a new fish to the QT, that 2 weeks you already Qt'd starts over. Plus that would be way too many tangs in a small tank for a few weeks. Why not buy him after the QT for these fish is done?

[Mike de Leon]

I wanted to just get the qt over with once. There is also a very fat large PBT at the lfs that is 20% off normal cost....
I think I will wait it out and just be patient about it.
That's what it takes in this hobby..
Thanks all!

[Joe]

That's good you're going to wait....As far as the new fish adjusting to the lower salinity, when you do get a PBT, get him into the Q.T. tank right away. Adjust your salinity to 14 ppt (NOT SG) in the Q.T. tank and hold him there for at least six weeks. The reason to get him into lower salinity right away is he's already going to be stressed from being at the fish store, getting bagged and taken home. The lower salinity is less stressful, and keep the tank dark (cover if necessary). Lower salinity also allows the water to carry more oxygen, which your new fish will need to reduce stress levels. Floating fish in bags is too stressful.

Joe

[reefergeorge]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12091600#post12091600 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mike de Leon
. There is also a skimmer that's pulling gunk pretty good.

What kind of skimmer works in hypo?

[Mike de Leon]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12100548#post12100548 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefergeorge
What kind of skimmer works in hypo?

Any skimmer should work in hypo. I have a Seaclone 150 with an airstone in it. Works wonders.

[Mike de Leon]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12100387#post12100387 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Joe
That's good you're going to wait....As far as the new fish adjusting to the lower salinity, when you do get a PBT, get him into the Q.T. tank right away. Adjust your salinity to 14 ppt (NOT SG) in the Q.T. tank and hold him there for at least six weeks. The reason to get him into lower salinity right away is he's already going to be stressed from being at the fish store, getting bagged and taken home. The lower salinity is less stressful, and keep the tank dark (cover if necessary). Lower salinity also allows the water to carry more oxygen, which your new fish will need to reduce stress levels. Floating fish in bags is too stressful.

Joe

I work with SG. So much of a drop can a PBT take? The stores usually have them at 1.017. Hypo is at 1.009. Can I do a slow drip to get to this level?

[Joe]

14 ppt is approx. 1.012 sg. Why do you want to hypo a PBT if it doesn't have ich? I thought you were going to wait. 14 ppt is recommended for quarantining new fish. They adjust better in higher oxygenated water. Fish can go to lower salinity faster than they can move up to normal levels (ie 1.025 sg.). I wouldn't subject your new arrival to the drip method. As long as you're going to wait purchasing a PBT, why not adjust your sg in your Q.T tank to what the LFS has their water (just ask them), and then slowly bring the sg down to 1.012 over a week's time?

Joe

[Mike de Leon]

Joe,

From what I've read, any fish should go through qt and try to deliberately remove any parasite that may not be visible to the naked eye. Hence, my doing a hypo on a PBT.
And yes, I will be waiting. Much like what you're doing with your 120 build. Nice tank BTW!
I will get all the fish back into the display then start thinking about another tang. I might change my Regal to a smaller one or get rid of a Regal for good. He's now over 5" long and growing fast.
Taking it slow in this hobby is the trick. It sure is a good character builder!!
Cheers!

[Joe]

Mike de Leon,

I'm glad you saw and like my build.:D
The purpose of Q.T. is to check for any diseases in newly acquired fish. You don't have to hypo them, just keep them isolated from your display tank. The latest thinking on Q.T. is to drop the salinity to 14 ppt(~1.012 sg). It is not recommended to just drop to 1.009 for hypo. If your new fish develops ick, then drop to 1.009.

Joe

[mattsilvester]

Just as a point of note - what are you using to measure your s.g.? Really, if it is truly at 1.009, a skimmer will practically stop working...... that is not to say it will not work at all, but as far as "pulling gunk pretty good" ...... I would be surprised unless it was a very big / very efficient skimmer.......

I am not saying you are wrong or anything, it is just it would set alarm bells off for me that my "hypo" was in fact not hypo at all..... it would be worth verifying the s.g. with another instrument. The only instrument I can think of is a refractometer..... if you are using one, check its calibration......

You could be wasting your time q-tining otherwise!!! which would be a shame for both you and fish.....

Just my thoughts.....