Questions about Hypo on the DT.

[Kurkis493]

I upgraded my tank, transferred smaller tank over this past weekend and my fish got ich in the process.

The transfer wasn't 100% complete so I was able to get all of my inverts / corals to a friend to hold them while I do this process.

I want to hypo the DT - The sand is brand new and 70% of the rock came from being cooked and recycled. I have very little life in this tank outside of the fish and benficial bacterias.

I also have an Apex Controller w/ conductivity probe and my Tunze ATO so I feel comfortable that my DT will maintain accurate parameters through this process. I also work from home with the tank in my home office so I will be virtually babysitting this thing 24/7 to ensure stable conditions.

MY QUESTION:

I am sitting at .015 salinity right now. I have bio-pellets / purigen / carbon running in 3 different reactors. Do I need to take any of these items offline to ensure stability?

[Kurkis493]

Another question - My refractometer only goes down to .015 - It is a DnD Solutions one.

Should I basically turn it up so that .015 reads as .022 and then bring it back down to .015?

Stupid question I guess - Wanna make sure.

[mikeyVR4]

Yes. You can calibrate your refractometer to read lower by what you said ^. But please keep a water that you know of the salinity near by so you can easily re-tune it.

Sounds like a lot of work. How come you just don't buy a cheap QT tank and get rid of ick that way? I am doing that at the moment. My DT is running as normal with an added UV sterilizer and I have a 40g QT running with Copper Power. '

I am doing the wait process with Ich.

[Kurkis493]

I live in a small condo and my "space" with my children is rather limited. I had a mess on my kitchen counter for 2 1/2 weeks while I set-up this new tank. After over a year with no problems, I move those same tankmates into this new tank and bingo, ich.

That being said, I just cleaned up my mess and earlier this week my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. The last thing I really want to do at this point is make another mess of the house which she was not fond of in the first place.

So it is perhaps more work on me to ensure this all stays perfect but my wife can see a clean kitchen and a clean DT / DT area.

To have to set-up a QT, dose and wait 3 months - I just would rather not do that. This is my hobby and she does not share the same interest in it as I do.

Based on the equipment I have once I achieve the 1.009 even if I need to mess-up this refractometer for the time being I am confident things will stay stable and I'll be able to keep the fish in the tank.

I am sure you guys can understand. Especially once family and friends start to come over to help out and check on her after she gets out of surgery people will want to use the kitchen. I could not have my ATO / Controller etc hooked up there by any means which tells me I will have more stability just doing it in my DT than trying to "eye it" in a 40 on the kitchen counter.

We got her bad news on Monday and then 2 days later I have this fiasco to deal with.

[mikeyVR4]

I live in a small condo and my "space" with my children is rather limited. I had a mess on my kitchen counter for 2 1/2 weeks while I set-up this new tank. After over a year with no problems, I move those same tankmates into this new tank and bingo, ich.

That being said, I just cleaned up my mess and earlier this week my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. The last thing I really want to do at this point is make another mess of the house which she was not fond of in the first place.

So it is perhaps more work on me to ensure this all stays perfect but my wife can see a clean kitchen and a clean DT / DT area.

To have to set-up a QT, dose and wait 3 months - I just would rather not do that. This is my hobby and she does not share the same interest in it as I do.

Based on the equipment I have once I achieve the 1.009 even if I need to mess-up this refractometer for the time being I am confident things will stay stable and I'll be able to keep the fish in the tank.

I am sure you guys can understand. Especially once family and friends start to come over to help out and check on her after she gets out of surgery people will want to use the kitchen. I could not have my ATO / Controller etc hooked up there by any means which tells me I will have more stability just doing it in my DT than trying to "eye it" in a 40 on the kitchen counter.

We got her bad news on Monday and then 2 days later I have this fiasco to deal with.

Ugh man so sorry to hear that. I will keep your wife in our prayers.

Yeah I guess this can be a good stress reliever for you but the Ich just put horrible icing on the cake. I can understand you not having the space doing a QT tank and all that. Just take care of your wife and do the Hypo.

[Kurkis493]

Thanks, I have inlaws coming and my parents will be coming and I have to keep things clean and mess free.

If anyone can please answer my other questions not related to the refractometer I would appreciate it.

Thank you.

[Dmorty217]

Hypo is much more trouble and stessful to the fish and tank then it is worth. If you QT properly there is no need for hypo and unless you plan on keeping your DT hypo forever you will need to find another method for treating disease

[Kurkis493]

I'm sorry - These fish were quarantined and no signs of troubles for a very long period of time. I did not however QT my corals and I will suspect that is where the trouble came from.

So you are simply preaching to the choir to tell me that properly QT'n my fish yadda, yadda.

My fish have ich - I am trying to treat them. Hypo has in my mind always been the best way to handle this situation and is the least stressful on the fish themselves.

Now somebody is telling me hypo is not worth it. Telling me if I hypo the DT it has to stay hypo'd forever makes absolutely no sense to me at all. Please educate me here.

I am looking for answers to save my animals animals under the circumstances I am currently in. If you want to tell me something is not worth doing (especially Hypo) then educate me on another safe, method.

Maybe I am mistaken and the simple fact is that if you do not have a QT tank with some filter pads and pvc you cannot successfully remove ich from the fish. Perhaps I will just send my fish to the freezer since at this point I am unable to provide that set-up.