How exactly do you do FW dips??????

[crister13]

How do you do them? I need to treat ick and want to try one.

 

[carey]

From what I have seen and read a FW dip can cause more harm than good. Alot of people swear by them though but alot of people say not to do it.

A qt tank and treating all the fish is your best bet.

 

[redsea]

Yeah, I would think a QT would be better. It must stress the fish a lot to be dipped

 

[ilostnemo]

ive done dips with no problems from damsels to dogface puffers.

 

[crister13]

I cant do a QT tank. I know they are the best but I have NO room and my parents wouldnt let me. I am treating with ick attack and garlic and hopefully thatll work. Thanks.

 

[carey]

Hoping is one thing and reality is another. cant you explain toyour parents the situation? it would just be a 10g tank and then you can take it down in a few weeks when its all done. It wouldnt have tobe permanent. I'm sure youre rents dont want your fish to die.

 

[ilostnemo]

i do have to agree with carey though. tell them whats going on. plus petsmart has ten gallon tanks for 10 dollars!

 

[carey]

Telling them and explaining it to them will go a long way in showing that you are responsible. Print out the pages that melosu linked for you ina nother thread and show them. Explain that it happens and now you have to make a decision. Either let the fish die and/or suffer or do something about it.

Do you have the money for a 10g tank and heater if needed?

 

[FTMMWS]

+1 carey ,
I also have done FW dips on many fish ,including my angel and tangs ...never lost one ..

 

[crister13]

Wouldnt I have to put all fish in QT? I dont think my fish would fit in that..... at all. My mom and dad LOVE my fish and if its the only way will probably let me do one. How many gals would I need to do one?????? And in a smaller tank with my fish Im gonna be waterchangin like every day cause the grouper and trigs, right? Should I just move some tank water in there?

 

[crister13]

Oh and BTW I would use hypo. But still wat size tank for all the fish? And how long u have to wait with the tank empty? I have heard 6 weeks to 10 weeks so just wonderin.

 

[melosu58]

I`ve never really seen FW dips do any good. Either it killed the fish because it was already too weak or it weakened the fish so it never recovered. I`m not much of a fan of them.

 

[carey]

Yes, you would have to put all the fish in one tank. I think that the petco sale ends tomorrow, at least here it does. If necessary a 20L might do if you have the space somewhere. You also can tell your parents you wil sell it on CL when youre done with it if that will help them to help you. Or just tell them to put it in storage in case something happens again. make sure they know you arent setting up ANOTHER tank but saving the fish. Once they are in the new tank which needs nothing but some PVC pipe for them to hide in and a heater/filter you treat them all at once with a copper based medication, like cupramine as directed.You will just leave the main tank alone for a couple weeks so the ich can die off fully and then you just put the fish back in the main tank and youre done. Make sure you dont add any sand or gravel to the qt it will make it easier to clean and do water changes on since it wont be cycled.

I personally wouldnt put your tank water in the qt as there is most likely free floating ich in it.

You can also use hyposlainity treatment on the fish in the qt, whereby you lower the salinity every day down to a low number. It helps the ich fall off the fish and lets them breathe easier. And yeah, you'll have to do water changes as needed based on the water tests. It owuld be a good time to learn not to overfeed your fish as well.

They dont actually have to be fed everyday, you can skip a day here and there. Unless you have special fish that need to be fed daily.

Looks like you might be able to do this, I;m glad and your fish will apppreciate it too. Glad your parents like the fish gives them incentive to help you.

Please let us know how you are doing, and don't add anymore fish until this is all over with.

 

[crister13]

The bigger the tank the better, right? If I COULD get a 55, should I? I am thinking about after its done I could make it a fuge. And then for new fish just detach it and use it as a QT. Would that work? Also, I would be worried about the water not being cycled so COULD I use the water from the display? Would ick get in there anyway? And even if it did it would just die right? Also, do you just use a HOB filter rated for your size tank? Larger is better I know, but would that work? Also, I should do pwcs every day to every other day? Correct? I would use hypo, and bring it down to 1.010. Is that right? Also, no substrate or LR, just pvc? Thanks for all the help so far.

 

[carey]

Yep, the lest amount of stuff in the tank the better. I think the ich will just go into the qt with the fish and youre not really bringing any beneficial bacteria in with the water, if at all it will be minimal. Are your parents ok with that? A 55g? The bigger the better but keep in mind thats more water to change out as well. If your parents are truly behind you on this one I would get a larger tank. The 55g is a nice size considering the fish you have but again, if you treat it with meds its a pain. But doing the hypo way woudl work out ok as well. Just don't take your advantage of your parents, if you need to you could make do with a 29g or 20L or even a 40 breeder. the 40 breeder is a nice tank to have in future. Great footptint on those tanks.

as far as filtering, I would go woth what you can afford, an aquaclear is always a good option either a AC70 or a AC 110 if you go with the 55g. The 40B would be fine with an AC70. Or you could just get a cheap walmart filter to get you by, though the price difference is only about $10.

 

[crister13]

I think I am going to go with the 40g breeder. My moms worried about the weight since they would both be on the 2nd floor, so I asked her about the 40. I know its a nice tank to have but she said no more tanks!!! I also have a 40 freshwater and a 75g turtle tank and 2 dogs so I see where theyre coming from! She really wants clowns tho so if she wants it ill be happy to set it up! haha. Ill look into the AC70 and see if they have it at petco. Thanks for the help! Ill try and post pics of QT after im done! My only worry is the new water........... IDK what to do without a cycle. Just dailly pwcs right?

 

[FTMMWS]

1.008 is best for hypo i have learned..You could use your old DT water ,,your going to be doing hypo anyway so it will all die

That is a lot of tank weight to have on the 2nd floor ,,..should be ok but i would be a little nervous...
Here is a thought ...Move all your live rock(or as much as possible) into the 40 your getting,,put a PH in there and just do hypo on your 150

 

[crister13]

OOOOOOO ya i may do that!!!! thx for the idea. What about the sand tho?

 

[crister13]

Wouldnt that kill all of my sand and pods tho?!?!?!

 

[FTMMWS]

Yes it will..You can scoop out some sand and keep it live too though..
What type of filtration do you run..If you have any kind of HOB,just keep that running on the QT tank too..All the good stuff will be alive and well when your ready to put it back in your DT