Please help with Hyposalinty

[klementovicz]

Good Afternoon everyone,
Started off with a FOWLR setup
72 gallon bowfront
ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate between 10 and 20
temp 82-84

Everything was going great and i noticed that my porcupine puffer and Blue Jaw Trigger had some white spots. All other fish are fine.
So i went out and purchased a 29 gallon hospital tank. I am was going to give Hyposalinity a shot since everyone said it will not stress fish and and will be better for the puffer. Since this hospital tank is not established what precautions should i be taking besides daily water changes and constant monitoring of water conditions. I am just worried about ammonia build up. I was under the assumption that hypo is going to kill off all bacteria that would convert ammonia anyway. Please let me know if i am on the right track here or if anyone else has any other suggestions.

Thanks For your help in advance.

 

[ccCapt]

Welcome to AA!
The best solution would be to have a sponge or filter pad that has been in the tank for a week or 2 and is loaded with bacteria, and use that sponge/filter pad in a HOB filter on the QT. Without an established filter media, daily partial water changes are needed.

If 1 fish in your tank showed signs of ich, ALL fish must be removed and treated. The tank then must be left with no fish for 6-8 weeks and the ich parasite will die off because it has no host fish.

 

[klementovicz]

thanks for your reply. I only have a 29 gallon QT will that tank be large enough to keep the puffer, blue jaw, clown, lawnmower blenny, and a pearly jawfish. I would be worried that the blenny and jawfish would die in QT since the jawfish has no where to dig and hide and the blenny would have no algae to eat. He is a very picky eater. But i do not want all the fish to get sick either.

 

[kdogg85]

Give him nori sheets to eat. I doubt that would work with that many fish. Even with an established filter, the bio-load would overwhelm it. Unless you can hook you main tank filter up and use that. The main tank, if it has live rock, will only need a couple powerheads to move the water around.

 

[klementovicz]

Yeah i didnt think that would work to well. I am just thinking out loud but would this work better if i removed my live rock from my display tank and did the hypo treatment in there. i can put my live rock in my QT so that will not be harmed and this way i will have an establshed filter and the bio load will not be any different then what it already is. It would be nicer to do water changes on a 29 gallon instead of a 70 gallon but whatever you guys think is best. I just want to make sure that what i decide to do works and doesnt stress fish.

 

[melosu58]

ATJ's Marine Aquarium Site - Reference - Hyposalinity Treatment

 

[klementovicz]

That is an excellent article. Thank you for posting that. That answered alot of the questions i had. I think with the amount of fish i have it might be best to just use my display tank and remove my live rock and put them into my hospital tank. After i do this i just hope that the biological filter is good enough to keep ammonia and nitrites down to a safe level. Especially since i will have to keep this up for 6 weeks. I really appreciate all the help.

 

[kdogg85]

Remember to take any inverts with the rock. The hypo will kill them. Otherwise, good luck. With a puffer, I'd doubt you have any.

 

[klementovicz]

Thank you. No inverts at the moment