What is actually the procedure for a freshwater bath

[danelam]

Ok, from the beginning I've been trying to understand how to do this properly. Here's what I can't understand. What's the point of drip acclimating (or any kind of acclimation for that matter) when you're going to dunk them in a bucket of freshwater anyway? Doesn't it defeat the purpose of getting them used to the water???

So here's is how I understand to do it. Please correct me if I'm wrong:

1. Drip acclimate the fish until they're acclimated to the display tank water.
2. Have a bucket/container of freshwater ready that is the same temp and PH as the display tank (add methylene blue or something else if desired)
3. After at least 10 - 20 mins add them directly to display

Sorry if I'm completely wrong, please shed some light on this for me.

The reason I want to do this is that I'm getting a hippo tang which I know is an ich-magnet, but Bob Fenner puts forward pretty good reasons to just do the freshwater dip then put them in the display tank to reduce stress ( http://www.wetwebmedia.com/paracdisfaqs.htm ). Plus this tang is coming from an established reefer so it should be used to captivity and effectively QTd. Thanks guys

 

[marrone]

First you shouldn't put any fish directly into your main tank without Quarantining them for at least 2 - 6 weeks first, even if it's coming from another person tank, unless you know 100% for sure that the person has never had any diseases/parasites in their tank.

First water dips or baths don't do anything to kill ich, and only stress out the fish further. You need to QT the fish first to see if it has something than treat the fish if it does. If the fish has something then you need to treat the disease/parasite with the correct medication.

When it's time to move the fish into the main tank, after QT it first and seeing that it doesn't have any diseases/parasites, you then want to drip the fish so that the condition are about the same before you move it into your main tank. If the conditions are very different the fish could stress out and even die from the change.

 

[danelam]

So what purpose do the dips actually serve then?
I only have a 10g QT --- too small for a 6" hippo right?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

So what purpose do the dips actually serve then?

No purpose served. It stresses the fish.

I equate FW dips like this. Imagine someone comes into your room while your sleeping, picks you up carefully as not to wake you up, strips you to your B-Day suit and then throws you oustide in a snowstorm. You'd be stressed right? Think of what the fish is going through.

 

[danelam]

so it doesn't rid the fish of parasites because the water is inhospitable for them?

 

[ZBT3091]

iv never quarantined my tank and iv never had a problem, not to mention that i also havent had a skimmer or uv sterilizer for 8 months with a pretty overstocked tank and some ich prone fish(look at sig.)...maybe im just lucky. I would definitely suggest you quarantine though, to avoid the problem of bringing a parasite into your tank and making sure the fish you just bought is healthy and will stand a good chance at making it

 

[marrone]

iv never quarantined my tank and iv never had a problem

Famous last words. :screama:

 

[PhoenixOne]

I would like to quarantine but wifey wont let me have another tank. Not even a 10 gallon. so I have no choice. Otherwise, I would quarantine. As a matter of fact, this afternoon, i'm picking up a blue spot jawfish and I have to hope and pray. My lfs' tanks look good so hopefully, I wont get an empidemic in my tank.

 

[danelam]

anyway, back to the topic. If I did decide to do a freshwater bath, what is the correct procedure?

 

[marrone]

If you decide to do a freshwater bath what are you doing it for? What are you looking to get rid of?

If it's not going to get rid of some diseases/parasite or cure the fish then there is no reason to do it.

At this point if you're not going to QT the fish then just start to drip the fish and place it in your main tank.

 

[danelam]

If you decide to do a freshwater bath what are you doing it for? What are you looking to get rid of?

If it's not going to get rid of some diseases/parasite or cure the fish then there is no reason to do it.

At this point if you're not going to QT the fish then just start to drip the fish and place it in your main tank.

Is it proven that it doesn't get rid of parasites? Because there are several well-regarded books and websites that say it does.

 

[ZBT3091]

freshwater dips can get rid of some parasites to an extent. putting saltwater parasites into freshwater causes hyposalinty, and causes some parasites to burst/die/fall of your fish, but it also causes alot of stress on the fish, which could just lead to more parasites. the best idea is to quarantine the fish to make sure he is healthy and then put him into ur main tank...or you could chance it and just stick the fish into your display tank like me :smile:. i would recommend quarantining though it is definitely safest...avoid the freshwater dip

 

[marrone]

Is it proven that it doesn't get rid of parasites? Because there are several well-regarded books and websites that say it does.

It may get rid of some parasite but not all and not ich, which is not only on the fish but living inside the fish. You'll also find that most parasites can take long freshwater baths with little effect.

To give a fish a freshwater bath doesn't make much sense unless you know what the fish has and the treatment is a freshwater bath.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Good luck with your fish.

 

[danelam]

do you think a 10g quarantine is too small for A 6" HIPPO?

 

[marrone]

It's on the small side but it maybe ok. What you should do is to Home Depot or Lowes and get a 22gal Rubber-maid type container, about $5-$10. This will do just fine and when you're not using it as a QT you can use it to store things in.

 

[danelam]

thanks for the tip marrone. The lack of clear sides won't affect the fish detrimentally will it? I won't have any lights for it either. Sorry, also if it came across that I was disagreeing with you...

The reason I'm dubious about QT for hippos is that I lost a small one (about 3") in QT when i first started out. No sign of external parasites, eating well. Then after a week, all in one night it went crazy and dropped dead. Parameters were stable, and the two ocellaris clowns also in QT are still going strong. So I have a hunch, as do people I asked, that it was stress. Which is why i really want to keep this hippo as happy as possible.

 

[danelam]

something like this marrone? http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...3&productId=100577412&N=10000003+90373+525763

or is it better to have something without the clear sides (i thought the clear sides might be better for monitering the fish, but more stressful for them)

 

[jejton]

Marrone - I'm setting up a quarantine tomorrow and was thinking of using a spare rubermaid bin I have but then thought if I can't see the fish except top-down, then how will I be able to observe the fish for problems?

 

[marrone]

You should still be able to see problems, like the fish rubbing again thing, breathing heavy or flashing by just looking down into the rubbermaid container. Even though you can't see the fish, as you would through a glass tank, you still can observe that the fish is eating well and has good color. You can also place a light over the container, so you can get a good look at the fish, or even place the fish in a clear container to get a better look at it every so often.