G
Guest
I have heard several people say they are going to give thier fish a fresh water dip.. what for? What does it kill?
Thanks
It's me stefanie
Thanks
It's me stefanie
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OP
OP
Guest
Ick.. on butterfly's im pretty sure... but im sure the others will have a more detailed description..
you dip them in fresh RO water for 5 min then revive them in your tank something along those lines
Brian
you dip them in fresh RO water for 5 min then revive them in your tank something along those lines
Brian
NANAReef
Guest
I have heard a Few LFS dip thier new fish in FW for a short time. Its main intent is to kill off Parasites. Depending on the parasite it can work. I dont belive Ick is one of those parasites that it will work on.. Anyway Key to Dipping is keeping the FW PH at the same or very close to your SW PH (at least thats the way I understand it)..
NANAReef
Guest
I might also add that, a better way to treat your new fish is a QT. And a Hypo Salinity treatment.. FW dip is not a cure all, QT is still the best way to keep your stock healthy.. Just my 2 cents.
Nathan Andrews
Nathan Andrews
tvu
Guest
You'll need to dip longer than 5 minutes to kill off ick. PH of freshwater and saltwater as I know are very different. It is important to make sure the water temps are the same.
I typically fill a plastic bag with fresh RO water and let it sit in the tank for awhile then catch my fish and put it in the bag. I also add a little formalin into the water which seems to work pretty well.
This has also cleared black spot from my yellow tang in the past.
I typically fill a plastic bag with fresh RO water and let it sit in the tank for awhile then catch my fish and put it in the bag. I also add a little formalin into the water which seems to work pretty well.
This has also cleared black spot from my yellow tang in the past.
FW dips are a way to kill off ectoparasites (parasites which reside on the outside). that said it kinda-sorta works on ich, as it will kill off only the surface exposed parasite, it doesn't touch the ones buried deeply in the fishes flesh. FW dips can also be used as a laxative as many fish will deficate when placed in FW . Lastly, if you do a FW dip ensure you have similar temp and ph buffered
OP
OP
Guest
Hey thanks.... I wasn't thinking of doing one for the ick on the goby.. I just had no-idea what people were talking about. We are making a little QT so to speak and treating it. I bought a tupperware and he is in there with an areater (sp?) WE will ad some meds when Narkon brings them home after work.
Thanks for letting me know what all the buzz was.
It's me stefanie
Thanks for letting me know what all the buzz was.
It's me stefanie
tvu
Guest
OP
OP
Guest
Make sure the PH and temperature in the fresh water is same as the tank before dip. FW kill parasite. Some fish handle the FW dip better than the other. I use to dip my angels for 15 minutes. You might lose some of the sensitive fish from FW.
You can use the water from your fresh water tanks.
You can use the water from your fresh water tanks.
OP
OP
Guest
How does one get the PH the same?
Nathan
Nathan
OP
OP
Guest
Add PH buffer to raise it. I think .2 different in PH should be OK.
OP
OP
Guest
Add buffer or baking soda.
OP
OP
Guest
if its too low.. acidic then you can add baking soda.. if its to high i used to use water from my freshwater tank to bring it down..they sell ph down in at stores (walmart) if you dont want to go buy it i have a bottle i dont use anymore
Brian
Brian
OP
OP
Guest
I doubt too low will be the problem. Your fresh water is usually below 8 and our marine tank is above 8 most of the time.
Found an article that discusses freshwater dips and Ich. I have read that FW dips won't do anything for marine Ich, but the author of this article seems to disagree based on personal experience.
It explains a bit about the FW dip process as well. A good read. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-10/sp/feature/index.htm
It explains a bit about the FW dip process as well. A good read. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-10/sp/feature/index.htm
OP
OP
Guest
oops double post
OP
OP
Guest
When getting a new fish, a FW dip will help prevent (most)ich and other ectoparasites from entering your system. I usually do about 80-90% FW and 10-20% destination tank water. The water should be similar in pH(within 0.2) and temp. Dip should last ~3-5 minutes, depending on how the animal reacts. Some fish do not tolerate FW dips well. What happens is that the differences in osmolarity of the parasite to the freshwater causes water to enter its cells quickly and cause the organism to rupture. This will not cure your fish of ich if the tank they are in is infested. We usually treat almost all of our new fish with a FW dip upon arrival before being placed into quarantine for at least 1 month. HTH
OP
OP
Guest
Yes Josh that helps! 
Nathan
Nathan
