Fish Dips?

[jburke30]

Greetings All,

 

I've been busy reading Fenner's book, "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist", which everyone recommended, and I came across the chapter on disease which talks about giving your new fish a freshwater bath before introducing them to your tank.

 

My question is, Does anyone out there really do this? It seems like doing so would cause quite a shock to a fish during the, already stressfull, acclimation period.

 

Any thoughts on this? Is it really safe for the fish? Should it be done for any invertebrates (like shrimp, snails, crabs, coral)?

 

Thanks for any responses,

 

Jason

[Christopher Marks]

It will do more harm than good because of the stress that it causes the fish.  It's just like lowering the salinity in your reef tank to fight ich will do more harm than good.  Sure, it might get the parasites off the fish, but it opens it up to many more things.  I don't think this is a common practice anymore either.

[Toyfreek]

Hi Guys,

Heres my $.02 Every whole sale outfit I have ever been to does freshwater dips for like ten minutes before putting fish in QT. It's really common still today. Most fish at your LFS have been dipped at least once, unless they are shipping directly from collectors or are tank raised. I have never dipped any new fish my self, I put em in QT for 14 days before adding to my tank.

 

Chris,

Sending the leather out tomorrow I started school again this week and its a little hectic, look for it monday.

Toy

[My Alife 7]

I didn't really know much about dipping until just recently but I've never done or known anyone who have dipped their fish before adding them to the tank. I would think it would cause more harm then good...

[Sahin]

I agree.  The freshwater gang recommend a saltwater dip only when the fish is ill.  It would just cause more of a distress.  

 

I think if possible, a two-week quarantine period is the best way.

[jburke30]

Hey all, thanks for the input. Personally, the thought of doing such a thing bothered me to no end, but I kept comming across written material that suggested it, and wanted to make sure that, for some crazy reason, I wasn't missing out on an important and/or necessary step.

 

Thanks again.

 

Jason

[MKramer]

I think there is more fear about dips than is really necessary.  For some fish, such as most clowns, the salinity change hardly even phases them.  Osmoregulation is an automatic thing in these guys, and once placed back into their natural sality and it has them adjusted properly, the fish will act like the whole episode never happened.  I've never witnessed any signs of stress after such treatments, in fresh or saltwater fish.

 

Granted, my saltwater experience is rather limited, but this is still a very common, and very effective practice.  Combining a dip with a quarantine period for new fish can probably prevent most diseases and parasites from ever entering your new aquarium.

 

The notion that it does harm to the fish is, in my opinion, purely knee-jerk, and not very well-founded.

[SLOreefer]

i have personally done fw dips myself. this has not been done to prevent illness before entering a tank but at the lfs i work at we have done it as emergency dips if the fish is ill. this will often kill parasites and otehr infections. th parasites cannot handle the fw and die.

[MKramer]

For those who are really weary of the idea of a freshwater dip, a longer process than might be appealing is hyposalinity.  Basically a freshwater dip, but the salinity is dropped (to ~1.009) and raised over a span of days.  Kills things just about as well as a FW dip, but few fish will even ever realize the salinity has changed.

 

Heck, hardier clowns can actually be kept in tanks with as low as 1.010 salinity long term.  As can many other of the hardy staples of the reef aquarium.

[byrself]

i have done this, and had mixed results.  i agree the dips can cause undue stress, and the only fish i lost was a gramma i was dipping.  my clown was able to handle it, but i won't do it again, unless the fish is just covered with ich and i feel bad, and in that case i would just leave it in the quarantine tank for a while.  moving back and forth causes more probs.  i let my fish fight off ich by just stabalizing the tank, not adding supps for a while, and hopeing for the best.  has worked wonders so far.  

[Toyfreek]

When they dip newley Imported fish its to rid them of possible infectious parasites not to cure them of ICH. IMO by the time they are sick its too late to dip and you have to QT and medicate. Basically its to protect the wholesalers systems from exotics Imported not to cure them up.

HTH,

Toy

[reefinready]

I use freshwater dips only on fish that become really sick or there is no other treatment unless it is like a very hardy species like clownfish which do fine but i have had nothing but sucess with this method. i have even dipped a seahorse. but i would not use this method for inverts or corals.