The Big Dip

[RamJet]

WoW, The OR FW Dip went great. The fish seem much happier, better color, and more active! Their attitude twords me seems to have changed, they will let me put my hand in the tank and touch them if I want too. (I am like one huge cleaner shrimp) The clown even swam right into my hand! I have not seen the tangs scrape or well I was going to say fight. I have one really good sleeping area, and aparently the other two are just OK. They had a little tiff over it.
Man the powder blue tang whipped his tail at me thinking I was the Sohol.(I stuck my hand in to break it up) When he realized it was my hand he stopped and swam right into my fingers and stayed there like a child running to Mommy or Daddy for protection after taking a swing at an older brother. They are not skiddish of me at all anymore.
The power blue was the worste, he had some kind of clear flat oval shaped parasites covering his head and body. He would shake his head trying to get them off. Every last one of them came off in the dip, there was hundreds of them. I am going to continue meds. for another week or so.
Oh, I also dipped the Seabay, and the damsel. Looking over the Seabay, I see that he can now close his mouth, the swelling has gone down quite a bit.

 

[jams.alaskan]

This is really great news. How long did you do it for? Under fifteen min? So glad they are feeling better!

ALASKA

 

[Great Lakes]

Wow, I am trying to figure out how you kept your cool netting them all out of the tank.

 

[RamJet]

I had them in for just over 10 min. each. It was not difficult netting them, not too many places for them to run to in a 15 gallon. Now if only I can get the clown to start eatting I will be set.

 

[saltman]

Cant you just use marine buffer to get the ph correct for a freshwater dip?

 

[Adrinal]

smokin'

 

[Erika_4404]

i also diped my flame angle the other day and she seems much happier and much brighter. thanks

 

[the boy]

i have a small boxfish (the yellow one with blue spots) that has about 5 or 6 white spots on its fins (can hardly see them) and 2 bigger white spots on the body. i have only 2 fish in the tank but the other is a banded cat shark so copper is out of the question. what is the procidure of a fresh water dip as i have never done it and i know the box fish can go poisonus on me but i think thats rare ( i once had one stuck in a moray eels mouth, dont know how long it was in there but i wrestled it out and it survived with a few scars but dit not "go poisonus" and kil anything)

How do you "make" the water, should it have some salt and i take it it has to be the same temp. abd is it advisable to do it to a box fish

Cheers

Dave

 

[Erika_4404]

wow i never thought about that with a box fish ... i didn't out any salt in mine ijust dipped her for 10 min and then put her back she did fine. box fish may be more complicated you may want to try a copper treatment but don't do it to you tank becasue it will kill your live rock and corals do it in a seperte bowl or something.

 

[RamJet]

Copper takes a wile to work,(Too long for using a bowl) you need a seperate tank for it. If you dip, use RO water, no salt, and make sure the temp and ph are as close to the main tank as possible. I have never had to dip a box fish, however I think that the stress could make him go toxic. I would want a seperate tank to put him in after the dip. Also, no lights on for a few days after and I would not exceed a 10 min. dip. I think you got really lucky that yours didnt go toxic wile the eel was trying to eat him. After all, going toxic is a survival tactic to avoid being dinner.

 

[Erika_4404]

You know thats what i thought too. about the Box fish almost bought one but was afraid it would go toxic and kill every body and ruin my tank. best of luck to ya ... you know the copper might be the only choic even thugh it is time consuminig becasue if he gose toxic he might even kill himself i have hearded if not removed from the water he gose toxic right away. there is also this stuff you can treat you tank with but i can not remeber what it is called i think it is made by KENT i will try and find out sorry.

 

[ostrow]

People need to beware!

Freshwater dips are a) not a cure-all for all diseases; B) are not a cure-all for all fish; and c) can be deadly for some fish suffering from some diseases.

Put better and more accurately, they are ONLY appropriate [/I]when the right fish has the right disease!!! Without doing extensive research on your fish and the sickness, you are taking a big risk!!!

For some fish with disease "A", a freshwater dip may be indicated. But for a different fish with the same disease "A", a high-salinity dip may be indicated, in other words, the opposite treatment[/I]!!! For other fish or other diseases, neither may be appropriate, or worse.

I also suspect from the entirely brief descriptions, with no photos, given here that the diagnoses are in some cases wide guesses -- or no guess at all -- so you are in that case "treating" blindly, a recipe for disaster.

I will only repeat here what I said in another thread: do extensive research before trying such a step, and get information from the experts. On this score, I am afraid to point out that nobody here qualifies on this set of issues. We may have some limited experience, but we are not experts. I point you all again to Dr. Ron Shimek, the saltwater creature guru on Reef Central.

I do not know if citing another board is a violation of this board's rules or not but even if it is I'm gambling that on matters of reef tanks it's not a problem, this being predominantly a freshwater board. In any event, going there is by no means a betrayal of this forum or anyone who posts here. As addictive as RC is, you still see me here on occasion, although I admit to a many month absence when I was exclusively there (on RC generally) reading and asking and learning.

Dr. Ron is a wiz, friendly, and to the point, as are all the expert forum directors there.

 

[Erika_4404]

thank you for tha advice what is the web site of this other forum? if you don't mind

 

[ostrow]

Reef Central. You can find it. I am pretty sure this board does not like direct links to other boards.

 

[Erika_4404]

oh sorry