thanks guys... any inputs from other reefers are still appreciated...
anyway... freshwater dipping may have benefits... am just so dying to have clownfishes and eventually breed them... and none of them survived their journey on their way to my tank. and all have the same problem... brooklies!!!
in my further research, and as i place the pieces of the puzzle in it's place, lots and lots of questions have overwhelmed me and now are kinda seeking some answers. (this hobby is supposed to be stress free
) like: should you use dead rock instead of live to make the environment pest free/or dip live rocks first with freshwater; do fishes suffer kidney disease associated with long term exposure to hyposalinity; do fishes get more stressed after a freshwater bath since adjustment from no/less salt to a salty environment can cause osmotic shock.
hayyy... I LOVE THIS HOBBY!!!
guys.... hope you could inform me proper ways of keeping a tank free from parasites and any other pests... what are your step by step procedure in case of a pest outbreak and other topics such as the controversial fresh water bath? i have developed a plan (and questions) and i have no idea if this works:
step 1.> transport
step 2.> acclimate
step 3.> quarantine
step 4.> hyposaline and wait for 6 weeks
step 5.> water changes (from the tank plus fresh water to get to the right specific gravity of the hyposaline QT)
step 6.> in case of a disease, how do i cure the fish? do i dip it first in freshwater and see what happens in a day or two? well, if it didn't work then i'll proceed with medications say formaldehyde (brooklynella fro instance)
step 7.> should the quarantine tank be under medication or do i mix it into a separate container with the formalin sol'n for freshwater bath? or mix the formalin with a hyposaline soln same as with the QT and rinse the fish with hyposaline water then back to the QT? (i have read that hyposalinity will not eradicate the protozoans responsible for Brooklynella but it helps detach itself from its host/s)
step 8.> if the medication is done outside the QT, how often should i repeat the dipping (either in a freshwater solution or a hyposaline solution)? and should the dosage be the same even if the fish is getting okay? or if i don't see any improvement, should i increase the dosage or remain it to it's original dosage but doing it often? and in case the solution is within the quarantine tank, how often and how much do i dose the formalin into the QT?
step 9.> if the fish has fully recovered, should i get one fish from the tank (say a domino damsel) and introduce it first with the fish in the QT to see if there will be aggression between the two? (I've read this somewhere on the internet, he does this and most likely, the fish in the display tank that has been moved to the quarantine gets bullied.)
thanks for the time reading this topic
thanks for the answers
and thanks in advance