Freshwater dip new fish?

Sheripie · Jun 26, 2020

I'm looking to get power blue tAng. One of lfs said I should freshwater dip it once I got it. I've never done it before.. Should i? I do not have quarantine tank dued to limited space and money.

Fishbird · Jun 26, 2020

One thing to consider: at least where I live my QT setup cost far less than the price of a single Powder Blue Tang. If the tang (or any new fish) brings a disease into your DT then either you’re going to have to figure out a QT tank anyway or quite possibly have to buy all new fish (even more expensive and the first ones died for not a great reason).

Can you find the space to set up a 20 long temporarily? Even a 10 gallon (which is what I use, though I don’t know about QTing a tang in a 10 gallon). Alternatively can you save and get the fish from a place that already does a (real, rigorous quarantine)? That’ll be more expensive but it’ll be protecting the lives of all your fish.

I know people use freshwater dips to confirm the presence of flukes but the dip doesn’t treat, just provides temporary relief, so again, if you did the freshwater dip and found flukes you’d still have to figure out a way to treat the fish or return it, I guess.

hmmmmm · Jun 26, 2020

The LFS told you to fw dip it? Well.. dont go there anymore

If thats all it takes wy didnt they do it? What Fishbird said, no use whatsoever, wont fix anything. And a QT tank can be any temporary container, which can be put anywhere. No money or space is just a matter of priorities, the qt setup is cheaper than some of the colonies in your tank, or the fish your looking to buy.

Sheripie · Jun 26, 2020

Ok will try get qt tank I guess powder blue in my country cost around 30usd
For qt tank do I need to prep water like I prep new tank? Or I can just put in saltwater+fish

alton · Jun 26, 2020

Before my fish go into QT, they get a FW dip and then a Prazi Pro bath for a couple hours. I have never lost a fish due to a FW dip. Make sure you match PH, Temp and Alk.

Zionas · Jun 26, 2020

Does the fresh water have to be RO / DI or RO water? My LFS actually does not think FWDs are necessary unless it’s a delicate species. Some reefers with YouTube channels like Mark Callahan doesn’t think it’s a good idea either, but others like Bob Fenner, he was a fan of it for some species.

How do I match the parameters of the fresh water?

Sheripie · Jun 26, 2020

i feel really stupid and bad for asking this questions now im sorry .. Thanks for all the reply tho

alton · Jun 26, 2020

Sheripie said:
i feel really stupid and bad for asking this questions now im sorry .. Thanks for all the reply tho

Please do not feel bad it was a great question. FW water dip is not a cure all, but it does help with flukes which run rapid in most commercial systems. There are videos here on R2R showing how to do it. Since my tap water is very hard I mix tap and DI water to get a match to my saltwater. If you use tap make sure to dechlorinate before using

Big G · Jun 26, 2020

As others have posted, a Freshwater dip can be a very good way of gathering information on your new incoming fish's health. Here's more info:

Freshwater Dip

Freshwater Dip What It Treats – Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases: 1) Marine Velvet Disease (Amyloodinium ocellatum) 2) Brooklynella hostilis 3) Uronema marinum 4) Flukes (Monogeneans) 5) Black Ich (Turbellarians) Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes (see video...

www.reef2reef.com

And a great thread on how to QT new incoming fish by @HotRocks

My Current QT Process

UPDATE, 10/9/22: For those looking for quarantine information, our current process is kept updated on the first page of this thread (post any questions at the end of the thread). https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/ Thanks, Jay Hemdal I am frequently...

www.reef2reef.com

User1 · Jun 26, 2020

hmmmmm said:
The LFS told you to fw dip it? Well.. dont go there anymore If thats all it takes wy didnt they do it? What Fishbird said, no use whatsoever, wont fix anything. And a QT tank can be any temporary container, which can be put anywhere. No money or space is just a matter of priorities, the qt setup is cheaper than some of the colonies in your tank, or the fish your looking to buy.

Ignorance is bliss I guess. Please use your favorite search engine and look for Methylene blue dips/baths. Wet web media. Mr. Fenner wrote something on it. He knows what he is talking about and it is a common practice.

In summary he says:

Methylene blue and fresh water! What? Disappointed? Hear me out, this stuff works! And it's very safe. Methylene blue and fresh water is useful for both marine fishes and many invertebrates, a help against ich, skin and gill flukes, funguses, velvet (Amyloodinium) and most other external parasitic and infectious diseases. It has several other added benefits. It's a good oxygenating dye, sort of like our blood's hemoglobin, aiding in keeping oxygen concentration high. It also is helpful in reducing light penetration, soothing frightened livestock. In fact, Methylene Blue converts methemoglobin to useful hemoglobin, reversing the ill-effects of nitrite and even cyanide exposure.

Edit: Needed to add that this is the method I use for all new fish. Dip or bath depends on the source because there is a difference in duration.

Fishbird · Jun 26, 2020

Just to be clear, I wasn’t saying that a freshwater dip is completely useless. As a tool, and part of treatment, it can be helpful. I don’t think that doing a single freshwater dip will solve all common problems on fish. You still need a QT tank but I’m really sorry if my comment made you feel stupid. That wasn’t my intention at all.