The Puffer Forum

I'm puzzled.


Everything i've read about hypo... and by using it successfully myself... i don't understand something.

If marine fish are happy at 1.009 and actually find breathing easier (when tresting for ich)

Why don't we just keep them at 1.009 long term...

If thery can live like that for 6 weeks without a problem.. then why keep them at such a high salinity normally...

I'm aware of how stupid this sounds, but i don't get it....

It's not a stupid question at all. There immune sytem will start to fail is the big one. Theres other reasons too that I can't remember right now.

so, 6 weeks in hypo is ok for them, but longer term has serious health implications...?

Pretty much, their organs and cells are used to a higher salinity, so a change like that would cause severe problems over a long time as there organs wouldn't function properly. The fish also wouldn't be used to bacteria and stuff found in water at that low of an sg and become infected quite easily from BW disease, kinda like how the indians were so easily affected by small pox yet the Europeans weren't.

But they could in theory live for a while....

interesting really, because when i first got into marines i was sure that even 1 point less or more salt in my bucket of new WC water and they'd all be dead within minutes.....

now i've dropped a fish down to 1.009 and he's perfectly happy... will be slowly bringing him back up in a couple of weeks... but it's mad that he really doesn't appear to care.

(dropped his salinity for ich, not for fun... that would be silly)

Shows what you learn eh?!

A lot of LFS keep their tanks at a pretty low SG (another reason to acclimate), to prevent disease in their fish (probably to save on $alt too).

A lot of fish can't tolerate that low for very long like Rocco said. I know tangs sure can't.

Can anyone provide any links/research that discusses lowered immune systems in long term hyposalinity?

Alberto Cuestaa, Raúl Laiz-Carriónb, M.P. Martín del Ríob, José Meseguera, J. Miguel Mancerab and M. Ángeles Esteban: Salinity influences the humoral immune parameters of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) - Fish & Shellfish Immunology Volume 18, Issue 3, March 2005, Pages 255-261

Dominguez, M., Takemura, A., Tsuchiya, M. : Effects of changes in environmental factors on the non-specific immune response of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus L. - Aquaculture Research, 2005 (Vol. 36) (No. 4) 391-397

Ky, C. L. ; de Lorgeril, J. ; Hirtz, C.; Sommerer, N. ; Rossignol, M.; Bonhomme, F. : The effect of environmental salinity on the proteome of the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) - Animal Genetics. 38(6):601-608, December 2007

Thomas P : Influence of some environmental variables on the ascorbic acid status of mullet, Mugil cephalus L., tissues. I. Effect of salinity, capture-stress and temperature. J Fish Biol, 25: 711-720.1984

much more are found in the references of the papers noted above.

The mention of those articles makes me wish I took biology in high school so I could have pursued a career in marine biology, or something. *Tear* Unfortunately, I don't have the money to continue for 7 more years of University.

after reading this I still haven't got a clue what is meant here by "hypo"

working in the chemical industry, hypo to me is an abbreviation of sodium hypochlorite, in plain talk, bleach, I'm assuming it's not that LOL

Jay.B. wrote:after reading this I still haven't got a clue what is meant here by "hypo"

working in the chemical industry, hypo to me is an abbreviation of sodium hypochlorite, in plain talk, bleach, I'm assuming it's not that LOL

hypo is lowering the salinity in your saltwater tank... definately not bleach.

I suppose it should have been clear from what was said in the above posts, but not yet having a marine tank I was totally at a loss haha and I'm so glad it's not bleach thank you for clearing that up for me dude