do you freshwater dip your cleaner shrimp?

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Neptune555

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Nov 18, 2013
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I have been freshwater dipping my fish before adding them to my tank... but I was wondering what do you do with a cleaner shrimp?

I currently have a flame angel that is suffering from ich... He was introduced 10 days ago. I am feeding with garlic soaked food and am hoping that adding a cleaner shrimp will help the flame angel. As I introduce the cleaner shrimp do I give him a freshwater dip?

Neptune

55 Gallon bow front reef tank: Power Compacts / HOB filter / HOB coralife Skimmer / 50 pounds live rock / 20 pounds live sand / 2 power heads / 2 clown fish / yellow goby / flame angel /

50 gallon planted Freshwater tank / soil substrate covered with river rocks / 2 HOB /
 

OrionGirl

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Aug 14, 2001
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No.

I wouldn't dip the fish either--that's what quarantine is for. Minimize stress!
 

XanAvaloni

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Nov 13, 2009
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first I've ever heard of the concept of "freshwater dip" for a saltwater creature. What exactly is the theory behind this? I wouldn't put a freshwater fish in saltwater and think it had any therapeutic or beneficial effect, in fact I would expect it to kill them on the spot or at least make them sick. The more I think about the whole concept the more disturbed I get so I will shut up and await an explanation. Maybe this is somehow good for them but ...well anyway, back to shutting up now.
 

Khemul

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Oct 14, 2010
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Saltwater fish can survive it, as long as it is timed right. If their internal balance shifts to freshwater, then yeah, dead fish. But that takes time (minutes) and their natural balance is somewhere around mid-range brackish (whatever level hypo-salinity QT is).

The idea is that it can kill ich in the gills. The misunderstanding is that it can kill ich anywhere else. The fish gets some relief by freeing up the gill stress, often allowing the fish to recover.

Inverts... not sure it'd work the same on them. Probably depends on the creature. A Ghost Shrimp may not blink at the concept, many starfish would drop legs. Considering that a Cleaner is a reef invert... probably not a good idea. Also considering that the whole idea behind a freshwater coral dip is that inverts (hitchhikers) don't handle it very well... probably not a good idea.
 

OrionGirl

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Salt is used in freshwater quite frequently. It's one of the MOST effective treatments against FW ich--and indeed, in a fish only marine setup, one of the treatments for marine ich is to lower salinity from the normal specific gravity of 1.023-1.026 down to brackish conditions, sp 1.018 - 1.021. Organisms such as parasites can't withstand the shift in osmotic pressure, so even a brief exposure is lethal. With larger animals, short term exposure is seldom stressful, since higher organisms self-regulate better. Skins/scales protect more delicate internal cells.

Look at it this way: does it hurt you to get in the ocean? In a lake? No, because your skin protects you, even though you normally live in air. Or more closely, imagine stepping into a room with 10% less oxygen. It won't be comfortable, but it's not going to kill you either. Same for fish. In truth, same for many inverts, but things like shrimps and crabs aren't as prone to external parasites as fish, so there is not a benefit to be gained from it either. That's why I wouldn't perform a FW dip on a marine fish without a specific reason, such as seeing signs of ich.
 

Gregg

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Oct 29, 2013
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Generally I use dips as part of treatment of Crypotocaryon (Ich) or Oodinium.

However these can be effective when quarantine when a quarantine or bath is not possible, part of the key too success is timing and pH.
The pH MUST be matched to the saltwater from which the fish came, as well the time should be 3- 5 minutes; no longer, no shorter.

That said even with the many dips I have performed successfully, I prefer a medicated bath or better; quarantine.

For Shrimp, I would not perform a FW dip, but a bath or quarantine would be fine.
Instead of the Methylene Blue and other medications I might use in a bath or quarantine, I would use Kordon’s Herbal Ich plus.
While I have note used it personally for shrimps, I know of persons who have used SeaChems Reef Dip, which is intended for corals, for shrimp

I would recommend this article about fish baths, dips, swabs for further reading:

http://www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2009/07/fish-baths.html
 
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