Salt in freashwater aquariums

[pokagon55]

I would like opinoins on the use of salt for parisites and other external ailments, do you use salt? Or do you think it is a waste of time?
Thanks for the replies

[emc7]

I've added salt to a tank with ich. (I also up the temp and use quick cure). I also add salt to tanks with guppies, mollies, swordtails, or goldfish.

[msdolittle]

What fish are NOT compatible with adding salt to a tank? I've been researching but I am not coming up with consistent info.

[pokagon55]

I think all are compatible some are just more sensative to salt, like fish that are scaleless, so precautions should be taken when using salt to avoid adding to much to avoid a death.

[Georgia Peach]

I have always used a tad of salt in all my tanks. by a tad I am meaning 1 tsp per 10 gal

[msdolittle]

Okay.......thats what I added. Well, less probably. I was afraid of just all of a sudden there is salt in their tank.....kwim? I added 2tbsp last night, and this morning I did a water change (high nitrites) about 30% and then added a tbsp to make up for what I took out.

Dang gouramis still have ich on them. Its not budged at all! They aren't rubbing themselves on anything, and no one else has any spots at all.......Just the silly gouramis (Larry, Curly and Moe).

[msdolittle]

Oh, I've got the tank up to almost 84F now......I guess I'm doing about 4 degrees a day? Think thats too fast?

[pokagon55]

82 to 84 is the norm. What this does is lessen the stage of the ick to tomite stage as that is the stage were the salt or whatever meds. that you are using has the affect and it is only this stage that the meds. and of other are effective. It is also called the free swimming stage.

Also, before you add the salt make sure that it is fully desolved in a glass and in tank water before you introduce it in the tank. If you don't you run the risk of the fish getting salt burns.

[msdolittle]

Yep, I fully dissolved it.

How long does it normally take for the white things to fall off?

And I just noticed ONE of my swordtails has ONE white dot.....great.

[Georgia Peach]

I beleive if you are using salt to tread ick or any other sickness that you should use 1 tbsp per 10 gal - thats what Ive always been told anyhow..

[stargirly1208]

i put a little salt in my tank when adding new fish to keep stress down to prevent ich. but i can't put a whole lot because of loaches and corys. just enough that it helps with disease and stuff.

[msdolittle]

Okey doke!

[pokagon55]

IMO, It is best to treat for at least 14 to 21 days to make sure that all the ick is gone.

[emc7]

Is salt alone enough to cure ich? I've always used methylene blue or quick cure (formalin w/ malachite green).

[Shawnts106]

i put a little salt in my tank when adding new fish to keep stress down

How does adding salt decrease stress... if anything I would think it would increase the stress on the fish due to a higher level of dissolved solids present around their bodys, therefore in order to convert this higher dissolved solid water into less dissolved solid water they use more energy thus createing more stress on the body.....

Keeping Ich down yes, but I wouldnt think it would reduce stress in ANY way...

Thats why when you do a HYPOsalinity treatment on marine fish it reduces stress on the fishes body, letting it conserve more energy to fight off the disease...

I would suspect the same just in reverse from more salt in the water...
thats why when you bring the salinity up once the hypo is over you have to do it 10 times slower than bringing it down to not cause osmo shock...

anyway... just my pennys worth...

[Georgia Peach]

Originally Posted by Shawnts106

How does adding salt decrease stress... if anything I would think it would increase the stress on the fish due to a higher level of dissolved solids present around their bodys, therefore in order to convert this higher dissolved solid water into less dissolved solid water they use more energy thus createing more stress on the body.....

Keeping Ich down yes, but I wouldnt think it would reduce stress in ANY way...

Thats why when you do a HYPOsalinity treatment on marine fish it reduces stress on the fishes body, letting it conserve more energy to fight off the disease...

I would suspect the same just in reverse from more salt in the water...
thats why when you bring the salinity up once the hypo is over you have to do it 10 times slower than bringing it down to not cause osmo shock...

anyway... just my pennys worth...

When fish are stressed they lose bodily salts so when you add a bit it helps to cut down on the amount the fish loses.

[Trouble]

I personally use 1 tbsp to 5 gallons to treat Ick with great results.

[lotsoffish]

enough with the salt misinformation. I have had up to 3 teaspoons of salt per gallon in tanks and it still does not cure ich. If it did we all would have known this 50 years a go and nobody would be discussing it today. If you have ich in your aquarium turn up your temperature to at least 84 and treat it with a good medication. I prefer formalin, if my fish are hardy I also add malachite green. If you mess around with all these different opinions your fish will be dead before you realize what happened. Ich is nothing to mess around with. If you folks don't kill the swarmers they are going to kill your fish FAST.

[msdolittle]

I've got my temp up to 85 and I'm using the rid ich (and I added some salt...).

How long is it safe to leave the temp so high Pete?

[pokagon55]

Originally Posted by lotsoffish

enough with the salt misinformation. I have had up to 3 teaspoons of salt per gallon in tanks and it still does not cure ich. If it did we all would have known this 50 years a go and nobody would be discussing it today. If you have ich in your aquarium turn up your temperature to at least 84 and treat it with a good medication. I prefer formalin, if my fish are hardy I also add malachite green. If you mess around with all these different opinions your fish will be dead before you realize what happened. Ich is nothing to mess around with. If you folks don't kill the swarmers they are going to kill your fish FAST.

Mis-information Read this http://www.thekrib.com/Diseases/ich.html
Don't see how this is mis-information
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.u...article_id=335
What about this by Matt Clarke? Mis-information?


This was not intented to go against your years of experience here just giving some good info. on the matter. I had ich a while back and used salt to cure it. I used 1 teaspoon per gal. water for three treatments at 12 hours apart for six weeks. Had no problems with any fish deaths and the ich was gone and hasn't returned.