Chuckmeister Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Salt As MedicationSalt is an under used treatment for many common freshwater fish parasites. Used properly, a saltwater bath can be very effective in eliminating “ich”, velvet, Trichodina, Chilodonella, and a number of less common parasites.Advantages. Salt treatments are: Very cheap - especially for large tanks or ponds. Safe for many species of fish Effective on many different parasites Unlikely to push sick fish over the edge. Unable to break down or get absorbed during treatment Hard to overdose. will not stain tank sealant Measurable ( Salt Level Test Kit) if really needed.Disadvantages. Salt treatments are: Dangerous to most plants Dangerous to certain fish (e.g. Corydoras catfish. Some loaches may tolerate short half doses - If in doubt please ask) Ineffective against gill flukes Removable only by water changes - will not get absorbed by carbon etcBest uses. Salt is a treatment of choice for most pond fish keepers,large aquariums and systems.It is very cost effective for use in large bodies of water. Also suitable for smaller bodies of water but of course scaled down.Dosage. Use one teaspoon of non-iodized (aquarium, canning, Kosher, rock salt, etc.) salt per gallon (roughly 5 litres) of water every 12 hours for a total of three treatments (total dose: 3 teaspoons per gallon (5 ltrs)). In cases where parasites are overwhelming fish, full dose may be added at once.Salt Dip - Add 1/2 cup of salt into 1 gallon (5litres) and place fish into the bath. DO NOT leave fish in for longer than 5 minutes or you may kill the fish. Time a few minutes (2 or 3) and remove the fish. Fish may float to the surface and tip on there side. This happens but make sure it is still moving. Remove fish otherwise.This post has been promoted to an article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ged Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Also fantastic as a prophylactic disinfectant for all those minor cuts and scrapes that cichlids are prone to get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simy696 Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 salt so your talking your normal cooking salt found in the kitchen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckmeister Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 You cant use iodized salt Simy. It needs to be non iodized salt. Most people that use salt as medication go up to the local pool shop and buy a bag of pool salt as its usually cheap to purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjoconr Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I just used the long exposure (at least 10 days) to salt and high heat method to get rid of ick (White Spot), it worked a treat. ( referenced from http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ich.php) The fish where covered in little spots so I assume there gills where also. As with any treatment process you need to make sure the O2 is as high as possible. The white spot lowers the gills effectiveness along with hotter than normal water doing the same. You can loose fish to stress if the O2 is not being pushed in to the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckmeister Posted August 15, 2015 Author Share Posted August 15, 2015 Yes to treat a tank for Ich you need you layer the salt over time and always add as much oxygen as possibleedit - you also need to be mindful of tank inhabitants. Salt can disagree with some species, loaches, some catfish etcIf you are not sure then ask and someone will likely offer guidance !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoody Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 im using the 3% feeds at the moment few fish not looking the best in the belly. see how i go im only on day 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5uka Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Can I say a big thank you to chuck and this thread! A fish of mine was looking unwell showing all the symtoms of stress eg heavy breathing, lethargic, not eating etc. Began a salt treatment as specified and a few days later fish is looking great and finally eating again!!!Completely forgot about the benefits of salt in an aquarium!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simy696 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 with the the salt bath for 5mins would you then return it to its normal tank or seperate it? in a hospital tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckmeister Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 I'm really happy that it worked for you 5uka. Often dont get any feedback. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5uka Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I added salt every 12hrs for 3 doses. If that didn't work I would have placed fish in salt bath. I'd assume best remove fish after salt bath so it can recover before placing it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.