Aquarium salts..

IndefactorX · Post by **IndefactorX** » 24 Oct 2003, 22:22

alright.. this is my first time using/buying aquarium salt **as a medication** and it states that you should add one round tablespoon of salt for every 5 gallons!

i'm a bit nervous about using it because that seems like a preaty high concentration and i just need some guidance before i use it, it's on a fresh water tank and i dont know what proportions it should be used in...
in the 75 gallon tank i am keeping a 9" Oscar and a 9" blue channel cat as well as a small 3-4" c.pl*c

any help would be greatly appreciated

Post by **Silurus** » 24 Oct 2003, 22:24

What do you want to use the salt for?

Post by **Barbie** » 24 Oct 2003, 22:25

What exactly are you treating for that you need to add salt? The dosage on the box won't hurt anything, I usually use a teaspoon per gallon when I'm treating for ich, with 30% daily water changes and the addition of the same dosage of salt for 3 days. You have to watch pretty carefully on that third day, and sometimes I'll do another 30% water change after a few hours on the third day to lower the salt levels, but it has done the trick for me in the past. I don't just add salt to my tanks for a regular maintenance level though. Only if there's a problem.

Barbie

IndefactorX · Post by **IndefactorX** » 24 Oct 2003, 22:27

Silurus wrote:What do you want to use the salt for?

i bought it in the case that i may have to fight some ich, and also HITH on my oscar

all the fish right now are preaty healthy so i dont have any immediate use for aquarium salt

aeroflight · Post by **aeroflight** » 24 Oct 2003, 23:57

I recently used the method Barbie described without any ill side effects. Well, I actually did things a little different:

Day 1 - 50% water change / 1 tsp salt per gallon
Day 2 - 30% water change / 1 tsp salt per gallon
Day 3 - nothing
Day 4 - 30% water change / 1 tsp salt per gallon
Day 5 - nothing
Day 6 - 30% water change

Then blend it in with my regular water change schedule. In addition to Barbie's warning about keeping a close eye on your fish toward the end of the process (the salt may be getting to the fish by then, especially your cats), I'd also recommend that you dissolve the salt in a separate container and then add the saltwater to the tank. I had some pictus cats swim over some undissolved salt crystals; they didn't appreciate it very much.

Post by **Barbie** » 25 Oct 2003, 00:07

Sheesh, HH got that posted while I was still typing!

HITH has been attributed to everything from hexamita, to stray electrical voltage, to vitamin deficiency, to high nitrate levels, and probably numerous things in between. I'm not sure there really IS an effective treatment for it, other than responsible care for you fish BEFORE it becomes a problem. I personally saw alot of it in fish that people fed feeders consistently to at the store, but whether that is because of other factors their tanks had in common, I'll never know. Hopefully with regular tank maintenance as a preventitive measure, its a problem you'll never have to worry about

Barbie