Prepping tank for new fish after loss - water changes and aquarium salt?

[alli789]

My betta sadly had to be euthanized last week. He had no signs of illness so I believed it to be old age, but I want to ensure that if it was an invisible illness the tank will be safe for a new betta in a few weeks. My current ideas are to do a full water change and treat the tank with aquarium salt. I'm not sure which I should do first, treat the current water with salt and then change it out, or change the water, treat with salt, and change again. I don't want to crash my cycle so I want to try and do it correctly. Any tips or ideas?
The tank is planted but only with java fern, anubias, and moss balls, so I'm not too worried about the salt affecting the plants since they're so hardy. I have checked parameters and they're fine, I plan on continuing to monitor them.

 

[Ichthys]

I wouldn’t use salt. I’d just do a water change and add fish. If you leave the filter without food (ammonia, nitrite) for too long you might need to cycle it again.

 

[alli789]

I wouldn’t use salt. I’d just do a water change and add fish. If you leave the filter without food (ammonia, nitrite) for too long you might need to cycle it again.

Ok, thanks! I'm planning on dosing with some ammonia too to check that the cycle is still functioning properly

 

[GaryE]

Agreed on the salt. It's used to irritate the skin of the fish and provoke slime, an immune response. It's a great chemical to use when fish are in the tank, but otherwise, doesn't do much.