Treatment With Salt?

[robyngunston]

Hi there....

You often hear people talking about treating fish with salt...for infections or stress?? How do you do this and what salt do you use and how much??? Any help would be great, thanks!

 

[love_fish]

Well, you have corys and they cant tolerate salt becuae they're scaleless fish.

 

[robyngunston]

Well, you have corys and they cant tolerate salt becuae they're scaleless fish.

Thanks for the advice love_fish....thank goodness I never tried any!

 

[IceH2O]

Well, you have corys and they cant tolerate salt becuae they're scaleless fish.

I don't know about corys but being scaleless doesn't automatically mean they can't tolerate salt.

I have 3 clown loaches in a tank being treated for ich with 2tsp/gallon of salt. Its been at that level for 2 weeks now. I haven't noticed any stress, they are just as nutty and active as before.

Salt is less stressful than meds...IMO

 

[Captain Retardo]

It's something to do with their gills, FYI loaches have scales, just tiny tiny ones.

 

[afireinside]

There is only one type of salt. Doc. Wellfish Aquarium Salt. I have no idea if it harms cories (it supposedly works for all fish). But that's the only type of salt in my aquariums I use.

 

[pokagon55]

all fish can tolerate salt some just not as much as others. some say that tetra's can't do salt either,never had a problem, some say that pleco's don't do salt, never had a problem. Also siemese algea eaters don't do salt, still I have had no problem.

Some say not to use table salt, I have used regular table salt,never had a problem. But that is just my own tank.

 

[IceH2O]

I've always just used table salt, can't beat the price. Just make sure it doesn't have anti-caking agents in it. I use Mortons myself.

 

[Iron Man]

I also treated a tank with clown loaches with both a high level of salt in the water and high temps. It cured the ich and the clowns were all better than ever.

But this is the first time I've heard these fish have scales?

 

[andywg]

Pretty much all fish can handle salt in the short term for treatment, including coryies and loaches.

However, fish from South America (like most tetras and plecs) have no traceable salt in their water (it is very soft and acidic). Keeping them with salt will cause problems as they will not be able to osmoregulate effectively (keeping the right amount of water, salt, and other ions in the blood). This will most likely be borne out through a shortened lifespan and higher succeptibility to diseases.

 

[pokagon55]

I've always just used table salt, can't beat the price. Just make sure it doesn't have anti-caking agents in it. I use Mortons myself.

Yea that is what I use too.