Salt Ratio For A Hospital Tank

[Marc]

Just asking the question if anyone knows the safe ratio for adding salt to a freshwater hospital tank?

[Jools]

Hiya Marc

There are a number of names in the aquaculture/aquarium trade for the varying degrees of salt treatments. Here are a couple i can remember off the tp of my head.
A salt BATH is generally around 5-10 parts per thousand ( ppt ) and a freshwater fish can withstand this treatment for a prolonged amount of time generally 24 hours or plus.
A HOT DIP can be a salt solution up around 20-30 ppt depending on the nature of the bug and fish species in question they can usually only tolerate this for a much shorter period of time say around 15-30 mins.
Hope that helps a bit.
Jools

[joz]

I used to add 1 cup of rocksalt to a 160 ltre tank for parasite treatment and that was for discus.It was actually amazing the better color that they showed when being treated.
So I'm sure Africans could take more than this.

[joz]

BTW,just a point to think about.
That if adding salt to a community tank,which I have done.
Is make sure there are no catfish in it they really don't like salt.
I&#39;ve lost both corys and plecos like this http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif

[Marc]

Thanks for the info guys. A handy thread to refer back to when required.

[Aquaman]

Hi Guys,

First post for me today&#33;

Which salts should be avoided and which salts are okay in the use of a salt treatment?

Regards,
The Aquaman http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[leongross]

Hi Guys,

First post for me today&#33;

Which salts should be avoided and which salts are okay in the use of a salt treatment?

Regards,
The Aquaman http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/b]

We always got the salt from fish shops, you have to be really careful with anything else as it may have additives which wont be good for their health.

[joz]

I only ever used rock salt,must never use iodised.

[wombat1100]

I found this while surfin the net, does this sound excessive??????


Salt Treatment/Salt Bath
This is a treatment that is as old as the aquarium hobby itself. Treating with salt is undoubtedly the safest way to treat fishes. While chemicals such as Formalin, Malachite Green, and copper are considered by some to be more reliable, these are strong substances to impose on a guppy and must be handled with care since they have the potential to cause cancer in humans. Using salt is especially handy with guppies, since they are built to withstand a lot of salt - they do that quite well. Salt is especially effective against fungal infections and some parasitic problems such as ich. If diagnosis is difficult, try salt. Normally the salt treatment lasts 10 days. Note: This bath is not intended as an additional treatment and should not be combined with other medication.


Days 1 - 3: add I teaspoon of salt per gallon of water, every morning and every night. (2 teaspoons /gallon/day)

Days 4 - 7: Leave water alone.

Days 8 - 10: Remove half of the tank water each day and replace with unsalted, chlorine-free water at the correct temperature.

If by day 7 you see any improvement (but not a total cure), wait until day 10 to start changing the water in the tank. Be sure to change half the water once a day, for three days at the end of the salt treatment. Also, don&#39;t wait longer than 10 days to start changing the water, as the salt itself can begin to cause problems for your fish.