SUPER MEDICINE SALT

Salt is a superior medicine for many reasons. Sea Salt, Rock salt, Non-Iodized Table salt are all acceptable for treatment of fishes. Caution! No YPS, Yellow Prussiate of Soda should be present in the salt. YPS is not harmful for the fish, but prussic acid can dissolve in water and cause the pH to drop drastically causing fish deaths. YPS is sometimes added as anti-caking agent. Sodium Silico Aluminate is an anti-caking additive. In small quantities, it's not a particular worry.    Add salt all at once if fish are really infected. If not gradually increase dosage gradually. The same way once the treatment is completed, salt shall be removed by slow water changes over a period of 5 to 10 days. Most of the fishes would love a permanent addition of 1 table spoon salt for every 5 Gallons. This would keep the fishes healthy and keep away many problems. Safe for 99% of fish, completely non-toxic to fishkeeper. Safe for cycle bacteria. Works slowly (21 days) to kill parasites, but well tolerated by most fish and shrimp. Not recommended for Tetras, Corys or smooth-skinned fish such as Kuhli Loaches and Clown Loaches. If the fish can tolerate heat/salt, it's the treatment of choice. Rough on plants, which usually show visible damage after 21 days, but which grow back after salt is removed and temps lowered. Treatment of choice for Guppys, Mollys, Platys, Swordtails.    Beware of fishes that do not like salt at all. You have to treat those fishes with standard medicines available in the fish stores. There are numerous reasons to reach for salt, first, for Ich. 1) It does not harm the majority of fish species. 2) It does not push sick fish 'over the edge.' 3) It eliminates, QUICKLY, most of the serious pathogens of tropicals. 4) It does not get bound out of the system by organics or sunlight. 5) It does not pose a health risk to humans contacting it. 6) It is CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP. 7) It WON'T harm your filter if administered in divided doses. Salt can be used in freshwater systems by adding one teaspoon of salt to each gallon of water every twelve hours for three treatments. You are gradually increasing the salinity to a level of 0.3% or three teaspoons per gallon total. The dose goes in gradually over 36 hours to avoid shocking the filter (especially Nitrobacter, which results in a short Nitrite surge). Some sensitive fishes will also do better when salted if it's added so gradually. Live plants can be killed or yellowed by this, so be careful to remove these before treatment. As a general rule, plants with a defined root system will usually survive salting, while floating varieties like Anachris, Cabomba and Wisteria are flatly killed. Many other plants will just bounce back once salt is removed from the system. What can salt do for me? Salt at 0.3% is credited with the clearance of the following: Ichthyophthirius (72 hours at tropical temperatures) Chilodinella (24-36 hours) Costiasis (Ichthyobodo necatrix) Almost every single Trichodiniid/Tripartiella organism. Glossatella (24 hours irregardless of temp) Scyphidia (24 hours irregardless of temp) Epistylis (24 hours irregardless of temp) Trichophrya (24 hours irregardless of temp) External Tetrahymena Inhibits trematode reproduction, clears 30% of adults. Inhibits Lerneiid reproduction Is there a type of fish to be careful with? Salt has been reported in some instances to cause health problems for the following fish: 1. Wild caught Discus. (Captive born specimens have no problem at all.) 2. Some Brokis britskii catfish 3. Otocinclus 4. Rafael Catfish 5. Ram Cichlids 6. Neon tetras 7. Cardinal Tetras 8. Tiger Barbs and Sharks die suddenly if chased with a net while salted. Note. The divided dosing schedule has alleviated alot of these problems, but use salt at your own risk in these cases. Sometimes the numbers of fish you have from these groups make them somewhat 'expendable' in the interest of saving the other fish. How long do I leave it in the water? 14 to 21 days may be required to totally eradicate certain parasites at certain temperatures. Rest assured, it could stay in the water forever. But for Ich it could also be removed within seven days and recurrence of Ich would be unlikely if temperatures during treatment were around 80 degrees F. Ten to fourteen days is suggested 'for best results' with Ich. Removal is by simple partial water changes.