hay everyone. my bro has ick in his tank. now i know a lot of people on here say to use aquarium salt so we did. but how often do you add it? is it true that u shouldnt do it if you have a type of fish. if so what kind of fish is it not good for. one more thing how long do we try it before trying some thing else
aquarium salt
- Thread starter USMCtanker
- Start date
Remember to raise the temperature too. 86 plus degrees farenheit should help rid the problem along with the salt. 
salt is generally safe for all kinds of fish. A safe dosage would be a tsp per gallon of water. Raise the temp slowly and make it go the mid to upper 80s.
the box said to add 1 tsp for every 5 gallons. should i add more and how often do i put new salt in
Cory cats can be a bit sensitive to salt, other than that I have had no problems but you might want to add an airstone as the water's O2 content will drop slightly. I use 2 teaspoons per gallon for treatment, (the 1 tsp/5 gal suggestion on the box is just for general usage, not treatment). Dissolve the salt in a couple quarts or a gallon of water then pour it into the tank, this prevents the formation of brine layers. Leave it in there for at least ten days at a temp in the mid 80s F.
If you add water during this time to replace evaporation losses do not add more salt.
If you do a water change during the treatment use salted water to replace the salted water you remove.
Only add salt when removing salt as it does not evaporate or get used up/broken down, if you add more you will slowly raise it to a lethal level.
You should see marked improvement in the first 2-3 days and the fish will look clear of ich in around 6-7, keep the salt in there for at least 10 days or expect it to come back.
If you add water during this time to replace evaporation losses do not add more salt.
If you do a water change during the treatment use salted water to replace the salted water you remove.
Only add salt when removing salt as it does not evaporate or get used up/broken down, if you add more you will slowly raise it to a lethal level.
You should see marked improvement in the first 2-3 days and the fish will look clear of ich in around 6-7, keep the salt in there for at least 10 days or expect it to come back.
thank u so muchok so how long should it take to see the tank geting better. my buddy added 2 tsp per gal. i raised temp to mid 80s and if anything my bros tank got worse. should he do a small water change, add some rid ick, or just sit back and see if it clears up.
Wait, the reason it seems to get worse right at first is that the spore stage goes through accelerated hatching into the mobile stage which is vulnerable. this diagram is from www.novalek.com. The organisms are now dying, within 2-3 days most of the spots will be gone, within a few days only a couple will be seen and at 85 degrees F a week from now none should be visible. There may still be some unhatched tophont in the tank so treat for the full ten days. Be patient.
