Holy crap guys! I might as well give up fish forever...
- Thread starter PaiLum92
- Start date
Lupin;4328264; said:
I'm not trying to argue, I've seen what only topping off tanks vs changing the water does to fish. A friend of mine didn't know you were supposed to replace water, so for 4 years he had his tank he only cleaned his filter. His fish were ragged looking compared to mine. Proper education and care of your fish goes a long way. My mom asked why I did water changes and when I explained it to her like this, "Would you have left your dog in a burning house? No, so why leave the fish in bad water?" it made sense to her. But she's also seen how healthy the fish are and how beautiful they are. She doesn't question it anymore.
I also know I'm a noob to this compared to a lot of folks on here. I still have questions and a lot to learn. To the OP, the best advice is to look to the internet or smaller chain fish stores. Treating with meds for ich should always be last resort. There are times meds are needed, but raising your temp and adding the salt is all you need for ich. My electric blue Jack Dempsey had ich break out shortly after I got him, I did that treatment and within 2-3 days it was gone.
what type of salt? Aquarium salt, or table salt? it would seem to me that table salt would hurt her, shes only about 5 inches...
table salt is fine, its basically the same thing as aquarium salt just cheaper, just make sure to get salt that doesn't have yellow prussiate in it (salts all have to have some kind of anti-caking agent, so just make sure the one yours contains isn't yellow prussiate) i never use aquarium salt, only regular salt. i buy the big blue boxes of Morton's table salt and never had any issues and so do a lot of other knowledgeable members on here. but do water change to take out the meds that are in there, i wouldn't mix the meds with the salt, and yeah i would keep the lights off as well to minimize stress until she starts acting normal again
Wow this got way off topic. All I have to say is every fish I ever bought from petsmart had ich. Most of the time I knew it when I bought the fish and just treated it.
Petsmart is not the best place to buy fish.
How is your fish?
Petsmart is not the best place to buy fish.
How is your fish?
salt with iodine is fine, the iodine is in such minuscule amounts that it has not been found to be detrimental to the fish and some even think it might be somewhat beneficial, its just the yellow prussiate you have to worry about as it forms a toxic compound when exposed to sunlight when in solution (at least this i what i have learned from reading in the illness section)
I use rock salt. Morton brand calls it ice cream salt and it comes in a red box. It's a lot cheaper than aquarium salt, I think. This is also what I use to hatch brine shrimp.
Water changes will not harm fish if done properly. If the pH and temperature are matched (or very close) they shouldn't even flinch. My fish get very active during water changes and it often stimulates spawning activity. I change 75% of the water in my 150 and 210 weekly. My cichlids would NOT be happy campers if I missed more than a couple weeks.
Water changes will not harm fish if done properly. If the pH and temperature are matched (or very close) they shouldn't even flinch. My fish get very active during water changes and it often stimulates spawning activity. I change 75% of the water in my 150 and 210 weekly. My cichlids would NOT be happy campers if I missed more than a couple weeks.
yeah i agree with ryan about the waterchanges, my fish actually really enjoy them and will go out of their way to come and swim in the fast flowing fresh water coming out of the hose. however i wouldn't advise using rock salt, obviously ryan hasnt had any bad side effects yet but rock salt/ice cream salt has some kinds of additives or it isnt refined enough or something that it isnt even safe for human consumption, so i usually go by the adage if its not safe for people, it most likely isnt that safe for my fish either
