not everybody is a saint. mistakes are made, and when the time arises for action its good to have the info, rather than a "i told you so."
Salt who still believes ???
- Thread starter skynoch
- Start date
Your post is rather vague. Could you please explain your side on this matter?lincolngoh;3183644; said:
Lupin;3183652; said:
I use a compound made from montmorillonite clay with many mineral salts. Even before this I never added salt as none of my fish have fallen sick. To treat ray 'love' bites I use natural herbal antiseptic leaf extracts, mainly from Ketapan leaves.
Yes; salt has worked for us in numerous situations. We always have a supply of Kosher salt in our house. It's not the cure-all, but it's a good first idea. It's alright to start with around 1 lb. per 100 gallons.
That said, nothing beats good comprehensive understanding of the problem. A microscope, a stingray book, and a few MFK posts should more than handle any issue that a common hobbyist encounters.
That said, nothing beats good comprehensive understanding of the problem. A microscope, a stingray book, and a few MFK posts should more than handle any issue that a common hobbyist encounters.
I don't see anything in your post explaining why to avoid sodium chloride however you are right in saying not to use salt unless the fish has health issues in which case, the use of salt is hereby warranted. The tannins from the leaves do have antibacterial properties and do help.lincolngoh;3183702; said:
I'd rather see more people move towards prevention of issues by proper care rather than look to salt treatments as a fall back.
Yes, I'm well aware 'things' come up even in ideal tanks.
Have I used salt in the past? Yes.
Is it the first tool I reach for? No.
Do I think it's a 'cure all'? Not by any means.
Do I think it's long term use has a negative impact on FW rays? Yes.
Yes, I'm well aware 'things' come up even in ideal tanks.
Have I used salt in the past? Yes.
Is it the first tool I reach for? No.
Do I think it's a 'cure all'? Not by any means.
Do I think it's long term use has a negative impact on FW rays? Yes.
Zoodiver;3185548; said:
best quote of the day
in over 15 years of ray keeping i have never used salt for my rays
i have used melafix for other fish with split fins but never salt
water changes more water changes thats all a sick ray needs
rays are not hard to take care of anyone who has kept them for sometime can tell you that
as long as you keep on top of the water changes and keep your tank clean you cant go far wrong
i am also a firm believer that keeping the temp high 86 with lots of airation also keeps the rays healthy
by adding salt at every water change you are expecting a problem
T1KARMANN;3188239; said:
I agree with everything you said except this.
86 is imo too high for extended periods of time. In Nature the temperature is lower than this most of the time ( 72-82 day/night norm.) If you constantly high-rev the engine you burn it out.
Ok I'm all glad we agree on prevention being the first standard of ray keeping. In that said I've been trying a little experiment with my sick xingu's. Two of the rays I added 1lb per 100 gallons for 2 days and there appetite returned to normal and they are eating like champs with no problems for over a month now. I tried just doing an abundance of waterchanges to start and they ate, but very little.
The third sick xingu I stuck in a drip system where the nitrites are trace and nitrates are always under 10 ppm. This xingu still has a very small appetite and always looks thin. When I first got it it was eating everything and well until they got sick. Now again this could be a fluke the rays that got salt are fine and the ray thats only recieved clean water is still having problems. I'm going to try the clean water method only for a little longer and then try adding a low dose of salt and see what happens. I'll keep you posted on the results.
The third sick xingu I stuck in a drip system where the nitrites are trace and nitrates are always under 10 ppm. This xingu still has a very small appetite and always looks thin. When I first got it it was eating everything and well until they got sick. Now again this could be a fluke the rays that got salt are fine and the ray thats only recieved clean water is still having problems. I'm going to try the clean water method only for a little longer and then try adding a low dose of salt and see what happens. I'll keep you posted on the results.
