Treating ICH with salt?

[Lady Hobbs]

Aquarium Salt may be used as a short-term bath to treat external parasites (Tricodina, Ichthyobodo, or Epistylis). Dissolve 2 ½ cups (370 g) for every 10 U.S. gallons (40 L) of aquarium water. Carefully place the infested fish in the container for 5 to 10 minutes, and then put the treated fish back into the aquarium. The bath may be repeated in 24 hours if necessary.

Here's a way to treat ICK/ICH with salt without dosing whole tank or turning up heat for two weeks.

Of course this won't work if your whole tank is infected with them.

[cocoa_pleco]

salts a pretty good general cure.

Whatever was on my betta cured. I did melafix/pimafix and salt, and the white thing went away.

salt baths are good for parasites too

Ick is a parasite doo-doo:help:

[Lady Hobbs]

This would work the minute you saw a spot on your fish and no others appeared to have it. Too late once the tank is full of it tho. I'd rather give a high shot to it to one than treat a whole tank for 2 weeks on high temps.

[cocoa_pleco]

if its a epidemic, use strong meds on the whole tank because separation does nothing. Like hobbs said, if its one fish that is beginning to get it, separate and use salt.

Remember, some fish cant handle full on treatments and salt. Corys and some catfish cant handle salt and full strength meds.

[Nautilus291]

2.5 cups per us 10g that seems like alot but I guess if its only for 10 minutes Then It would be ok.

[Lady Hobbs]

You'd have to really watch and yank them out the first sign of any stress for sure. Nice to see you Adam. Miss you around here.

[crackatinny]

Remember, some fish cant handle full on treatments and salt. Corys and some catfish cant handle salt and full strength meds.[/quote]

Good point, I was just about to add that, maybe this warning should be put in all salt treatment threads.

[cocoa_pleco]

it should. Many people make the mistake of salt with corys and full meds on cats

[crackatinny]

it should. Many people make the mistake of salt with corys and full meds on cats
And also loaches cannot handle salt or full strength meds.

[Lady Hobbs]

Right on. This treatment is not for bottom dwellers and even using the salt method to treat a whole tank for a long period is not liked by them. It burns them, I hear.

[kimmers318]

I tried aquarium salt in one tank one time. I forget now how much I used, but it was going on the general method of "so much per 10gal" as a general tonic/stress reducer etc. Within 10 minutes my fish were all going nuts, as soon as I did a wc they settled right down. Since then I have stayed away from salt.....not sure what salt does to my water but it ain't good:confused: .
I did not see these problems though when I brought home my modestus puffer who had been kept in brackish water so I had to bring the tank up to his levels and slowly acclimate him over to fw during the next couple of weeks. That was not aquarium salt though, that was the instant ocean salt made for brackish/saltwater tanks.

[cocoa_pleco]

most of the fish affected are scaleless. For example, upside down cats have skin texture, not scales.

If we got shot with a paintball with a down-filled jacket on, it doesnt hurt too much because we have protection, like scales to a fish. However, if we have a t-shirt on, and get shot with a paintball, its gonna really hurt like full meds on a catfish, no protection.

[kimmers318]

The salt was being used on a Q tank that had platy, (they stayed in to keep it cycled) a dwarf gourami and german blue rams. Unfortunately I ended up with a situation where the gourami got beat up so they went into Q to heal, then the german blue ram females also got the crap beat out of them by the male so they had to share. A few days later the GBR showed signs of illness and I decided to try a salt treatment before starting any kind of serious meds by using the amount suggested as routine in tanks for osmosis and stress reducer.