Myths about Goldfish and their care

**Fishguy2727** · 02-25-2011, 11:38 PM

Ich is not a disease I would make a conclusion like that based on. Fish are immune to it until stressed. If they were stressed by something (slightly bad temp during water change for example) it might stress them just enough to allow that one spot of ich to develop but the fish recovered on its own well enough to fight it off without assistance. If the salt was killing the ich it would not have started growing in the first place. If the salt wasn't too much to keep the ich from growing it wasn't enough to kill it.

**ILuvMyGoldBarb** · 02-25-2011, 11:40 PM

Personally, I would even question if it was even Ich.

**Fishguy2727** · 02-25-2011, 11:59 PM

What are you thinking Goldbarb?

**ILuvMyGoldBarb** · 02-26-2011, 12:21 AM

I'm not entirely sure what they are, but I've seen things like this on numerous occasions. It looks almost like a slightly oversized Ich cyst but it is just one and it only occurs on a fin and it is gone within a couple of days. I've never had one on my own fish, but I've seen them in stores many times.

**Zen Master Gold** · 02-26-2011, 04:22 PM

You could be right..but who really knows for sure? All I know is that there are numerous proponants for regular low level salting so there must be some benefit right?...For me, my fish and tank are healthy so it's obviously not harming them. That much I do know.

**Fishguy2727** · 02-26-2011, 08:03 PM

Just because you don't see a major issue immediately doesn't mean it's not harming them. The effects of constant salt use are long term and internal, like smoking. I believe someone else on the forum had an article on exactly that published in an aquarium magazine. These are freshwater fish, they don't need salt.

**Zen Master Gold** · 02-27-2011, 09:24 PM

I'm not saying they NEED it. I agree with you. But there is a reason that it's been advocated in the first place so somewhere along the line there must have been some observed benefit. I'm a chemist so I understand osmosis ect..so maybe its related to that theory, plus the disease remedy angles. I can't beleive that all the benefits have been just perceived.
What are the long term ill effects on the fish? This I don't know but maybe you do..I'd like to get that insight

**Goes to 11!** · 02-27-2011, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by Zen Master Gold

All I know is that there are numerous proponants for regular low level salting so there must be some benefit right?...

No,This is not a solid basis for your argument, It is Argumentum ad Populum [Def. B]

[I have no dog in this fight but It's frustrating seeing logical fallacies put up as valid arguments to support a position.

]

**Brhino** · 02-27-2011, 09:57 PM

Perhaps since the discussion is moving away from goldfish and towards salt in general, the sticky on Dispelling Some Myths about Adding Salt to FW Aquariums should be considered.