Fin rot salt treatment procedure

[Lcc86]

Here's a pic of him this morning.

 

[Colin_T]

Keep the salt in there until the medication arrives. Hopefully it slows the spread.

 

[Bamf Comics]

I was taught about the use of salt some 21+ years ago by Robert T. Ricketts aka RTR who was a legend in the hobby at the time. He wrote an article (one of many) on the use of salt which you san still find today onthe Aquarium Wiki and the Puffer site. There are likely more places. Here is what he wrote concerning the use of iodized salt.

That's a nice surprise, I figured everything we did back in 1999 and around there had ceased to exist. I used to be active with him daily on multiple message boards around there into the start of the new millennium. If I need salt now until I can buy the big 50 pounder, I just grab whatever the dollar store has for shakers. RTR would probably be thrilled I'm not dosing every tank all the time currently if he's still alive.

 

[Bamf Comics]

I had to do some digging but I was able to dig up the old files from the turn of the century from when we used to argue about salt for days on end. The link to RTR's old article is still there but it doesn't connect directly anymore as I expected. The data was accurate back in 2000 and I assume nothing about the basics have changed since then.

 

[Bamf Comics]

If I had to write it again I'd probably add some info on potassium chloride. It's a nice alternative for homes using water softeners instead of continually dumping sodium chloride into the ground your septic field encompasses, has some benefits for fish and plants can benefit from it as well. https://aquariumslab.com/how-to-get-more-potassium-in-my-aquarium/ I don't remember if it helps with ick or not.

 

[Lcc86]

Getting back on topic slightly the medication arrived last night so I dosed the tank. Unfortunately he's hiding again this morning, he was very active yesterday but I can barely coax him out today. I have to leave for work shortly but will check on him later when I get home before adding the second dose.

 

[Colin_T]

Make sure you don't overdose.

To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.

When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

If you have big rocks or driftwood in the tank, remove these before measuring the height of the water level so you get a more accurate water volume.

You can use a permanent marker to draw a line on the tank at the water level and put down how many litres are in the tank at that level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "FishForum.net Calculator" under "Useful Links" at the top right of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Calculator

Remove carbon from the filter before treating with chemicals or it will adsorb the medication and stop it working. You do not need to remove the carbon if you use salt.

Increase aeration/ surface turbulence when using salt or medications to maximise the oxygen level in the water.

 

[Lcc86]

Make sure you don't overdose.

To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.

When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

If you have big rocks or driftwood in the tank, remove these before measuring the height of the water level so you get a more accurate water volume.

You can use a permanent marker to draw a line on the tank at the water level and put down how many litres are in the tank at that level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "FishForum.net Calculator" under "Useful Links" at the top right of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Calculator

Remove carbon from the filter before treating with chemicals or it will adsorb the medication and stop it working. You do not need to remove the carbon if you use salt.

Increase aeration/ surface turbulence when using salt or medications to maximise the oxygen level in the water.

I followed the instructions on the bottle, if anything I was conservative with the dose to account for the decor. No carbon in the filter, it's just a sponge filter. I'll check him later and try to tempt him with some food.

 

[Bamf Comics]

Salt discussion is on topic.

I did a 70% water change last night and added 3 tsp of API aquarium salt and a katappa leaf (for good luck!), how often should I do water changes while doing the salt treatment?

You're posting that you're using API brand salt instead of a pure sodium chloride. API at the normal dosage may or may not have the needed amount of sodium chloride for any particular treatment depending on that disease/parasite and what the experts say is needed. API as I posted in that online handout form 25 years ago is not pure sodium chloride. Six different chlorides and iodine in the mix.

There's also no reason to have to dilute any of the salt treatments back out until well after you've cured whatever you're attempting to treat. Many of us have used low level salt as a permanent addition as a long term preventative for things just like this, ick and other things that salt can help prevent or cure. I've been on both sides of the fence and spent a lot of time discussing this stuff with RTR and others and in particular I'm already seeing negative benefits from not including salt in all the store tanks this time around the block. Instead of preventing problems, I'm reacting to them so the fish are already in trouble and being harmed by the time I identify the problems and add it. RTR talked me out of salting once before and loses went up dramatically until I went back to it for all the store tanks. I'm trying not to go back to it this time but it looks like I'll be flushing larger numbers of fish like before by not keeping it in the tanks with the new fish for a couple months at least. I'm pretty sure I'll be grabbing a 50 pound bag of pure sodium chloride with my next order. I may pick up some potassium chloride as well from the dollar store in small fill the shaker size salt alternatives to try with some of my plant tubs/tanks. I doubt I'll want a 50 pounder of that all at once.

 

[Lcc86]

Salt discussion is on topic.

You're posting that you're using API brand salt instead of a pure sodium chloride. API at the normal dosage may or may not have the needed amount of sodium chloride for any particular treatment depending on that disease/parasite and what the experts say is needed. API as I posted in that online handout form 25 years ago is not pure sodium chloride. Six different chlorides and iodine in the mix.

There's also no reason to have to dilute any of the salt treatments back out until well after you've cured whatever you're attempting to treat. Many of us have used low level salt as a permanent addition as a long term preventative for things just like this, ick and other things that salt can help prevent or cure. I've been on both sides of the fence and spent a lot of time discussing this stuff with RTR and others and in particular I'm already seeing negative benefits from not including salt in all the store tanks this time around the block. Instead of preventing problems, I'm reacting to them so the fish are already in trouble and being harmed by the time I identify the problems and add it. RTR talked me out of salting once before and loses went up dramatically until I went back to it for all the store tanks. I'm trying not to go back to it this time but it looks like I'll be flushing larger numbers of fish like before by not keeping it in the tanks with the new fish for a couple months at least. I'm pretty sure I'll be grabbing a 50 pound bag of pure sodium chloride with my next order. I may pick up some potassium chloride as well from the dollar store in small fill the shaker size salt alternatives to try with some of my plant tubs/tanks. I doubt I'll want a 50 pounder of that all at once.

I'm not saying salt discussion isn't on topic overall but felt the issue relating to my specific betta may have been getting diverted, perhaps a more general discussion on the benefits of salt is best for a separate thread?

I dosed as per the API instructions and advice of others on here as I had it on hand, I don't have storage space for a large bag of sodium chloride in my flat so I am somewhat limited in that respect. I obviously don't know 100% what's going on with my betta, initially thought it was fin rot but it may not be, hence the medication. I'm not super knowledgeable compared to others on here and am taking their advice on potential causes and treatments.

 

[Bamf Comics]

Sodium Chloride is your basic table salt you already have in the kitchen and can pick up 1 pound at a time from everywhere that sells food for under a buck US prices. You're not seeing the results you wanted to see from your initial use of API so it is relevant as an alternative to what you are doing presently. Using API, you're could be getting as little as 1/6th the amount of sodium chloride you thought you were depending on how the mix breaks down on any particular batch of their boxed salt. Here in the US, if it was a food product they'd have to list all the ingredients based on weight on the label but since it's not for consumption they don't have to. As mentioned, you can use salt at the same time you're using most meds, there are benefits, especially if the stress triggers a secondary ick outbreak or damages the biological filtration resulting in a possible nitrite spike. Some meds can severely disrupt the bio bed so I always go the route of bottled meds as a last resort and I'm not convinced anything containing anti biotics should even be allowed in the hobby due to other issues including encouraging antibiotic strains of nasties to develop we'll no longer have treatments for.

As a side note, the only reason I'm even here is I was searching for the message boards Tom and RTR who was mentioned in this discussion are at currently assuming RTR is still alive. Tom used to host message boards and online content that RTR wrote that article to post into specifically and he used to mentor me and others while hosting message boards for us to participate in as well as his own. I used to be one of his moderators along with RTR and others and all of us used to foray over to AA which was like a grand central station of massive fish discussion even in the dial up days. I hope to find them again wherever they are now and appreciate seeing the content still being referenced 25 years later by others which I wasn't expecting.

 

[Lcc86]

Unfortunately I can't find my betta anywhere after coming home from work. Considering it's a small tank (6g) he's found some good hiding spaces among all the plants. I'm not going to stress him out by pulling things apart, so I've added 2nd dose of meds. If I can't find him tomorrow I may have to take things apart as I think that'll be time to assume the worst.

 

[jossswonk]

My Betta is also fighting some fin rot right now so I know how you feel. Im hoping for the best for your Betta.

 

[Lcc86]

My Betta is also fighting some fin rot right now so I know how you feel. Im hoping for the best for your Betta.

Thank you! I just saw your thread a while ago, hope your boy makes a full recovery. I think I've got a bit more than fin rot going on but not sure...

 

[Lcc86]

I pulled the tank apart this morning expecting the worst. I found him and grabbed some pics, things are looking much worse in my opinion. Excuse the quality of the pics, this was right after I'd stirred everything up. He disappeared again straight after taking these. I've done two doses of the maraxyn so far but it looks to be progressing.