I came home to a dead betta..

[Emmet]

I actually have a bag of pure salt from my trip to Poland last week maybe this is the solution?

 

[Lilyann]

And nitrate was really 80ppm?

What is this? Why did you quote me here?

 

[FishGuest5123]

What is this? Why did you quote me here?

That was my quote. I am tolerating your rudeness right now but if it continues action will be taken. I have PM’d you in conversations. Please read. Thank you.

 

[Donya]

I actually have a bag of pure salt from my trip to Poland last week maybe this is the solution?

I wouldn't. If it's a lump of halite, that's not what you want. If it's not pure halite then it would be hard to tell what other minerals are involved. Be safe and use an aquarium salt mix even if it takes a little while to get some.

One thing to be aware of is that "salt" for aquariums doesn't necessarily mean pure NaCl, which can be a very harsh thing depending on how an animal gets exposed to it. Here's an excerpt from API's page on their aquarium salt (the mix intended for freshwater aquariums, not a marine salt mix):

API® Aquarium Salt, made from evaporated sea salt, is a must-have for your aquarium! (…) It also provides essential electrolytes that fish need to reach peak coloration and vitality.

Assuming this description is accurate as far as what the mix contains (not necessarily its claims of benefits), it's not pure NaCl and is also compositionally pretty different from standard table salt. When balanced right, the constituents of sea salt-based mixes and also marine salt mixes have less effect on the overall water chemistry and are less reactive with things like mucous membranes (this is the same reason you shouldn't use table salt in a neti pot to clean your sinuses - it burns something awful!).​

 

[seangee]

@seangee, please respond!

Sorry guys - have to sleep sometime. Have responded direct to OP.

 

[seangee]

That was my quote. I am tolerating your rudeness right now but if it continues action will be taken. I have PM’d you in conversations. Please read. Thank you.

Guys - please can we take this down a level, several levels in fact. And no need to take stuff personally, I haven't seen any rudeness.

 

[seangee]

@Emmet there is a lot of stuff going on in this thread so rather than indulge in arguments etc here is a plan I propose, and what I would do if it were my tank.

1. Keep testing for nitrites daily. Any time you have a non zero reading do a 75% water change. Accept the readings on the strips until your liquid tests arrive.
2. Use Seachem prime as your de-chlorinator and dose as if you were doing a 100% water change. This has the effect of temporarily blocking the toxicity - but be aware that it only lasts for 24 - 48 hours. This is why I suggest dosing for the whole tank while we are in crisis mode.
   
3. If you have used any salt that's ok, even if it is table salt or iodised. 75% of it will be removed with today's water change. Don't bother putting any more in as the Seachem prime performs the same function
   
4. Personally I would not even bother testing for ammonia for 2 reasons. (1)You have acidic water which means that your tank contains ammonium (NH4) rather than ammonia (NH3). While its not something you want going in your fish its not going to kill them. (2) You have nitrites which means you already have the nitrosomonas bacteria. These bacteria multiply very quickly so if your levels are not already zero they very soon will be (and you are still changing water anyway.)
5. My earlier comments about fast growing floating plants are still valid

For now lets leave it at that until the crisis is over and then we can review follow up actions, its worth your while reading up on general aquatic care in the meantime. Please do keep us updated on your progress and good luck. When you have zero nitrite readings for 2 days in a row (without water changes) you will be out of the woods.

@everybodyelse - feel free to disagree with me via pm. It is NOT helpful to present conflicting advice just because we have different opinions

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Never use iodized table salt in an aquarium!

Never use table salt in an aquarium!!

You will kill your fish, the salt will pollute the water with iodine, and possibly injure, or even kill your fish.

As @seangee said, if you do a water change right after, you should be ok, is that worth the Risk? It is the OP’s choice......

 

[Emmet]

I’ve purchased by fresh water master test kit along with a few fast growing and floating plants to bring down the parameters.

My parameters:

- pH: 7.6 ppm
- Ammonia: 0 - 0.25ppm
- No2: 0.50ppm
- No3: 20ppm

The new shop I’m going to is called seahorse Aquariums in Dublin, Ireland. High reviews, excellent set up, knowledgeable staff with degrees to back it etc if anyone knows it.

I purchased a floating plant which is supposed to be great for removing the bad parameters as well as another routed plant.

I also have gotten a Polymedia to remove copper, ammonia, iron, aluminum, lead, and heavy organics.

 

[Fishmanic]

I have also read elsewhere to use non iodinized salt. So why chance it....use salt recommended for aquariums or use kosher salt. dissolve it in a large jar first before adding to tank and distribute it around all edges of the aquarium..

 

[FishGuest5123]

I’ve purchased by fresh water master test kit along with a few fast growing and floating plants to bring down the parameters.

My parameters:

- pH: 7.6 ppm
- Ammonia: 0 - 0.25ppm
- No2: 0.50ppm
- No3: 20ppm

The new shop I’m going to is called seahorse Aquariums in Dublin, Ireland. High reviews, excellent set up, knowledgeable staff with degrees to back it etc if anyone knows it.

I purchased a floating plant which is supposed to be great for removing the bad parameters as well as another routed plant.

I also have gotten a Polymedia to remove copper, ammonia, iron, aluminum, lead, and heavy organics.

Things are looking much better today. My apologies for the insanity yesterday. Things normally don’t go South on here like that. How are the fish looking today?

 

[Emmet]

It's alright, everyone is entitled to a good and honest opinion. The world would be a horrible place if we all shared the same mind...

Everyone's happy. No blemishes, spots or other strange features on my children! I'm going to add this polymedia into my tank now before doing a water change.

I've posted the product and the related information with it below too.

 

[seangee]

Can you double check the pH? Its a logarithmic scale so the difference between yesterday's 6.5 and today's 7.6 .is pretty big, although your first post did say between 7 and 7.5. As a control it is worth putting some tap water into a glass and testing it for pH after 12-24 hours. If its the API master kit test with both the pH and the pH high test. One of those will be off the scale - the other one is the one you need to use in future.

An interesting (but not essential) test would be to compare the NO3 in your tap water immediately before the water change. No need to wait as that won't change once it is out of the tap. This may provide a clue as to how far along your cycle is.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Be sure to remove that from the tank before you begin the med treatment. Any charcoal also.

 

[Emmet]

Be sure to remove that from the tank before you begin the med treatment. Any charcoal also.

Thank you for the tip!