Salt and plecos

[nik_n]

Hello,
I read that salt treatment can not be used in a tank with plecos because it can kill them. I'm pretty sure that's not true, especially if I follow the ratio of one table spoon of non ionised salt per 100l of water. However I do have 4 super red bristlenose plecos.

Is this true or is salt really deadly to plecos?

 

[Chen jing kai]

Hello,
I read that salt treatment can not be used in a tank with plecos because it can kill them. I'm pretty sure that's not true, especially if I follow the ratio of one table spoon of non ionised salt per 100l of water. However I do have 4 super red bristlenose plecos.

Is this true or is salt really deadly to plecos?

I use salt too and I have a pleco (l008) and it seems ok

 

[Colin_T]

Salt (sodium chloride) is safe for all freshwater fish species as long as you don't overdose it.

You can use sodium chloride to treat minor bacterial infections, minor fungal infections, external protozoan infections (not white spot or velvet though), gill flukes, anchorworm, epystylis, microsporidian infection, and a few other external parasites that affect fish and shrimp.

You can use 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of tank water. If there's no improvement after 48 hours, then you can increase the dose to 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres of tank water.

Keep the salt in the tank for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I have used it with mine. Once, he went nuts so I reduced the amount and he was fine.

 

[nik_n]

Ok thank you I just added a bit of salt to see how the appisto (the sick fish-fungi) and the plecos will react. I will keep any eye on them.

 

[dasaltemelosguy]

For what this is worth, I've had two 12" plecos for about two years in a 125G and I've used salt for medical issues repeatedly without them adversely reacting in any manner. I use salt when a fish injures himself or if there's any external marks that might be the beginnings of something parasitic. Once I had the salt in for 2 months due to a very stubborn ich issue and it cleared up and the plecos never exhibited any reaction. I just remove it via water changes. My 2c!

 

[Corypower]

But don’t use salt for scaleless fish like corydoras

 

[Colin_T]

Salt is fine for scaleless fishes too. The scales don't make any difference to the fish's ability to deal with salt. Too much salt is bad for the kidneys. Soft water fishes have smaller kidneys and are more likely to have issues with salt and other minerals like calcium and magnesium. Whereas fishes from hard water have bigger kidneys and can deal with more salt and minerals.

Fishes from brackish (partly salty) have bigger kidneys again and are fine with salt.

Fishes from the ocean have the biggest kidneys per body size, and are also fine with salt.

 

[Corypower]

So wether you go out with sunscreen or not you wouldn’t get sunburn ,that basically what you are saying which i disagree

 

[Colin_T]

So wether you go out with sunscreen or not you wouldn’t get sunburn ,that basically what you are saying which i disagree

that has nothing to do with salt or what I am talking about.

Scales offer physical protection against physical attacks against the fish.

Kidneys deal with salt and other minerals in the water.

 

[Corypower]

It’s basically what you are saying since scales are fishes protection

 

[Corypower]

You could kill fish by doing so