Slight Emergency.....

[Insomniac]

Hey everyone,

I just added salt to a tank with two botias in it, and now I am beginning to think that that wasn't a good idea. They're not acting strangely, but I am a paranoid person....I added it because I have a cichlid in there that has some a slight skin irritation. Should I do a partial water change? I added the amount reccomended on the box....a table spoon for every five gallons. It's an 80 gallon tank.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Lateral Line]

Salt is not tolerated well by Botias, and scaleless fish in general, it is apollutant and irritant of course, but the salt is also absorbed throught he skin much more readily then through the scales of scaled fish.

This leads to osmotic imbalance and the kidney has to work extra hard to keep the electrolyte levels balanced inside the fish. This extra strain stress the fish, reduces the effectiveness of the fishes immune system, leaving it more subject to disease, will shorten the life, and can kill by osmotic shock in extreme cases.