branjie Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Hi all, I have had my Betta Ernie for about a month now, initally in my community tank, but now he has his own 10 Litre tank. I've read that aquarium salt in a Betta's tank can help prevent them from getting sick. Is this true? If so, what salt do I buy, and how much do I put in? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brettc777 Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Yes it is true. Helps prevent disease by getting rid of toxins in the water. I think its about a teaspoon per 10 litres. You have to use Sea salt not your normal salt. They sell it as rock salt too, just make sure there is nothing added to the salt i.e its just pure salt. This might also help you http://ausaqua.net/forum/index.php?showtop...162&hl=salt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
branjie Posted August 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 O.K thanks brett. I'll have a look for a small bag of sea salt. What about when you do water changes, do you add any more salt? I have a 10 Litre tank, and my plan is to do twice weekly 25% water changes, and a 100% water change every ten days or so. I hope that's a good plan. I guess I'll just add the salt when I do the 100% water changes, and not worry about when I do the smaller changes??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brettc777 Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 People usally add the salt to all new water. Its up to you when to use it. Some people like to be safe and use it on every water change... so if you do a 25% then that would mean you would put enough salt for 2.5 litres etc. On the other hand some people only use it for sick fish... personally i like to use it all the time as a preventative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 when you ask do you need to, the answer is no. I haven't salted my bettas in years. If your betta is healthy then I'd keep doing what you're doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
branjie Posted August 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 I think I'll put some in to be on the safe side . Thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betta_Endeavours Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 The less fiddling the better IMO. Relying on addatives for your bettas health could be problematic in that when something goes wrong the outcome could be so much worse. Just the same as when parents of young children/babies over use anti bacterial produces. It means that they aren't able to cope with illness as well and any that do come up are much worse because they can't fight it off Just my thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
branjie Posted August 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 I am also against antibacterial products, as it helps promote resistant organisms, and I do not try to keep my kids in a sterile environment, as this would not prepare their immune system for the real world. I guess you could give the same reasoning for not keeping the fish tank super clean, if fish immune systems are anything like our own. Something to think about I guess. Maybe some salt would be good to have handy in case I run into trouble? Or would I be better off having some Bettafix/Melafix? I've become so attached to my Ernie, I want to make sure he's looked after. Betta Endeavours will you be selling any Bettas in the future? I've been looking for a breeder in Adelaide. I am hoping to buy two more males for my birthday in November . That purple one in your profile is stunning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted August 19, 2007 Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 Good clean water doesn't always equate to a pristine tank. It is tricky to keep tanks within the super-clean range anyway, it can be done, but most well established tanks have plenty enough bugs to keep the immune system stimulated. Depending on your setup, you should have a few things on hand. My top pick would be Pimafix, Melafix, Multicure and non-iodized rock salt, in that order. It would also be good to have a small bottle of either Cycle (hagen) or Rightstart (tetra) or Nitravec (sera) biological starter, and a bottle of Ammolock2 (or A.C.E.) or a thing of ammonia rocks or zeolite. That should cover you for most things, because we all know that disasters always happen on a Saturday night of a long weekend when the fish shops are all closed With the salt, it can help with tank cycling, it can help if your fish is having difficulty with fluids, and it can help if you are trying to push freshwater bacteria or parasites into a salinity range that they can't handle. It can also irritate the skin into producing more slime coating and can muck around with the osmotic pressure, which isn't always what you want. It does have its place, but it isn't necessary in FW fish tanks, and really most fish who are happy with salt are just as happy without. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
branjie Posted August 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 What about salt in an uncycled tank? My Ernie seems miserable since I tried adding a BN catfish to his tank, and took it out. I also had trouble getting him out for a 100% water change recently, and kind of caught him between the glass and the edge of the plastic cup I was catching him with. It's times like that, that I wonder if I should add a bit of salt just in case he's sick or injured. If I had all of those medicines, I wouldn't Know what to do with them. I should have something on hand though, as you said, fish get sick at the most inconvenient times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted August 25, 2007 Report Share Posted August 25, 2007 are you going to allow the tank to cycle? if so, any chance you could do that without Ernie in it? He will live a much longer and happier life if you do. 100% water changes are very stressful. The labels on the suggested medicines will tell you what to do with them . Calla really only suggested 6 things, and of those, half basically relate to managing the ammonia and nitrite issues experienced in an uncycled tank. I can't see any down side in adding salt, as long as you use the right dose and dissolve it in water first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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