effectiveness of salt bath

[svetlana]

I posted many times about my gourami problems. Well, one of them got white spot on the fin, on one ray of the fin, about 2 weeks ago. I treated the tank with Pimafix/Melafix for one week and the "pimple" did not develop but also did not come away. Today I noticed that the fish has 2 white stringy-like things attached to his lower lip. I searched the web and was unable to diagnose this. Although I found that salt bath (1 tea spoon of salt per liter, 30 min) is quite versatile treatment.
I put the fish in such a bath. He felt very bad in it of course but surprizingly white things disappeared and white spot on the fin became paler.
The fish is fine now - sprite and happy to be out of the salt.
I am wondering whether the bath was any good for him and can/should I repeat the treatment next day.
Did you guys use the treatment and how it worked out for you?

--si

 

[svetlana]

Repeated the bath today. Looks like it's working: one very small growth on lower lip that appeared over night came off, fin is clearing too although it has to regenerate a little when this thing goes away.
It's difficult procedure for fish though. I am wondering about possible side effects especially for respiratory system. If this treatment will be successful it will be good experience. Of course, apparently not every fish can endure this...
The guy looks happy in matter of minutes after the bath. Now he is aways on net lookput and it's getting more and more difficult to catch him.

 

[Jadenblack]

I am very glad that it seems to be working for you.

I have never had any luck with the salt dips my fish always died after

 

[svetlana]

Can you give more details how you did it and for what purpose?

 

[lmosness]

No natural treatments, by themselves, have worked for me. I've had to use chemicals. The white spot(s), I'm guessing is ick. If so, I add more salt, raise the temperature to the high 80's, & treat with both Quick Cure & Aquarisol (Quick Qure being formalin & malachite green, Aquarisol being a copper treatment). Only catch is that I had to remove my shrimp because one of those (if not both, having a hard time remembering) would kill invertebrates. The research I've done says that you have to treat it for at least a week. My uderstanding is that these are parasites that are always there but that some type of stress has caused the fish's immune system to weaken & the parasites "took over". From that point they form a cyst on the skin (hence the white spots that look like salt or sugar). From there the parasite falls off into the water & it has to be in the water to be killed. So, the treatment has to continue long enough for all of the parasites to make it through their life cycle to the point of falling off into the water. Raising the heat expedites the life cycle so helps to move things along.

 

[svetlana]

You are talking about ick, right?
Well, I could not identify the disease, I only can tell what's it's not. It is not caused by Protozoan parasites.
Anyway, I bought 10g hospital tank today and put Maracyn-2 and some anti-fungal stuff in it and put 2 gouramis and a cory, who banged his nose, in there.
I am very concerned about my dwarf puffers who are doing absolutely great (keep my fingers crossed) in my first tank, which I am the process of cleaning.
Salt bath did not work for 3 times. Third time it almost wacked my poor gourami, he's bully, true, but I admire his desire to live and thrive. So, I lost my nerve and decided to make things happen chemically.
I could not treat my primary 29g with all this stuff, so my wallet became lighter....but hopefully I won't need to treat my puffers with this chemicals...
I'll keep you posted...

--si

 

[nikon70]

i agree, normal natural treatments dont seem to work for alot of things but saying that making the temperature higher does help speed up the reproductive process of some diseases which removes it from the tank, but this should be used in conjuntion of chemicals to remove totally.

ick and some worm diseases etc.