Salt use with a planted tank

[Jnam]

I have done some searches here on the forum. Unfortunately I have had an outbreak of ich in the 29 gallon tank. its moderately planted with a very low tech approach. In the tank is some crypts, and vals some swords, and thats about it. I usually dose aquarium salt durring my PWC but half the recomended dosage. I find my fish stay healthier at this level. Well I introduced 5 new fish after a 2 week QT and BAM I had ich. So here is my question. Last time there was a break out I was able to easily clear it up with the salt heat method. But then my plants were all plastic, since then they are now alive. Is this advisable? Hopefully i hear from everyone soon so i can save my fishies!!

 

[JohnPaul]

Hmm...good question. In general, plants don't do well with much salt. I know really hard stuff like java moss and java fern (and maybe some anubias) do fine even in brackish conditions. But I am not sure about crypts, vals, and swords.

Seems to me you have a couple of options.

1. You could go ahead and give it a try and see what happens--at worst, you lose some plants but save your fish.
2. You could try to cure the ick using heat only (and no salt). You need to achieve temps of at least 84, preferably 86, and keep those temps for 2 full weeks in order to do this. You need to ramp the temp up to that level as quickly as you can without stressing your fish, since as the temp rises the ick will multiply & spread faster, which means your fish will get worse before they get better.
3. You could remove all of your plants (put them in an empty tank or big bucket of water) and then treat the tank using the salt & heat method. The thing to remember here is there is likely ick on the plants, so you need to keep the plants isolated (in a container with absolutely no fish) for at least 3 weeks, or 2 weeks if you heat the water up to the mid-80's. Unlike lots of protozoa which can go into a cyst/dormant stage and "hang around" for months (or years), ick cannot--if there is no host organism (fish) available, all of the available ick will die once the time for a complete lifecycle has passed. It will help your plants survive if you can put the bucket somewhere it is going to get some sunlight, and you may want to put a pinch of fishfood in the bucket as an ammonia source.

At least that gives you some options. Hope that helps.

 

[Purrbox]

I'd recommend just using the heat only treatment. Remember to keep the heat turned up for at least 2 weeks after the last visible Ich has disappeared.

 

[Zagz]

I would have to agree with Joy, heat only will work and your plants will survive as well.

 

[Jnam]

Thanks a lot, this is a side not question. I have always used about 1/2 tbsp per 5 us gallons salt. Would this or could this effect my plants?

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

Thanks a lot, this is a side not question. I have always used about 1/2 tbsp per 5 us gallons salt. Would this or could this effect my plants?

Low amounts of salt should be OK with plants from what I've read.

Most fish certainly dont need salt, but any changes to this should be done slowly, prob the same for plants. So sticking plants that are not used to salt in a tank with salt could be an issue? It would be better to make sure they are doing well then slowly add small amounts of salt.

 

[Purrbox]

Most plants will tolerate low levels of salt, but don't tend to do well with a lot of salt. This is one of the many reasons it's recommended not to use water that has gone through a water softener, since they replace the hardness with salt.

 

[Jnam]

Heat treatment is working out fantasticly. I did lose 3 fish =( two glowlights and a female guppy(who had 0 signs of ich?) Everyone else is fine. The plants seem no worse for the wear. I will be doing some large PWC to get the salinity down. But thanks again for the quick response. 1 more week of the high temps and we should be out of the woods.