3 Questions salt, stress coat and bacteria

[freefour]

Hi all just wanted to know if anyone had used these and what would you say about them . The first is Stress coat from aquarium pharmaceuyicals . Did it do what you wanted and would you suggest it. next is TLC bacteria in a bottle , Have you used this ,I had a nitrite and nitrate spike and am going to use some . Would like to know if you have used and would you recamend. Last is aquarium saly (1 tablespoon for 10 gal.) Will it hurt my snail? Thanks

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I have not used any of the above listed chemicals except for the aquarium salt. Why are you wanting to dose with these?

 

[TomK2]

I used the stress coat stuff a lot many years ago. I bought into the whole "boost your fishes protective slime layer" thing. I did not notice any benefit, nor any harm. I don't use it anymore.

 

[Musket]

When my eel jumped out of the tank and I found her covered in fur and dirt on the floor, I used stress coat on her. I put her in a little bowl with tank water and an air stone, and my hand. I sat with her cupped in my hand for at least an hour. I squirted her with Stress Coat about every 20 minutes. She recovered. And she recovered the 2nd time we went thru the process as well.
The 3rd time she escaped (and to this day I don't know how she did it), I didn't find her in time.
I didn't use it as a dechorinator, I used it for it's healing. This was many years ago. I still use it when adding fish, if I have a sick or stressed fish/

In the past I have always used salt. I still do, but not a ton. I do not use it with every water change. Sometimes I only use 1 tsp per 10g.
It has never hurt my snails.

 

[freefour]

Well I had a nitrite and nitrate spike I mean a realy big spike . I had been moveing around some stuff in the tank and reorginized a lot causeing a lot of stuff to come up . I had been haveing some problems for about a week and so I did a 30% water change . Rinsed out my biofilter and mechanical filter ( and yes in the old tank water) . My calico fantail just isn't eating and seemed sick . The gold fantain is healthy as a horse and has grown to about almost twice the size of the calico. Anyhoo I took a reading this morening and my nitrite spiked to 5.0 and my nitrate spiked at aroud 80. Amonia was also higher than normnal. I have added the salt and the bacteria and the calico seems to be feeling better , moveing around and not just staying in one place .The gold is like I said as healthy as a horse, eating everything he can find.

 

[Zagz]

Salt will help the fish's gills in an ammonia spike. Otherwise it isn't necessary IMO. Stress coat didn't help in any instance I have used. Larger water changes, up to 75% are the best thing for such a high nitrite spike.

 

[Jchillin]

Will it hurt my snail?

Salt isn't good for FW snails.

 

[studmaster]

Well *if* the bacteria in the bottle does work, it would only work for nitrite, not nitrate. From what I read, only live plants and water changes help get rid of nitrate.

I do however use 1 tbsp/5 gallons of salt for my mollies, and the small snails seem to deal with it. My mollies do noticeably better with the salt. I have read the thousands of posts debating the use of salt in tanks, but in the end, try it out and be observant to what your fish seem to like.

 

[SCFatz]

Amonia was also higher than normnal

Whats "normal" for your tank and how high is "higher".I noticed that all of the pics in your gallery are new..how long has the tank been up and running?

Fatz

 

[freefour]

The tank is about 1 1/2 mths old. The fish are older . I just didn't have a chance to take any pics until recently. When I transferd the fish from the old tank everything came with it, substrait, the ceramic cave on the right , plants and the water . I also soaked the old filter in the new tank for about a week. Oh and amonia was steady at 0 it had gotten to 6.0 it is now 0.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Mollies "technically" are brackish fish. But now that they have been breed in tank conditions for so long, they are freshwater species. If you obtain a molly that is wild caught or a close relation, they would appreciate marine salt, not freshwater salt. That is two different things.

Freshwater aquarium salt helps against nitrite poisoning, but only dose on the recommended advice on the box. Usually it's 1 tbs per 10 gal.

 

[Menagerie]

Well I had a nitrite and nitrate spike I mean a realy big spike . I had been moveing around some stuff in the tank and reorginized a lot causeing a lot of stuff to come up .

When you moved the fish to the new tank, it looks like a new cycle or a minicycle was initiated. When "a lot of stuff" came up, your best bet was to vacuum the tank. It sounds like rotting food and other debris is causing the water quality harm. How often do you do PWC?
As for your original questions, stress coat and the TLC bacteria in a bottle are not highly recommended. Simple dechlor and PWC will help this tank immensely. As for salt, that’s up in the air. I used to put salt in 1 teaspoon per 5 or 10 gallons, but no benefit was shown. As far as FW snails and salt, depending on the species, they will be fine with that small amount of salt. Keep in mind no natural body of water is truly salt free.

 

[freefour]

Every week I do a pwc this week I have done 2 and this is the 2nd one today ( ok so 3 this week) I vacume the tank every time I do a pwc .