adding salt to treat ich,how much??

[Biggles]

hi ,I have read that you can add salt to a tank to help treat ich,my black moor has ich so I am assuming the rest of the tank will be infected,I am currently trying to raise the temperature of the tank but we are experiencing a cold snap here ,it is winter and very low temps at night so my heater is stuggling to keep the tank at 24C,even though I have it set at 32c,it is a 4ft tank but we live in a large uninsulated shed and the night temps have dropped to 0C-3C this week.I am intending to add another heater asap but would like to try adding salt as well,The tank has about 480litres of water,and I have lots of neons,guppies,gouramis,goldfish,platies ,bronze catfish and bristlenose catfish in it will they be ok with the salt?Thanks for any help!

 

[Jchillin]

Unfortunately, most of your livestock will not be able to tolerate any amount of salt, especially your black moor. Goldies overall are cold water, non-salt fish.

I would suggest getting a replacement heater and going with heat only.

On an aside, how long has the moor been in the tank with his tankmates? I would consider taking him out since heat will accelerate his life span.

 

[Biggles]

thanks for your advice!Shadow the black moor has been in the tank for about two weeks,I have been keeping the tank at about 24C but wanted to try treating his whitespot so far my heater which is very new and working well until I tried to raise the temp up to 32C .I have 2 comets and a fantail in a pond outside they are doing well with no heater even thought it is VERY cold out there just now do you think I should put Shadow in a goldfish bowl by himself cure the whitespot then move him to the pond,which is an old enamel bathtub?should I also move the other fantail outthere?how much heat can a goldfish stand?Do you think I should use medication to treat him instead of heat or salt?

 

[Jchillin]

I would say you're kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place. Since the entire tank is infected, the entire tank has to be treated even if you were to move Shadow (nice name for a Moor btw) to his own tank. Meds aren't really effective without heat so during treatment, he will be fine. It was after the treatment was over that I had concerns about him staying in the tank with the heat.

I wouldn't use meds at this point, the heat should work fine.

Take a look at the ich article in the Articles section.

 

[Biggles]

I had a read of the article it is great,I will try and get a second heater in the tank asap,I live in a rural area so my nearest aquarium is 220kms away,so I will see if I can get one posted up.I will do as you advise and leave Shadow with the others until he is cleared up,then I will move him and Speckles(fantail) to their own tank or the pond,What is the ideal temp for a goldfish?

 

[Jchillin]

Anywhere from 68d to 76d is ok.