Salt baths?

[Abby]

Thoughts on legitimacy, safety, etc of salt baths to pretreat potential bacterial and fungal issues in new fish to be able to quickly return them to fish community?

 

[Mmathis]

I “pretreat” any new fish with a salt bath. Then the fish go into quarantine (2-4 weeks) before they go in with the rest of the fish. I don’t think it’s meant to be a substitute for quarantine, though.

 

[Abby]

Thank you so much! I have them quarantined in the small pond as a precaution but haven’t given any pretreatment of any sort… would you be willing to share details of your salt bath? Time, Method, amount, product info, and any other elements of your regimen for adding new fish? Thank you!

 

[Mmathis]

Thank you so much! I have them quarantined in the small pond as a precaution but haven’t given any pretreatment of any sort… would you be willing to share details of your salt bath? Time, Method, amount, product info, and any other elements of your regimen for adding new fish? Thank you!

For a salt bath (or for a salt dip — they are different things)……I’m afraid it’s been years since I did this, so rather than rely on memory, I would have to do a Google search to be sure of the specifics.

Use non-iodine salt (I use table salt). Any salt will work, but since you usually add it by volume (IOW, tablespoons per gallon), keep in mind that a fine grain salt will have different proportions than will a chunkier grain salt.

Always have an air stone in the container, watch the timing, and keep an eye on the fish to watch for signs of distress.

I know you don’t like to hear, “do a Google search,” but if I was going to do salt dip or a salt bath on a fish today, I would have to look it up, as I said, rather than rely on memory. I know that others on here will be able to add on to this information for you.

As far as “quarantine“ in general, your goal is to isolate new fish long enough to 1) watch for signs of illness, and 2) to allow for any diseases or parasites to go through a “life cycle” period. In most cases, illnesses/parasites won’t be obvious initially. Moving fish is stressful for them. When they are stressed, they are more susceptible to illnesses.

Good filtration, clean water, aeration, and water quality checks (especially if you are using a smaller body of water), are important. How long to QT? Depends on who you talk to. Some QT for weeks. Some QT for months. Some don’t QT at all.

Hope this helps.

 

[Abby]

lol I know you’re all about recommending the Google search In response to questions posted in a discussion forum… I’m not against Google Searches at all.. in fact it’s my first step to do A thorough Google search before even posting any questions to the forum. here’s the thing about Google… There is no yelp rating system for content in general… So you never know if what somebody’s saying is true or false… Effective or BS… hence the reason for interactive discussion groups so that people can share firsthand accounts of their experiences and recommendations And share a dialogue to gather a general consensus. Thanks for being willing to share your personal experience and advice in addition to the token google search recommendation

 

[Mmathis]

lol I know you’re all about recommending the Google search In response to questions posted in a discussion forum… I’m not against Google Searches at all.. in fact it’s my first step to do A thorough Google search before even posting any questions to the forum. here’s the thing about Google… There is no yelp rating system for content in general… So you never know if what somebody’s saying is true or false… Effective or BS… hence the reason for interactive discussion groups so that people can share firsthand accounts of their experiences and recommendations And share a dialogue to gather a general consensus. Thanks for being willing to share your personal experience and advice in addition to the token google search recommendation

Something I have learned about Google searches, though not necessarily true for this situation….. If I am looking for “veterinary-type” information (as opposed to word-of-mouth), I will add the keyword “veterinary,” or some other keywords (like “why do we do it,” or “what does this do for the fish”). That helps to take me to more science-based answers/sources. Then, if that doesn’t help, I try (again) to look at it as a science-based issue. IOW, get to the bottom of the “WHY” things are done a certain way, rather than the this-is-the-way-it’s-always-been-done.…or worse, “that’s what the person at the store told me to do.”

In ponding, there isn’t always a right or wrong way to do something — but different ways. Here, we share our successes and our failures…..but we also look for WHY something worked or didn’t work. Not everyone has the same experiences.

 

[Abby]

Agreed. I have pretty good success with searching most things… as My family and I have been lucky enough to get an early and consistent start with being tech savvy since the early 80s… but as you mentioned a Google search really doesn’t necessarily work well in this situation.

Also agreed that different people have different experiences which is the purpose of the interactive forum.

I’m sure you’re not intending it this way… but I just find it may come across as a little condescending to respond to posts in general with “Google it” (as opposed to maybe offering some helpful key terms or links to help focus their search) when someone poses a question to an interactive forum. Just trying to share some constructive feedback regarding communication styles. Of course if my questions irritate you, you can always ignore me so you don’t have to be bothered