how do i perform a salt water dip?

Answer 1

That somewhat depends on the fish, but in general you want a salt concentration of 4-5%. That's 4-5 grams of salt per 100 ml. Lower amounts of salt will not have the effect you want, killing the parasites. The dip solution of course should be dechlorinated and the same temperature as the aquarium water. Place the fish in the dip for up to 2 minutes and then return to the tank. If the fish shows signs of distress before 2 minutes return it to the tank immediately.

Salt dips should only be used when other methods aren't working well or are not practical. Salt dips are very, very stressful to the fish and if the fish is sick or weak can easily kill the fish. I can't stress enough that this is a dangerous procedure for your fish because it be effective it must come close to killing the fish. I instruct my students to never use this method if any other choice is available. When we do a salt dip in the lab or in the field ponds we expect a 25-30% death rate just from the dip.

MM

Answer 2

Why do you want to? In my experience and observation, a salt water dip should be a last emergency resort, because it is very stressful for the fish and really messes with their osmotic regulation.
If you must do a salt water dip:
- Take a bowl or a jug and fill it with tank water (about 1 gallon will do), and put the fish in it.
- In another jug, add 1 gallon of water and 1/2 cup of aquarium salt. Stir it so it disolves.
- Over about 20 minutes, add the salt water to the freshwater, and then let the fish stay in there for about 15 minutes. Keep another jug of fresh tank water handy in case the fish really starts stressing out.
- After the 15 minutes, slowly remove the salt water and replace with fresh water. Then put the fish back in the tank.


OR

Simply put about 1 gallon of tank water in a bowl along with almost 1/2 cup of aquarium salt. Let it disolve, and place the fish in it for 1-4 minutes and then place it back in the tank.

Answer 3

A salt water dip:

for a .5% salt dip 1.5 gallons and 1 oz of salt

Your fish should only be dipped for 30 seconds to one minute. NO MORE than that especially if your fish is already stressed or weak.

Be sure the salt is disolved completely or they could suffer from salt burns.Also, if your fish is already stressed,, salt baths will add additional undue stress to the fish. Do not leave your fish unattended during dipping. If you choose to dip longer than a minute, watch for added stress on the fish and remove him immediately.

I've used this only one time since it is a last resort for parasites. I left my fish in the net when I dipped him into the water.

It isn't recomended to do a higher dose of salt since this can prove harmful (even leading to death) to fresh water fish.

Answer 4

OK. Get a 5 gal bucket or similar container. Put in certain amount of water, either 1/2/or3 gallons of water(tank or treated at tank temp). For every gallon of water your using, you want to use 2-3 tablespoons of aquarium salt. Make sure aquarium salt is fully dissolved(stir it). Now add the fish to be treated. You must watch at all times. Leave fish in salt bath until said fish starts floating at top(pull immediatly back to aquarium). This is not a fun process, and is kinda scary to watch. Your fish will first start gasping for air, then swim irradically, trying to get out of the bucket. The process can take anywhere from 5-20 minutes or so. After fish is back in aquarium, it will prolly just lay there for a while. Watch fish gills while in bath, if gills stop, pull immediatly. Good luck.