Fin rot or too much salt for goldfish?

Question

added 5 tablespoons of salt to 20 gallons few weeks ago, added 1 tablespoon every water change once a week, last week treated new small Oranda I put in tank with my large old Oranda for ich and it went away quick, treated with salt the same, little fish fine but large one looks like the onset of fin rot, slight whitening patches, slightly frayed ends, I JUST added sera baktopur for bacterial infection then found website that stated too much salt can cause fin rot apperance and even kill goldfish, said only add salt as a treatment, not every water change, should I remove 25% of water and add fresh without salt and put carbon back in to remove medicine? have I medicated too much in a short time, fish are in home tank not med tank,

aquarium salt

Answer 1

1 tablespoon per 5 gallons works out to 0.2% salt solution, that's not enough to hurt any fish. The level of salt revered to on the web site would be somewhere in the neighborhood of a 2.0-2.5% solution for long term exposure or much higher for short term exposure.

I would suspect your initial reaction is correct and you have a slight case of fin rot. The Baktopur should clear that up in a few days.

I wouldn't be too concerned about lowering the salt content too quickly as it's not at a dangerous level, so just stop adding it at water changes and allow that to drop it over time.

BTW: Kosher salt is the same thing chemically as aquarium salt, it's just far cheaper. Perfectly safe for use in aquariums.

MM

Answer 2

I breed and show goldfish and koi. Salt is the worst thing to add to a goldfish tank or pond. Goldfish are prone to swimbladder and adding salt makes the fish retain excess water. Also, salt forces goldfish to create a thicker slime coat than usual due to water conditions making ich much harder to treat. Too much salt as well in any fresh water aquarium will cause fin rot since it is due to poor water conditions. This is the down side of salting a tank.

The problem with using medicines back to back is some have adverse effects on eachother and the fish and some with salt in the tank.

Usually if treating with multipul meds, the most serious disease should be treated first, then the second. If you MUST treat with multipul meds, use medications made by the same manufacturer. Usually they are compatable.

your next water change do not add additional salt.

If you need further help with the goldfish, feel free to email me.

Answer 3

Why are you adding salt to the tank? As medication or regular maintenance?
Fish guru Doc Johnson (koi and goldfish veterninarian Dr Erik Johnson) recommends using salt for treatment only. He states that before adding salt, do a 50% water change and add 1 tsp salt for each gallon every 12 hours for 3 doses.
As your probably aware, salt doesn't evaporate like water. Goldfish are not equipped to live in a saltwater environment. So whereas salt is great for ailments or to control toxicity in nitrite or nitrate spikes, it's not a good idea for maintenance of goldfish. It also makes the water harder.
Through what is called "osmosis" your goldfish already maintains a normal high salt concentration in his body fluids and needs to absorb freshwater into his cells to keep in balance. By adding more salt to his water, you are overloading his system and putting him under osmotic stress. This can be fatal. It saps their energy and strength and weakens their immune system, or can even kill them. The other issue is that too much salt can wear down their slime coatings also making them more prone to infection.
Give him some fresh oxygenated water w/o the salt. Save the salt for only when he is sick or there is a problem with your water.

Answer 4

My shabunkin goldfish got fin rot and died because they didn't have enough aquarium salt in the water. Initially you should add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon of water. Fish need aquarium salt in the water to maintain their slime coating, which helps them fight off infection.

Answer 5

We both know what you are left to do. Flush it in the toilet! Then go buy more fishies and don't make the mistake again. Mistakes happen for a reason, you're supposed to learn from them.

Answer 6

it depends... did you add table salt or aquariam salt?