Salinity in aquariums?

Question

How can you test the salinity in an aquarium, and what is the proper salinity in a freshwater tank when treating ick?

Answer 1

It's a shame to see so many people are not familiar with what is by some considered to be the safest and best treatment for ich.

When treating ich in a freshwater aquarium with salt, it should be at a level of at least 1%, more if the fish can tolerate more. Since it's difficult to measure this level, you need to do it by adding a known amount of salt to a known amount of water. Any treatment for ich using salt should also include heat.

Here's the best method for salt and heat treatment:
Change a large portion of the water, about 50-60% while cleaning the gravel very well.
Clean the filter and change all the media.
Add 1 tablespoon of salt per 5 gallons of the tank (1%).
Raise the temperature to 88-90 F. Raise it slowly, about 1 degree per hour. You may need to add an air stone or two depending on the type of fish and how heavily the tank is stocked. Treat for at least 7 days after you see the last white spots on any of the fish. After the treatment return the tank temperature to normal.

If you do any water changes during this treatment period ( and I do recommend them strongly) be sure you ONLY add back enough salt for the water removed during the water change NOT enough for the entire tank again. That is, if you remove 5 gallons for a water change, only add back 1 tablespoon of salt.

If I can help further, feel free to email me.

MM

Answer 2

There is a device called a TDS pen. TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids, and will quickly and accurately measure the salinity in freshwater tanks. Hydrometers are not recommended for measuring freshwater salinity because most of them are not designed to measure such low levels. A good pet shop should be able to get you one, we sell them where I work.

Answer 3

I'm treating ich right now and am just following the directions on the carton. It gives directions for general maintenance and also seperate directions for treating illness. I don't know if you could use a salt water test kit to test the salinity of your tank. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to but that's just a guess on my part. I'm having very good results with the salt for treating ich. It's really doing the job right and I feel better about it cause I'm not using any chemicals to treat it. Other than salt.

Answer 4

Yes, the normal practice is to add dechlorinated tapwater with no salt, because, as you say, the salt doesn't evaporate. If you want to be fussy about it, you can use distilled or RO water for the replacement, but that usually isn't necessary. This replacement of evaporated water is known as "topping off," as opposed to a water change, which means taking some water out of the tank and replacing it with new (salt) water. A stingray needs a rather special setup. The tank should be long and wide, rather than tall, and should have a deep layer of soft sand on the bottom and no obstructions. The stingray will spend much of its time with everything except its eyes buried in the sand. Preferably, the tank should have no corners (it should be round or oval, or maybe octagonal), because stingrays have a tendency to get stuck in the corners.

Answer 5

To test the salinity in the water you need a hydrometer, And you dont need one for a freshwater tank, Just put them medication in.

Answer 6

most pet stores will see a salt test kit. usually it comes with a test tube and two bottles of solution. follow the instructions on the box. but for fresh water fish your salinity should be around 0.2.

Answer 7

sorry but you can't really test the salinity of a "fresh water tank." salinity is the level of salt in your water. if you have a fresh water tank, you should have no salt in it.

Answer 8

There shouldn't be any salt in your freshwater tank there bud...

Answer 9

hydrometer for saltwater tanks.