Corydorys and Salt?

Question

No, thats not whats for dinner tonight...heh

I was admiring my 29 gallon, which now has crystal clear water after turning the output of my canister all the way open, *more gph i assume* when I saw my female honey gourami, and she had what looks like a bite mark near her fins *the primary moving ones* I netted her, and put her in my 10 gallon, which houses a male guppy, a platy, 2 neons *the other 4 died, and 2 albino corys. I added extra stress coat, and I was going to add some aquarium salt to prevent infection, but I wasnt sure if corys can handle aquarium salt. I was going to add a tonic solution of 1 tbs per ten gallons, so one tablespoon.....advice please!!!

Answer 1

Salt is beneficial for all fish, except catfish, loaches and other scaleless fish at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. In fact brackish fish like mollies, it is essential.
You could go with 1/2 (1 tablespoon per 10 gallons) or even 1/3 (1 teaspoon per 5 gallons) and not harm the corys at this low dose. The question is, will such a small amount have any therapeutic value? Probably minimal.
Here's some charts that may help:
http://www.aquariumpharm.com/en_us/dealers/handouts/APIdiagnosticChart.jpg
http://www.aquariumpharm.com/en_us/dealers/handouts/FirstAidChart1.jpg
http://www.aquariumpharm.com/en_us/dealers/handouts/FirstAidChart2.jpg

Answer 2

Some excellent points made so far. Corys can tolerate a small amount of salt with no problem at all, but such low levels don't have very much benefit at all. The level of salt you are considering can kill some few fungi and inhibit some others, but beyond that it will have no beneficial effects as far as healing the apparent wound. Medicinal levels of salt general start around 0.5% or 1 tablespoon per 2 gallons and for many things salt can treat it's closer to 1% or 1 tablespoon per gallon and corys would probably show significant stress for a long term exposure to that level of salt.

You describe the spot as having the appearance of a bite mark, but it doesn't sound lie you have any fish there that could cause such an injury. I would think you are more likely seeing the results of a bacterial infection starting on your fish. Keep a very close eye on the spot for the next few days to see if it spreads or gets larger. If so, I would suggest you treat the fish with antibiotics such as Maracyn or Maracyn TC.

MM

Answer 3

Low levels of salt will not harm your corys, but you need to be very careful when adding the salt. You should take some aquarium water and use that to predissolve it before adding to your tank. Observe your corys and do a water change ASAP if you notice them acting funny. You should also test your water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Eyeballing your water is never a good idea, no matter how clear it looks.