Interesting article on aquarium salt

[BetaBlaze]

I've only had my Betta a few months and already had to treat him for sickness. (not 100% sure what it was). I noticed that aquarium salt was usually an included element in most treatments for most illnesses. I did use the salt, and the container even says that I should add some salt during regular water changes, even after the illness was gone. I've become curious about aquarium salt as part of learning how to keep my fish healthy. I found this article today that seems to suggest that it does more harm than good in the long run.

http://www.algone.com/aquarium-artic...ater-aquariums

Please share your thoughts and experiences.

Thanks all!

[blueridge]

Hmmm...very interesting article. From my past experiences AQ salt has helped a lot in the recovery of fins, however I do not agree with this article at all. I feel like this article is applying the fact that people use AQ salt in there freshwater tanks often and I know a lot of people on here will tell you that you should not use AQ salt for more than 10 days as it can cause harm to your betta. This is just my opinion though.

[BetaBlaze]

Thanks for your take on it. Almost EVERY post or article on treatment which I have read on treatment suggested the use of AQ salt. What confused me aside from the article itself, was the suggestion on the container of salt that some be added during normal water changes. So just to be clear, your advice would be to use only for treatment, and not for longer than 10 days? Any other advice on what might help my guys fins grow back to full glory? Thanks!

[Myates]

AQ salt is better then a lot of medications when treating certain ailments, but over use, long term use it is dangerous and harmful to the kidneys/liver. Bacteria and fish also become resistant to the salt in time when over exposed.

10 days is the typical treatment period, but up to 14 is safe- if more time is needed in treatment it is ideal to remove the betta from the salt for 5-7 days before starting back up on salt, to give their system time to clear itself.

Salt is good at cleaning wounds, ridding of ich, and killing off bacteria- but only when used properly.

I admit I didn't read the full article, I skimmed through it because I've done a lot of research in the use of salt, and follow guides set up by vets and very experienced betta owners. But I'm glad you found it and shared, as there are a lot of misunderstanding of the use of salt and it's affect on our fishy friends.

@BettaBlaze- high protein diet, regular weekly water changes and Stress Coat will help the growth of fins.