My VT, Peach, ripped his fin AGAIN. :P But now I have an Anubias plant in his tank so I can't use AQ salt or it'll kill the plant. How do I give him a salt bath without killing the plant? How much salt do I use? How long should I use it? Thanks!
P.S. The first time he ripped his fin was on Oct 9th. I stopped using AQ salt on Oct. 16th.
Do you have another container you could put him in? A bucket? The box your aquarium salt is in should tell you the correct amount to use. Technically, you don't have to give him the salt bath. His fin should heal just fine without it. API stress coat should help speed healing if you have that.
I would guess you either pull the plant and keep it in dechlorinted water or put Peach in a quarantine tank which might be better. Though for a ripped fin you just may need frequent water changes rather then the aquarium salt. Which is the way I would go
Poor Peach but he will be better soon. They do heal from this type of thing fast are you sure he isn't tail bitting????
It may be from tailbiting because there's not really anything in his tank I think he could rip his fin on. :/ Except maybe the horse so I took that out.
If it is a single rip, then I would just add in a few drops of Stress Coat to help it heal faster.. but rips tend to heal real fast on their own.
Unless he has rot, don't use AQ salt. Using AQ salt excessively (when not needed) can harm their organs such as kidneys and such in time. It's best to just use it in emergencies. Just stay on your regular water schedule as well, I'm assuming you are doing the proper amount since you've been studying and here for a while prior to you getting him. Yes, clean water will keep the rot away, but normally it takes a good amount of dirty water for it to cause it.
If you have a filter, make sure it's baffled. If it's split, it's something causing it in the tank, or by him over flaring himself. If it looks like a C or U at the edges of the fins, then that would be tail biting.
I know you are over protecting and being extra vigilant since you worked hard to get your little guy, but just remember you can do harm by over doing it sometimes. Such as too clean of water, using meds when not truly needed, etc. =)
If it is a single rip, then I would just add in a few drops of Stress Coat to help it heal faster.. but rips tend to heal real fast on their own.
Unless he has rot, don't use AQ salt. Using AQ salt excessively (when not needed) can harm their organs such as kidneys and such in time. It's best to just use it in emergencies. Just stay on your regular water schedule as well, I'm assuming you are doing the proper amount since you've been studying and here for a while prior to you getting him. Yes, clean water will keep the rot away, but normally it takes a good amount of dirty water for it to cause it.
If you have a filter, make sure it's baffled. If it's split, it's something causing it in the tank, or by him over flaring himself. If it looks like a C or U at the edges of the fins, then that would be tail biting.
I know you are over protecting and being extra vigilant since you worked hard to get your little guy, but just remember you can do harm by over doing it sometimes. Such as too clean of water, using meds when not truly needed, etc. =)
Thanks soooo much for the warning! XP I know! I really AM being overprotective I guess. X3 I just don't want anything to happen to my little boy.
Are 25% water changes everyday okay? Or should I do more or less?
Thanks for the Stress Coat link! I need to get some next stop at PetSmart. How much and how long should I use it? I don't want to use too much and do more harm than good! :)
As for water changes, doing too many can be just as harmful as not doing enough. What size tank do you have? The basic guidlines are:
Unfiltered 1-4.5 gallon 1 50% and 1 100% per week
Unfiltered 5-10 gallon 1 50% per week and 1 100% per month
Filtered 1-4.5 gallon is 1 30-50% per week
Filtered 5-10+ gallon is the same as above
No 100% with filtered tanks
As for Stress Coat, you can use that as your main water conditioner, or use a few drops along side with your regular water conditioner. I prefer just adding in a few drops during water changes myself. Been using it for 16, 17 years that way with no harm to any type of freshwater fish I've owned. It's hard to over dose on conditioner.. you'd have to dose it for 100 gallons in like a 5 gallon tank for it to do any harm. So just adding in a few drops with each water change along with your conditioner is very safe. I don't use it as my prime conditioner as some fish are sensitive to conditioners that helps produce slime coating, causing excess slime coat. It depends on each fish and their dna pretty much. But overall it's good to use as it can help calm them after a water change and keep their fins healthy.
*edit* with filtered tanks, you will want to siphon the gravel once a month. Either with a siphon (try to find a small one for smaller tanks as it can take out the water fast with larger ones), or stir up the substrate and use a cup to dip out the floating things.
I haven't read all the replies so pardon if I'm missing something here.
I personally would not put him in salt at all. Just keep his water at the correct temp, and as clean as you can and he should heal up fine.
The only reason you would need to start adding salt is if he gets an infection like fin rot. And salt will not cause his fins to start healing, it will just kill the infection.
The best way to get fins to re-grow is clean, warm water and a varied, protein-rich diet.
Salt is really not the cure-all that alot of people on here claim it to be.
Thanks so much, Cajunamy! I've set his water temp for 78. But at night I have to raise the thermostat because the temp drops to about 74 in his tank. :P
What do you recommend feeding him? And what is Brine shrimp? I saw some frozen brine shrimp at PetSmart and was curious.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
Similar Threads
Salt baths?
