salt

[mrmike]

is there a salt you actually put in freshwater setups? What is it used for? does it ever get removed once introduced into the aquarium? One of my tiger barbs is acting weird, hiding out alot from others, and looks thin. Would that salt help if he'sa stressed?

[AngelMom]

is there a salt you actually put in freshwater setups?
There is aquarium salt that can be purchased to put in freshwater tanks ... alternatively, kosher salt or sea salt will work.


What is it used for?
Usually it is used as a tonic to prevent parasitic infestations such as ich. It can also be used to reduce the osmotic pressure when dealing with respiratory problems.


does it ever get removed once introduced into the aquarium?
The salt cannot be removed completely, but it's concentration can be diluted by not replacing it during water changes.


One of my tiger barbs is acting weird, hiding out alot from others, and looks thin. Would that salt help if he'sa stressed?
I would not recommend adding salt for a stressed fish ... the salt irritates the fishes skin and causes it to produce a thicker slime coat. If the fish is already stressed, it may add to the problem. It's best to figure out why the fish is stressed in the first place.

What are the water parameters? The actual numbers for readings of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH at a minimum are needed to attempt to diagnose a problem ... any other test results can be helpful as well. ;)

[mrmike]

well here's my readings which were as of this last weekend when i noticed him acting funny. ph 7.8, AM -0, Nitri-0, Nitra-5. this was after a 25% change on friday. He is one of the smallest in the tank, the largest one usually chases all the other ones around. don't know if they are playing or if he's bullying them? don't know if that would cause him stress?

[AngelMom]

Barbs tend to be hyper-active and most schooling behaviors involve some establishing of a "pecking order" so the chasing is normal, but yes, it can stress out fish that are smaller or weaker.

[mrmike]

thanks for all the info, sad to say my little guy did die, he was hiding under rocks before, then at the end he was laying on them in the corner. All others seem ok, i will test the water again to make sure. everyone else looks healthy. So hopefully he was just really picked on a lot and overly stressed.

[AngelMom]

It's possible that he was sick also ... sometimes the other fish will pick on a sick one. Your water readings are fine ... I wouldn't worry about it too much, ;)