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Salt Against Ciliates Written by Doc Johnson:

 

I recommend that you use salt, before you try anything else for parasites. I recommend salt so often because it has so many benefits over other medications.

Namely:

1. It does not harm the majority of fish species.
2. It does not push sick fish "over the edge."
3. It eliminates, QUICKLY, 7 of 9 parasites I can easily recall.
4. It does not get bound out of the system by organics or sunlight.
5. It does not pose a health risk to humans contacting it.
6. It is CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP.
7. It WON'T harm your filter!

Before introducing Salt: Remove submerged plants. Perform a fifty percent water change, and clean the pond as well as reasonably possible without causing undue delay in treatment.

Apply one teaspoon of non-iodized table salt per gallon of water every 12 hours for three treatments (3 tsp per gallon). Alternatively, for larger systems, dose one pound per hundred gallons of water every 12 hours for three treatments (3 pounds per hundred gallons).

Add all at once in the case of epidemic mortality.

Salting Koi Pond Water

Salt is a superior remedy for many different reasons…

Kosher salt, Sea Salt, Non-Iodized Table, Rock and Ice Cream Salts are acceptable. Do not use salt intended for livestock if it contains any minerals or trace elements.

Caution! No YPS or Yellow Prussiate of Soda should be in the salt. Prussic Acid is hazardous to fish because it dissociates into Prussic Acid in water!

Add the salt all at once if fish are dying off rapidly

Add one pound per hundred gallons, per day, for three days if fish are merely sick. This avoids occasional filter-shock. (2-3 day nitrite spike)

Salt Will not harm hardy Lilies, common Papyrus, or Irises. Will cause yellowing of Hyacinths, Celery and Water Lettuce, but will kill Anachris, String Algae, Cabomba and Elodea.

Concentrations:

3 pounds per hundred gallons = 0.3%

6 pounds per hundred gallons = 0.6%

Note From Doc Johnson;

"I am always absolutely sure to read every ingredient in the salt I am using. They *do* change these ingredients occasionally and the addition of Yellow Prussiate of Soda (YPS) can cause death fairly rapidly in soft water!" ~ Doc Johnson

More on salt...

Astor, Akso Nobel, or Morton brand non-iodized salts sufficient to treat one system to 0.3% two times. Most any salt is okay if it's not: YPS laced, mineralized, iodized, or really dirty. I've used animal feed or licks, "salt blocks" from the feed store with excellent results, you need to read labels and look for 99.5% purity with no trace minerals. The blocks are easy to store and transport. Put them in the way of the water return and they dissolve rapidly. NEVER put salt into the filter intake. The sudden rise in salinity will annihilate your filter bacterial function.

What's the "scoop" on iodized salt; is it toxic or not?

Not toxic to fish. Very likely, the first few times it was used with smaller filtration systems in higher amounts, it set the filter back causing an ammonia situation to arise. It was theorized that the bacterial stumble was caused by the iodine/beta dine effect.

Salt can be used in freshwater systems by adding one teaspoon of salt to each gallon of water every twelve hours for three treatments. You are gradually increasing the salinity to a level of 0.3% or three teaspoons per gallon total. The dose goes in gradually over 36 hours to avoid shocking the filter (especially Nitrobacter, which results in a short Nitrite surge).  

Some sensitive fishes will also do better when salted if it's added so gradually. Salt should be of the table salt variety, or an Aquarium salt recommended by the Pet Shop. Live plants can be killed or yellowed by this, so be careful to remove these before treatment. As a general rule, plants with a defined root system will usually survive salting, while floating varieties like Anachris, Cabomba and Wisteria are flatly killed. My Apons died back 50%, Cryptocoryne couldn't care less, Pennywort hated it but did not die, Anubias yellowed and recovered, in the ponds, Lilies yellow marginally but do not even stop flowering. Iris is impervious, and Hyacinths hate it but they only yellow in the older leaves, and bounce right back.

Is there a way to measure the salt once added?

Yes, there are electronic salt meters which are accurate, easy to use and surprisingly cost effective.

What can salt do for me?

• Salt at 0.3% is credited with the clearance of the following:
• Ichthyophthirius (72 hours at tropical temperatures)
• Chilodinella (24-36 hours)
• Costiasis (Ichthyobodo necatrix)
• Almost every single Trichodiniid/Tripartiella organism.
• Glossatella (24 hours irregardless of temp), (24 hours regardless of temp)
• Epistylis (24 hours irregardless of temp)
• Trichophrya (24 hours irregardless of temp)
• External Tetrahymena
• Inhibits trematode reproduction, clears 30% of adults.
• Inhibits Lerneiid reproduction

How long do I leave it in the water?

Fourteen to 21 days may be required to totally eradicate certain parasites at certain temperatures. Rest assured, it could stay in the water forever. But for Ich it could also be removed within seven days and recurrence of Ich would be unlikely if temperatures during treatment were around eighty degrees F. Ten to fourteen days is suggested for best results with Ich.

Removal is by simple partial water changes. Be careful that the effluent water is not wasted onto a precious Japanese Maple or your Dad's best Bermuda grass as it could do it some damage.