• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

aquarium salts

dan4x4

dan4x4

Member
Joined
11 Nov 2013
Messages
433
Hi

Ok putting a long story short, Do I need aquarium salts? tank is density is medium planted soon to be overgrown with limnophila, 2 different variety of swords and anubias.

Reason im asking is because ive been investigating why my betta has turned slightly pale hes been that way for months, could be illness, don't know for sure. lots of the illnesses it says to add aquarium salts. it also states that I should be adding them anyway. Don't trust the article because I know nothing about its author.
 
I wouldn't add salt to a Betta tank unless you definitely know what you are treating. Best to just do regular water changes and keep the water parameters pristine. Some bettas will change colour as they get older. Is he in a tank by himself or a comm tank? Is he eating, swimming and in general OK apart from turning paler?
 
Also cutting a long answer short, no you don't need it.

"Aquarium salt" (overpriced sodium chloride) is widely misused nowadays, its really a relict from another age of fishkeeping.
 
ok thanks for responses, hes more lethargic than usual but only noticed that today, also noticed today his scales at top front of him look like they are slightly raised they weren't like that yesterday.

done water testing, nitrite and ammonia at 0 ppm. however nitrate at around 5ppm. I have him living with a ghost shrimp, theres also a few fresh water limpets in there and recently snails.

water changes had been happening every week at 50% and I was getting 0 on all tests. no c02. I add recommended dose of ferts everynow and again. have a couple leaves on anubias which has green spot algae, also have tiny bit of green algae on glass. I don't clean it as I gather its food for shrimps.

haven't vacuumed gravel for a while, and had recently reduced water change to 25% every two weeks but goin to do 25% everyweek and a gravel clean tomorrow.

I think he is poorly. maybe its the water change situation.. used to dose flourish excel at recommended dose but haven't for approx. 2 months, I just used to supplement it when I added ferts. I use I love fish fert from pets at home, basically cos it has no copper in.
 
Nitrate at 5ppm is brilliant for fish, most people on here would be adding nitrate for their plants if their tanks were at 5ppm :thumbup: .

If your in the UK, "ghost shrimp" usually refers to the species Macrobrachium lanchesteri - which could easily over-power and eat a betta when fully grown, so be careful. Retailers often don't know this.

When you have any problems with fish, the best course of action is to increase volume and frequency of water changes, so I would be going back to doing 50% changes again personally :). Copper in fertilisers is in such trace amounts that its harmless to fish and shrimp, in fact its potentially beneficial because fish, shrimp and plants all need copper in trace amounts, and any deficiency could contribute to health problems.

My first guess given the symptoms described would be a temperature problem - what is the temp in the tank?

For the time being, I would buy some cheap Indian Almond leaves off the web, they can be found for a couple of quid posted, and the tannins released are renowned for their medicinal and conditioning properties on all fish that love blackwaters, but particularly bettas.
 
Ok thanks very much for feedback, going to order Indian almond leaves now and also go bk to 50% changes!

Ferts have nearly ran out, I'm going to start using root tabs after crimbo.

when he's better ill try and reduce water changes again to 25% per week see what happens.

Again thanks very much everyone for the info.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
approx. 50 litres, any idea how many leaves I should add? just done another 50% water change his evening, he seems to swimming about more today. there was a couple of dead snails on the surface of aquarium this morning. Im assuming its all related.
 
Depends on what size of leaves you get, but a just couple of medium sized leaves should suffice. Btw, what temperature does your thermometer say?
 
IME I find that Bettas do suffer more than most from less than tip top water conditions.

Personally I would stick with 50% water changes every week. Changing 25 litres a week should not take too long.

Depending on other inhabitants I would also up the temp a little to 28 although this is not vital.
 
ok yeah will have a look ive got a shrimp in there so will need to have a look into it before hand but again thanks for info.
 
If it's cherry shrimp or those "ghost shrimp" 28*C will be fine, but as above this isn't that important, it could help improve health if something else is wrong but 26*C wouldn't cause the symptoms you describe.
 
Well bad luck strikes again! Came in from work to find fishtank leaking !

So I've replaced it with a 25 litre for now, the fish is looking better again today!

Hopefully will have a bigger tank after Christmas!
y8uza8eb.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
came in from work today to find my bongo dead : ( canny gutted, never thought you could get attached to a fish! well anyways don't want any sympathy but I think I need to investigate more to see why it happened.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top