Hi, I've received help from this site before, when I found myself, about 6 months ago, the unwilling and totally inexperienced owner of 2 gourami and 2 goldfish, delivered to my door all in a 10-gallon tank. Per advice from people here, I donated the goldfish to the pet store and kept the gourami. I also upgraded to a 30-gallon tank. The gourami lived very happily. Then 3 weeks ago, the blue gourami, a fish over 5 years old, died rather peacefully. To prevent the remaining gourami, also over 4 years old, from getting lonely, I bought a pair of younger gourami. All three have lived happily for the past 3 weeks. Now this one old gourami has had fin rot, along with something fuzzy on him, since I got him. His previous owner did not keep the tank clean. I do weekly 25% water changes, and his condition has stopped worsening but does not improve. In all his time living with other tankmates, the condition does not spread to other fish. I have treated the tank with numerous meds, both bacterial and fungal, and nothing clears up this grey-ish fuzz. It exists in two strips on each side, and a little on the fins. After giving up on the meds, I gave the gourami a salt bath last week--30 minutes in a 3% solution--and to my amazement the condition actually improved. The strips on his sides now have clear patches in them. I want to treat him again, but the poor guy is so old, and it stresses him out to get netted and removed from the tank (you should have seen him hide under his rock when the net came for him). I am considering either 1) leaving well-enough alone (after all, he is very old, probably near the end of his days, has had this fuzz for as long as I've known him, and seems to be getting along just fine as is); or 2) treating the whole tank with salt, so as to avoid having to remove him again. I've read all the debates online over salt in freshwater tanks, and I'm not sure what to do, so I'm posting here. Does anyone think it would help? Hurt? Maybe hurt the other two younger gourami? And how much salt? I've read 1 tbsp per 5 gallons, as well as 1 tsp per gallon. I think I would only treat the tank once--that is, I would not replace any salt with the next water change. I know this may kill my plants--I'm willing to sacrifice them if it will finally de-fuzz poor old gourami. Any opinions/advice on my proposed salt plan would be greatly appreciated.
Gourami and salt?
- Thread starter LeahK
- Start date
I believe the dose is 1 tbsp per 5 gallons, to be added disolved in tank water over a duration. It should not hurt your fish, its very effective treating illness. The debate is about keeping tanks salted all the time vs. just for treatment. Are there any other inhabitants in the tank? Do you still have the 10g tank? If you awnted to preserve the plants and just treat the fuzzy gourami you could potentially put him in the 10g for treatment. I know you said you were concerned about netting him again, but if it could be done less stressfully (say have a large cup and a net and instead of chasing with the net, guiding him into the cup/pitcher) and without detrimant to the rest of your tank it may be worth it.
Hi, no, there are no other inhabitants in the tank besides the two younger gourami. It just occurred to me that instead of moving fuzzy gourami to the 10 gal., I could remove my favorite plants to the 10 gal. while the water is salted, and then put them back after the next water change. And thanks for clearing that up--that the debate over salt is over constantly salted tanks. I plan to salt at 1 tbsp/5 gal, and then to continue my normal 25% weekly water changes, letting the salt eventually be cycled out.
that is another idea! Remember to add the salt gradually (kind of like drip acclimating) so that you don't shock the fish. I believe too that kosher salt can be used (non-iodized and no non-caking agents) which could save you some money ... however if it was me, i would just buy aquarium salt because i tend to be a nervous nelly about my fish. good luck and let us know how it goes.
echoofformless
Peat Advocate & Defender Of Snails
Yep - good old aquarium salt introduced gradually. Do it with small water changes until you are up to the par amount per gallon, then all you need to do is replace it with the subsequent water changes. (In other words say you do a 10% change, introduce some with the new water. Then on your next change of 10% you double the amount of salt from last time. You will eventually have it at the amount needed as long as you keep in mind that with every volume of water you remove, you are taking out salt.)
Once you are at the target amount, just keep it that way for a few weeks. You should see the improvements. Once the issues have cleared you stop adding salt to your change water until the tank is back to being salt free.
Once you are at the target amount, just keep it that way for a few weeks. You should see the improvements. Once the issues have cleared you stop adding salt to your change water until the tank is back to being salt free.