Actually rock, table salt is fine. What you have heard is people stating many incorrect myths over and over again. It's pretty common in this hobby. People who know science have written many articles on this and the amount of iodine in salt is negligible. I honestly dislike salt for dropsy, which is why in my first post to this thread I suggested an antibacterial treatment if the OP really felt this was bacterial. Anyway, for the skinny on Iodine in table salt, please check out this quote and if you've got a few minutes, read the whole article. RTR happens to post on these boards and also happens to have been in this hobby a long, long time. Here's the quote:
RTR said:
Iodine is a halogen, and is required for vertebrates. It is necessary for our metabolism as an essential part of thyroid hormone, which is our metabolic pacemaker. Soils in wide areas of this country are deficient in iodine, and can result in goiter (hypertrophy of the thyroid gland, effectively from insufficient iodine intake). Thus the practice arose of adding iodine to salt intended for human consumption. This was the safest (the levels of iodine are minute) and surest way of protecting the population from this deficiency as salt is ubiquitous (all but universal) in food processing and preparation. The levels of iodine added to table salt are so small that any water-living vertebrate would be pickled in brine well before toxic concentrations of iodine could be reached, so that particular urban myth is without foundation. In fact, a number of our tank inhabitants need iodine- most crustaceans have a significant demand for the material, and a number of fish can develop goiter in captivity from the lack of iodine- African Rift Lake fish seem especially prone to this. The often-discussed toxicity of iodine could be considered urban myth #1.
Here's the
link to the whole article.
As to your Midas, it is very rare for a fish to be distressed about mild levels of salinity. If you had read the whole article to which I linked before, from the Skeptical Aquarist, you'd have learned that most fish tolerate a salt bath very well. Again, I was not suggesting it, merely telling the OP who felt that was wht was needed how to do it. Also in reading the article you'd have seen various sources quoted, one being someone who works in an aquarium for a living who said they give ALL of their freshwater fish a prophylactic bath at
full salinity for ten minutes and that they all seemed to tolerate it. Also, had you read, you'd have seen directions for how to give a salt bath and warnings regarding heavy breathing and the like and what to do. Anyway, I'm not knocking you or your experience, I am simply letting you know it seems to be the exception and not the norm while at the same time encouraging you to read up on all aspects of aquaria from reliable sources because it will help not only yourself, but those you choose to advise on these boards.
One more thing. Not knowing what was in your salt could have been what caused the reaction in your fish. Keep in mind that if it was aquarium salt, it very well could have changed the pH rapidly, which can shock the fish. You see, this is why table salt, even iodized is superior to marine aquarium salt. It mentions that in one of the articles to which I have linked. Best of luck.
