How much if any salt can I put in my planted tank ? I've been battled a damn ick problem for some time now.
Thanks
Thanks
Salt in planted tank
- Thread starter d_b
- Start date
I stopped putting salt in my tank, since the plants didn't like it. I set up a quarrantine tank if someone needs a 'trip to the spa'.
But you can't treat ick outside the tank because the free-living stage is the one you need to combat.
I believe that most plants will cope with the short term salt concentrations involved in curing ick. RTR's the one to ask, I think.
I believe that most plants will cope with the short term salt concentrations involved in curing ick. RTR's the one to ask, I think.
I'm also interested in this question but from a different angle -- Swordtails, Guppies, Mollies, etc. (salted but not overly brackish)... Is it possible to maintain a diverse selection of plants with the salt addition that these types of fish prefer?
I've used salt and increased heat to clear Ich in my QT tanks, which generally have plants (as they are also grow-out for young plant or divisions) without problems. I use 1 teaspoon per gallon actual volume, temp 82-85F, hold at least 10 days past last visible symptoms, then dilute out out salt with partials and reduce temp slowly back to normal.
As for light brackish on a chronic basis, some plants will suffer from the salt and high pH. Val, some swords, Crinums, Java Moss and Java Fern, a number of others will handle very light brackish - say no more than 1.003 specific gravity. Beyong that it gets harder.
HTH
As for light brackish on a chronic basis, some plants will suffer from the salt and high pH. Val, some swords, Crinums, Java Moss and Java Fern, a number of others will handle very light brackish - say no more than 1.003 specific gravity. Beyong that it gets harder.
HTH
Short term for treatment, no.
Long term I couldn't tell you because I cannot find any logical reason for long term or chrionic salt additions. BTW, Where did you dig this thread up from????? 1-29-03 ????????
dave
Yeah, you tellum' Dave. 2003!!!??? 
The best way to get rid of Ick in a planted tank is to take the Fauna out and put them in a non-planted tank and treat with heat and salt.
The organisms that remain in the planted tank will then die within a couple of days with no host fish to feed off of.
Money Makers, read the post by RTR above yours. I think he makes the answer to your question pretty clear. But in case you still don't get it, yes salt has an adverse affect on plants. It's just not that cut and dried. It depends on quantity and length of exposure as to how much affect it will have.
Len
The best way to get rid of Ick in a planted tank is to take the Fauna out and put them in a non-planted tank and treat with heat and salt.
The organisms that remain in the planted tank will then die within a couple of days with no host fish to feed off of.
Money Makers, read the post by RTR above yours. I think he makes the answer to your question pretty clear. But in case you still don't get it, yes salt has an adverse affect on plants. It's just not that cut and dried. It depends on quantity and length of exposure as to how much affect it will have.
Len
I am dosing my planted tank right now due to an ich outbreak. I did not move the fish to a quarantine tank because I felt I would have torn up the tank trying to net them all out. I turned up the heat to 84 and slowly added 2 teaspoons of salt per gallon to the tank. It has been almost a week, and no plants have died yet. We will see if there are any long-term effects. Everything I read before-hand was just like RTR said--some plants don't shoe any effects, and some completely melt down when salt is added. Given the choice between possibly losing some plants and probably losing all fish, I decided to add the salt.
Money Makers said:I want to Know if salt effects plants!!!!!!!!: :mad2:
01-26-2003
....
LOL! :laugh:
Salt will not affect most plants if used over a short period of time. (2-4 weeks tops.) Long term they wont like it very much... I know this from experience.
Listen to EcoPit and djlen if you want to get rid of ich in a tank with plants, but a UV sterilizer always did the trick for me.