Aquarium Salt?

[williamvo]

What is it use for and why would one needs it?

[samir]

try these links
http://www.bestfish.com/fwsalt.html
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article5.html
http://www.zestweb.com/articles/salt/salt.html
hope that helps

[williamvo]

It seems like my discus are suffering from gill fluke and I also have an exploding of tiny white worms in my tank. I think it's from over feeding the fish. I was wondering what should I treat first, the worms or the gill fluke?

[samir]

here's an article on planaria. clean out the sides and floor of your tank and vacuum if you have any gravel etc. also vacuum out any leftover food after each feed. praziquantel works good with skin and gill flukes. for a mild infection salt does the trick. praziquantel will also knock off the planaria. word of caution keep the fish under observation when using prazi. if there are adverse effects like laying flat on surface or bottom change 50% water immediately.

here's an article on planaria.
Planaria are a free-living flatworm found in almost every kind of environment, on land and in fresh and salt water. They are a very small black or brown flatworm that look very similar to leeches and often appear in freshwater aquariums. They are generally around 3 to 5 mm long, but some grow as large as 10 mm. In a normal aquarium situation they usually don't cause any problems and probably even go unnoticed. However, if you get them in a breeding aquarium, they can destroy a whole spawning of eggs within hours. They are usually seen crawling around on the front of the aquarium after the lights have been turned off. They feed on anything organic but can also infect the mucous membranes of the fish's gills. They feed by sucking food into their gastrovascular cavity through a tube called the pharynx located on the mid-ventral surface.

Planaria belong to the Phylum Platyhelminthes, Class Turbellaria, and Order Tricladida. The genus Planaria, has apparently has been replaced by an older name, Dugesia. Planaria come in a number of species and strains, some of which are albino. The following species have been reported from freshwaters, Dugesia tigrina, Dugesia dorotocephala, and Dugesia tigra. Dugesia notogaea has been recorded from northern Queensland.

Planaria are also able to reproduce asexually both by binary fission, that is, by pinching themselves apart to become two and by regeneration, producing an entire new worm from a piece that has been cut off. If the head is split, both halves will grow back the other half. Movement may be accomplished either by muscular contractions of the body wall or the use of cilia along the ventral surface. When using the cilia the planarian appears to be gliding across the surface.

Spawning mops are commonly used by enthusiasts for breeding many rainbowfish species. However, before using them in different breeding tanks, it is advisable to always sterilise the mops to kill any planaria, or other pests that may be present. This can easily be accomplished by washing them in boiling water. Another method is to soak them in a chlorine solution, then thoroughly rinsing them before being sun-dried. This is where spawning mops offer a significant advantage over live plants as a spawning medium. Flubendazole

Treatment
The chemical Flubendazole 5% is very effective against planaria used at 1-2 mg/L of water. Pre-dissolve the powder in a container with some aquarium water, and then pour it in the aquarium.

A proprietary product called Dactycid is also very effective. Both chemicals are very safe when used with rainbowfish fry. After 5-7 days, following chemical treatment, do a 50% waterchange (removing any deposit of white powder left on the aquarium walls with a sponge and siphoning the bottom). These chemicals are toxic to snails.

[williamvo]

these are my discus. They keep on hiding and turning very dark. This is the first time in awhile where their color are shown. Even in this picture there color is not fully shown. I think it's because the gill fluke is stressing them.

[samir]

please post your water parameters. how often do you do water changes ? maybe its a water quality issue. it almost always is.

[Nathan]

hi williamvo i had a similar problem and ended up losing one of my discus to gill fluke stress, after i treated them with suitable meds and a few water changes they were fine and returned to full colour. if the water parameters arent the problem then id look into flukes medication.

[williamvo]

OMG I don't know why, but my water parameter is off the chart. Everything else is fine except for

KH=300 ppm
PH=7.2
GH=100 ppm

How can I get it back to normal?

[Waldo]

Keeping water parameters stable, clean are very important. Remember to gravel vac and if you do medicate read up on the topic of media and the ammonia process. Medications can make an established tank go back to day one where you struggled with new tank syndrome :twisted: .

To ansewr the first post and not that I am a very active member salt does a few things.

Hypersalinity can destroy the osmosis process of protozoans like ich. Thats why people do salt baths for fish and can lower salinity in a salt tank.

Electorlites also help the blood carry necissary oxygen to the fish. During shippment we use it as it reduces the ionic ammonia and reduces gill burn.

Medications when introduced are more potent with salt as they are easier to introduce to cell walls.

Hope this helps :idea:

[samir]

can you test the source water and see if it is the same as that in your aquarium.maybe its that white gravel thats sending the kh up.

[Waldo]

Yes you can test your water out of the tap. It's going to hopefully have No ammonia, or Nit's. I suggest a constant pH, kH over trying to adjust it and having it fluctuate.

[williamvo]

ok my tap water reading is

GH=100 ppm
KH=180 ppm
PH= 7.2
Nitrate & Nitrite= 0

[samir]

okay test the tank kh again to be sure. maybe the gravel is sending the kh up. try adding a bit of vinegar to a small part of your gravel in a seperate container if there is a reaction then its your gravel. just try the salt it gets rid of minor fluke infestations, only use the meds in emergencies and when you do use the full treatment. i recommend testing your gravel and if its the cause then change to an inert substrate, ask your lfs. ph of 7.2 is okay, it will be really hard to get that down if your kh is so high. you could further reduce your kh by boiling or RO. but on the flip side the more you reduce the KH the more the likelihood of a ph crash. as long as you keep stuff stable the fish will adjust (within reason). try a large water change maybe that will destress your fish. most problems are caused by dirty water.

[Nathan]

in that picture the the red discus looks like its growth is stunted, might just be the angle of the picture, but yeah the eye looks to big for its body

[williamvo]

how can you tell if your discus's growth is stunt?

[DR.V]

how can you tell if your discus's growth is stunt?

Small body and big eyes.

[williamvo]

would you say that my discus's growth is stunted by looking at the picture? or doesn't it seems as if it's suffering from "pop eye"?

[Merrilyn]

Hi William, no I don't believe your fish is stunted. It's obviously a young fish, and still has a lot of growing to do.

As a general rule, if you were to measure the eye, you should be able to fit 3.5 times that diameter above the eye, using the dark vertical line as a guide.

In that pic, you could certainly fit three 'eyes' above the natural eye, meaning your fish is not stunted, just a juvenile.

Some fish that show early stunting can catch up in later life, and turn into really beautiful specimens.

Unless you're planning on entering your fish in shows, it's not terribly important. So long as you fish is happy and healthy, with good colour and eating well, there's not much to worry about.

Just enjoy your fish, as the lovely creatures they are. :P

[samir]

for a better reference.
.................................EDITED........... ....................
hehehe :twisted: I'm being evil. LOL





(Moderator's Edit :- Sorry Samir. I can't allow that to stay. Play nice now. :wink: )LR