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Aquarium salt and filter usage?
I need to add some aquarium salt to my tank for medication purposes. With the chemical medications the bottles say to remove the carbon sponge and turn off any UV sterilizers I presume because they remove the medication.. I have both of these. Does this apply to salt medication too? or can it pass through the filter ok?
I'm not using it as a complete medication. In fact medication is the wrong word to use. I am treating for what appears to be an external parasite on the gills. I am treating that with a fish store bought chemical treatment. The salt is to aid the treatment. My fish have had a severe outbreak and the treatment isn't working quick enough and the fish are dying from stress and breathing alone. PS My water conditions are spot on for Nitrate (barely enough to register on the drip test kit), Nitrate (0ppm) PH (just to the alkaline side of 7) and ammonia (0ppm)
2 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
Aquarium salt is a tonic rather than a medication, it consists of trace elements that would have washed of rocks in a river/stream and be dilute in the water - least ways that's what it is trying to copy.
No it doesn't effect carbon which absorbs chemical treatments, but not raw trace elements. UV light wouldn't cause a chemical reaction either, it's not a chemical additive.
Only thing it will noticeably do is raise your PH. One thing extra is raise your heat whilst using salt as a medication as this will help break the breeding cycle of ick/fungus.
If you had a brackish tank you would have a relatively high salt content and you would still have carbon in your filter and be able to use the UV steriliser.
Scaleless fish get burned by salt, so check your tank contents before using.
- danielle ZLv 71 decade ago
Please note: Salt is not a medication and does not cure fish of diseases. Salt in some cases is added to a tank for fish needes and isn't needed to add trace minerals since water changes do this. The amount of salt added to an aquarium isn't in enough concentration to make much of a difference. Your meds are telling you to add salt in addition to the meds? What are you treating for? Remember many medications contain sodium as it is so you need to be very careful when adding additional salt.
Your UV Sterilizer will not effect the medication and be kept on and running. Actually unless you have a sever algae problem, a UV Sterilizer doesn't need to run 24/7. It only has to run the course of the tank volume. This will kill any parasites. It can then be turned off until the next water change then turned back on. (Or with the addition of new fish) This will also save on the life of your bulb as I am sure you know are pricy.
You need to remove the carbon any time you medicate however not with salt. Although carbon will absorb some salt it won't remove it all. Basically trace amounts. Again, salt is not a medicine and shouldn't be used as such.
What are you treating for?
