Keeping Fish

[Shellybean02]

Orlando seems to have calmed down. He still has his stress stripes, but he's breathing slowly and isn't moving much. He responds by moving his eyes.

 

[Shellybean02]

Either I have really good eyes or really bad eyes; whichever it is, it's giving me a hard time to distinguish between my water test results and the color guide. It's somewhere between 0 and 1. Maybe it's 0, maybe it's 1. I feel helpless because I can't figure out if my fish are okay without knowing the ammonia!
I'm almost certain that the rest of the results are:
nitrate: 0
nitrite: 0
hardness: in the 25-50 range
chlorine: 0
alkalinity: in the 120-180 range
pH: 7.2

 

[Shellybean02]

The epsom salt must have really worked! Orlando made it through the night, he has some waste at the bottom of his cup, he tilts less, and he even swims around a bit more... But I won't get too excited, because I know his condition can deteriorate unexpectedly from here. What should I do at this point - concerning his location, water conditions, feeding procedure, etc.?

 

[LeafBlade12345]

The epsom salt must have really worked! Orlando made it through the night, he has some waste at the bottom of his cup, he tilts less, and he even swims around a bit more... But I won't get too excited, because I know his condition can deteriorate unexpectedly from here. What should I do at this point - concerning his location, water conditions, feeding procedure, etc.?

If he has SBM, wet his food before adding it to the aquarium. You can soak it in warm water or in the tank for a few minutes before crushing it in your fingers and feeding. This way the pieces are smaller and much more digestible. Keep his water conditions the same as usual, maybe adding a few more crystals of salt if he shows no more improvement. You may need to do a few more salt dips if he continues to swim awkwardly. Good luck!

Regards,
Leaf

 

[Shellybean02]

So feed him, put him back in his house and put him back in the bath if he doesn't get better/gets worse? Or keep him in the bath, feed him and add more crystals if he doesn't get better/gets worse? Sorry, I wish I knew how to word that in a simpler way...

 

[Bunnylady]

Just a note - Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, "salt" is sodium chloride. They are very different things!

Aquarium salt is made from evaporated seawater. It contains mostly sodium chloride, but also other minerals that are found in seawater. The reason you don't want to use "table salt" in an aquarium is because most salt intended for human consumption has iodine added to it. You can get non-iodized salt at the grocery store, or even something labeled as "sea salt" or "Kosher salt," - but you want to make sure they don't have an anti-caking additive if you want to use them in a fish tank.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

bunny lady is correct. Order some aquarium salt or buy some at a local fish store. This way it is made for your fish with no additives and no ill effects. How are your fish? Who's left?

Regards,
Leaf

 

[Shellybean02]

Just a note - Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, "salt" is sodium chloride. They are very different things!

Aquarium salt is made from evaporated seawater. It contains mostly sodium chloride, but also other minerals that are found in seawater. The reason you don't want to use "table salt" in an aquarium is because most salt intended for human consumption has iodine added to it. You can get non-iodized salt at the grocery store, or even something labeled as "sea salt" or "Kosher salt," - but you want to make sure they don't have an anti-caking additive if you want to use them in a fish tank.

I was really worried when I was about to add Epsom salt to my boy's cup... maybe I read the contents wrong? Now that he's improved I'm sure what I used was pure magnesium sulfate; it's used as a remedy for internal problems in fish, which apparently is what my Orlando has. Good to know though, I'll keep that in mind when getting aquarium salt for future use

 

[LeafBlade12345]

So feed him, put him back in his house and put him back in the bath if he doesn't get better/gets worse? Or keep him in the bath, feed him and add more crystals if he doesn't get better/gets worse? Sorry, I wish I knew how to word that in a simpler way...

I'd move him back to his house. You shouldn't be keeping him in Epsom salt for a prolonged period of time.

Regards,
Leaf

 

[LeafBlade12345]

I was really worried when I was about to add Epsom salt to my boy's cup... maybe I read the contents wrong? Now that he's improved I'm sure what I used was pure magnesium sulfate; it's used as a remedy for internal problems in fish, which apparently is what my Orlando has. Good to know though, I'll keep that in mind when getting aquarium salt for future use  

I thought Epsom salt was NOT to be used in fish? Or am I losing my marbles? :/