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Salt bath for fin rot?


Mama

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Hi - I'm fairly new to fishkeeping, but over the past six months or so have set up my cold freshwater tank, now with 5 well established goldfish and a newish baby bristlenose.

Initial setup and several teething problems have benefited by reading your excellent advice!!

One of the goldies now has a white edge along its fins, which I am assuming is fin rot?

I assume I need to get something for this from the local fish store - any recommendations?

Also, I've read of using a salt bath/tonic salt - is this something special I need to get or can you use everyday table salt? If so, what concentration would you use and what is the method?

Any advise greatly appreciated.

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Rock salt or tonic salt are best. Iodine in normal table salt is very toxic to fish. Non-iodized salt still has other additives in it (free flow agents). The stuff is real cheap, about $2.95 for a 500g bag so you may as well by the tonic salt.

Does the fin look ragged or eaten away? If it is just white but not eaten away and the fish is acting normally then I would leave it alone. It could just be normal fin colouration. You can dose the tank with about 1 gram of salt per litre. Sounds like a lot but salt water has 33 grams per litre.

Make sure you feed that bristlenose. JBL Novo Pleco chips are really good. The goldfish will love them too. The bristlenose needs the wood fibre they contain.

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Thanks to all for the advice.

The fins don't look eaten away - so I might just keep a close watch in the meantime rather than rushing in, and possibly try a bit of the tonic salt in the water.

I've got some Spirulina Discs for the bristlenose, plus there is wood in the tank. Problem is the goldies get to the discs first and scare off the wee bristlenose!

Have also started popping a bit of zucchini in now and then, which the bristlenose seems to like OK and the goldies leave alone (another handy tip from the Fishroom...!).

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