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Will salt treatment for fish Ich harm my turtle

PostPosted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 12:04 am
by thebernreuter
How big is your turtle? 3" 5/8
How long have you had it? 4 months

What is the water temperature? 80 degrees F
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 38 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? No - Brita water
Are you using any filtration? Yes. Tetra Whisper 40i

What is the basking temperature? 90 degrees F
Is there a basking light? Yes - 60 watt lightbulb
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes.
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Turtle Dock - small
Is there a UVB light? Yes - ReptiSun 5%

What have you been trying to feed it? ZooMed aquatic turtle food and small goldfish.

When was the last time your turtle ate? Today

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 40 gallons
Is the tank near a window? Not anymore :)
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes.

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes.
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? No.

Actual question:

Some of my feeder goldfish, like two or three, have contracted Ich. One of the treatments listed for Ich is salt - 2 teaspoons per gallon. Would that concentration of salt harm my RES?

PostPosted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:50 am
by steve
Topic moved.

What type of salt do you want to use?

Frankly I would just separate your fish from your turtle.

PostPosted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 3:22 am
by thebernreuter
One resource I used [just an aquarium care site] specified aquarium salt, but another site just said salt, which is a little vague.

I quarantined the affected fish in a seperate habitat, but I'm just thinking ahead about the possibility that the parasites have already exited their hosts and planted themselves somewhere in the aquarium, which apparently happens. Pretty gross.

As an alternative to putting salt in the main tank, I might just change the water soon. That apparently gets rid of any of the ich that might be lurking around on the bottom. I just don't want it to spread to all of my feeders. Oddly enough, my turtle won't eat the fish if they are already dead. I thought they were supposed to be scavengers? :)