How to effectively treat your fish in case of illness?

How can you effectively treat your fish if they fall ill? There are several treatments we can use if our fish develop a disease in the pond. We will look at salt treatment, which is one of the most effective and affordable treatments available.

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Numerous scientific studies have shown the effectiveness of this treatment. It is a proven method that has been used for decades. In this article, we will look at the benefits of using this treatment, what osmoregulation is, and some tips for taking good care of our pond.

What are the benefits of salt treatment, and how does it work?

It may sound unusual, but salt treatment can offer three benefits:

1. First, salt can be used to treat freshwater fish depending on the species. Fish are able to tolerate varying concentrations of salt. Sea water contains approximately 35 grams of salt per litre. Therefore, by using a much lower dose, we can enjoy the benefits without killing our fish.
2. Second, when a salt bath is used for fish, it can help minimise the effects of poor water quality. For example, it can help in cases where nitrite levels are slightly too high.
3. Finally, salt treatment can also help address health problems in our fish and, in certain situations, reduce their stress levels.

Osmoregulation

To answer the questions of how and why salt treatment works, we need to understand what osmoregulation is.

Osmoregulation is a physiological mechanism that allows fish to control the salt and water levels in their bodies.

Osmoregulation is related to osmosis, which is the movement of a substance from an area of high concentration through a semi-permeable membrane. Generally, water moves from a diluted solution to a concentrated solution through a semi-permeable membrane.

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The semi-permeable membrane is the fish's skin. Freshwater contains no salt, but fish have salt in their bodies. This creates osmotic pressure because water tries to enter the fish. Naturally, fish know how to manage this, so they expend energy to prevent losing their salt. If our fish are ill or stressed, osmoregulation may become impaired. Fish will struggle to regulate this osmotic pressure and suffer as a result. We now understand what the fish are fighting against.

Why salt treatment can help them.

• In fact, we can use a low-concentration salt treatment of 3 grams per litre when our fish are stressed.

So when are they stressed? They can become stressed during transport, whether in a pet shop or when being delivered by post. The corollary is that you should also avoid stressing them, for example during winter when the water is very cold, because they will deplete their reserves and become much more susceptible to fungal infections.

• We can use salt treatment when the water quality is poor. Water is said to be of poor quality when it contains too much ammonia. Ammonia levels depend on the water temperature, salinity, and pH. Salt does not lower ammonia levels, but it reduces the toxicity of nitrites, another nitrogenous waste that is harmful to fish.
• Finally, we can use salt treatment for fish with diseases such as parasites, fungal infections, skin worms, excessive mucus in the gills, ulcers, etc.

We can therefore apply the treatment throughout our system, whether it is an aquarium or an aquaponic fish tank. Alternatively, we can remove the fish and place them in a nursery, where we can apply a higher concentration of 10 grams per litre.

In this case, however, the baths should be short, lasting less than an hour, and we should use an air stone and keep a close eye on the fish. At the first sign of distress, they must be returned to their original system. Finally, it is important to know that we should use an even lower concentration, such as one gram per litre, for small fish or fry.

Here are some tips for keeping your fish healthy.

• It is important to monitor your fish for any signs of trouble. Before applying a treatment, you must make a diagnosis. If you never monitor your fish, you will not notice when they have problems. When you detect abnormal behaviour, there are two things to do: stop feeding them and apply a salt treatment.
• Also, make sure your pond is always clean. For example, remember to regularly clean your pond pump.

Generally, veterinarians recommend using natural bulk salt for this treatment and checking that it has not been treated with chemicals.

If you do not want to affect your entire ecosystem with the addition of salt, you can obviously use a quarantine tank, a nursery where you can add the appropriate concentration of salt, take only the affected fish, and treat them there.