Beneficial to add salt to goldfish tank?

[bluemandarin]

Hi bros,

currently have a 70 litres tank with 2 small orandas inside. I was wondering if theres any benefit to adding salt to the water? My goldfish always seem to go to the surface for air every now and then (pretty often). The water paremeters are fine and I'm sure I have sufficient areation. Just wondering if this is normal behaviour? Heard that adding salt may help but have no idea what it doesn Any bros can give some advice about this? Cheers.

[tangmulong4488]

is it cycled?

[bluemandarin]

Originally Posted by tangmulong4488

is it cycled?

Hi bro,

Yes tank is fully cycled. =(

wonder how to tell if water is cycled or not ? thanks

yes using salt does help. it can kill certain parasites and lower the chance of your gf getting attack by parasites.

how much to put? i always use 'aga-ration'. like 2-3 table spoon for a 40 gallon tank.
i think arofan has a tool that helps u to calculate the amount of salt to put for ur tank volume under the forum water management etc.

Going up to grasp for air too often is not normal behavior.
First Aid Steps I would:
1. Test the Water for Ammonia, Nitrites and pH.
2. Change Out Most of the Water and Don't Forget to Add De-Chlorinator.
Next find the Cause:
Notice what time of day it is. Is it first thing in the morning or right in the hottest part of the afternoon? Do they do this at the same time each day? This could indicate that your tank does not get sufficient amounts of oxygen and it shows up during the hours of the day when the dissolved oxygen is at its lowest level.
Are the fish showing any signs of parasites such as rubbing themselves against the sides or bottom of the tank or hanging their heads? Parasites can cause fish to have difficulty breathing, especially gill flukes.

Gently lift the gill plate on one of the fish gasping for air and examine the gills. Are they tattered with uneven edges? Do they have grey-colored areas? The gills should be very red and perfect semi-circles. If they look torn or ragged or have dead tissue and scars they could have Bacterial Gill Disease.
Is ok to dose with aquarium or rock salt @0.1% (1 teaspoon per 4L of tank water) but you should try and find out it's underling cause.
If doing the above is too daunting, then try treating with Prazi to rid of all the parasites first and see whether there is any improvement.

adding salt helps but not for the purpose of preventing the fish from going up to the top of the tank. if you feed floasting pellet, may be a sign they are always there waiting for food. If water conditions etc. are ok and fish healthy, i wouldn;t be too concerned about this.

I find salting very beneficial

[dragonhart]

fish farms use salt liberally to control diseases..... the GF used to salt already.....good to add salt during quarantine period(think there's
a guide for using salt...0.1-0.3% bath) and then slowly add less(change partial water and dun add any salt)...if fish is ok, just keep doing this and no more salt liao.

Originally Posted by bluemandarin

Hi bros,

currently have a 70 litres tank with 2 small orandas inside. I was wondering if theres any benefit to adding salt to the water? My goldfish always seem to go to the surface for air every now and then (pretty often). The water paremeters are fine and I'm sure I have sufficient areation. Just wondering if this is normal behaviour? Heard that adding salt may help but have no idea what it doesn Any bros can give some advice about this? Cheers.

Salt is okay, but should not be a permanent thing.

Analyze your problem.

Possibilities

1)Is it parasite/bacteria infection on the. (Take a look)
2)Is it ammonia or other waste by product effecting the gills.? (Measure)
3)Is it low DO (measure dissolved oxygen) and (measure water temp - warm water lower DO - see here and here)
4)Is it just the behavior of the fish. (Observe - you'll notice the fish only comes to the top when you're near the tank or when they can see movement outside their tank. Hide one corner and observe when not one is around.)