Salt Bath For Disease???

Will a salt bath really help a small spotted green puffer get rid of gill flukes?Salt Bath For Disease???
Yes, but do not transfer the fish elsewhere. Add a little aquarium salt to tank, it will relieve stress and fight infection, here is how to use salt:





Why use Waterlife Aquarium Salt ?








It has been known for some years that salt is an excellent fish tonic 鈥?reducing stress on fish by lowering osmotic pressure. This allows fish to fight disease and re-generate damaged tissue.








Features:





Replicates mineral conditions in which livebearers (guppies, swords, mollies) thrive.


Also suitable for goldfish kept in an aquarium.


A technical grade product which contains no toxic heavy metals.


Will not increase pH higher than 7.5 when used as directed.


Can be added to the water when using Waterlife disease treatments, providing the species of fish kept are salt tolerant.


Suitable for re-charging zeolite %26amp; other salt re-charged resins.





Contents: 200g





Use 1 teaspoon per 5 litres (1 Imp. gall. Approx.) of aquarium water (represents 1% concentration approx.)Salt Bath For Disease???
Gill flukes are pretty tough to get rid of. I would recommend a formalin dip.
First, rather than a salt ';bath'; a green spotted puffer should be in salt continuously - these are brackish water fish which only survive a few weeks if kept in freshwater. As juveniles, they can tolerate low salinity, but as adults, they need near seawater conditions. Marine salt, rather than aquarium salt should be used. If you don't already use this, that can help because parasites don't tolerate salt well.





I'd be curious to how you determined that the puffer has gill flukes. If you're just considering this because he appears to be having trouble breathing (gasping at the surface, rapid gill movement), I'd consider and eliminate other possibilities first - lack of salt in the water and high ammonia/nitrite concentrations would also cause this, and be more common. Puffers are extermely sensitive to ammonia and nitrite, and shouldn't be added to a tank without cycling it first. Cycling doesn't just mean allowing the filter to run for a few days, it means establishing a bacterial population in the tank that convert the ammonia and nitrite to nitrate. This requires periodically adding an ammonia source and waiting a few weeks. Adding gravel or a used filter pad from a healthy established tank jumpstarts the bacteria so you finish cycle somewhat faster.





Forgive me if you've already considered and eliminated these possibilities, but far too many people buy these puffers without knowing the conditions needed for their care, and many of the ';pet specialists'; who sell them don't have a clue either.





If flukes are the problem, and you're keeping the fish in salt, try a bath of a different salinity (either none at all, or higher, depending on the concentration in which he's currently kept) but avoid going above the salinity of natural seawater (1.026). If necessary to medicate, remember that puffers are sensitive to medications, so start at 1/4-1/2 of the normal dose, and be prepared to do an emergency water change if he shows signs of severe stress.
No, copper tone is the way to go
No. You would want to use something like coppersafe. You can also try removing them manually.





EDIT: ARGH. Please, people. SALT IS NOT A CURE-ALL. Salt can do some good for certain things like ich, but if the person asking the question follows your direction of adding salt, he'll probably loose the fish because the flukes will not go away.








PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT POST OPINIONS, GUESSES OR THE RIDICULOUS ADVICE YOU GOT FROM THE 16 YEAR OLD PET STORE EMPLOYEE WHEN ANSWERING HEALTH QUESTIONS. There are plenty of other questions that you can pimp yourself for points that don't put peoples' pets at risk.





EDIT2: Formalin will work, but it is harder on the fish. Coppersafe is much easier on the fish. Just do not have any invertibrates in the tank.