this was very helpful for me check it out:
Taken From: http://www.kwas.ca/forum/showthread....discus&p=43710
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This was posted by bradscichlids during the, now famous, "discus/metro joode and cowchick" thread last year. Others will hopefully chime in with their personal experience.
as im not a discus keeper and i havnt had any since the early 70s i found this article and i learned something that i had thought was completely wrong as i was always under the impression discus were fragile to a high doseage of salt
remember when doing salt baths and dips good aeration is a must
QUOTE FROM ANOTHER SITE:
Discus Salt Dip Methodology
Type of salt to use:
The type of salt used should be non-iodized and contain no ‘free flow’ or other additives (e.g. no iodine or sodium ferrocyanide etc. I have used ‘Freshwater Aquarium Salt’, rock salt and sea salt. If purchasing non-aquarium salt please read the packaging carefully as current trends show an increase in the use of additives even in natural products such as rock salt (UK).
If new to Salt Dipping
If new to dipping fish a good place to start would be with a 1.5-2% salt solution; for more experienced users I would suggest you start with a 3% solution immediately. The solution should be made up in a clean bucket or spare (fishless) tank. Whilst it is preferable to weigh out the correct amount of salt e.g. for a 2% solution one would use 20g of salt per litre of water, the following approximate measure are given for the sake of simplicity.
1 TABLESPOON of salt approximates to 15grams.
Therefore 1 TABLESPOON of salt per litre of water equates to a 1.5% solution
Worked examples (See Table 1 for other strengths):
· If your bucket/tank contains 10 litres of water you would add 13 tablespoons of salt to get an approximate 2% salt solution
· Or - If you place 3 US gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket you would add 14½ tablespoons of salt - to get an approximate 2% solution.
And so on
· It is important to ensure that the salt is fully dissolved before placing the fish in the bucket/tank and that the water temperature matches the tank from which the fish are taken.
As you will need to multi-dip throughout the day, place a heater in the tank, if you do not want to have to remake new salt solution each time; personally I make a fresh solution for each dip.
Before you place the fish in the solution please remember that:
· The length of time that you can leave discus in the solution varies greatly from a few seconds to 30 minutes
o 5 minutes would be a reasonable average
· The time they tolerate the dip DECREASES with the number of dips performed in a 24 hour period
· The fish MUST NOT be left unattended
· During the treatment your fish may show some interesting discolouration, do not worry this is short term.
Place the fish into the solution as quickly and as carefully as possible - then observe closely.
Initially, the respiration of the fish will increase substantially, 120 gill beats per minute is not uncommon. At some point, the fish will keel over on its side - and it is at this point that the novice should remove the fish and return it to its tank. If you are confident and experienced in dipping you may want to extend the time that the fish is exposed to the saline solution - I have found it effective to leave the fish in the solution until the gill beats have slowed to around 20 bpm - irrespective of whether the fish has keeled over or not.
Once the fish are returned to their tank they should within a few minutes regain their composure. If they appear to be in difficulty, the fish can be supported using your hands and then gently pulled backwards through the water at a slow pace - so that water is forced over the gills.
I have dipped 5 times a day for up to 7 days and there has been no lasting negative effect. It is important that the dips continue until all visible signs of infection are gone.
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i hope this helps
brad
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