Epsom Salt and It's Usage?

[Samuel Phan]

Hi Guys,

Just curious about the usefulness of the Epsom salt?
What is it normally used for?
For clearing of the bowel?

With Best Regards,
Samuel Phan

[Chris Yew]

Epsom Salt is magnesium sulfate. Epsom Salt is an FDA approved laxative (directions are on the carton).

It can be used for treating fish for 'Bloat'. The symptoms that are most noticeable for 'bloat' are: loss of appetite, lethargy, white stringy feces, heavy breathing, POSSIBLE bloating.

Please note that 'bloat' is actually a poor name for this disease because more often then not, the fish does not actually take on a bloated appearance.

This diseases is contagious to other fish. If your community tank fish has 'bloat' you will usually see one fish die and then maybe another die the next day or in a few days. This may continue until all the fish in the tank are dead!

The most important thing in treating bloat is to recognize the symptoms as soon as possible. If your fish were eating ravenously before and now one of them is not, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. Identify it before it becomes too late. If it is bloat, relax, there is a cure and a way for your other fish not to contract this contagious disease.

Here is the recipe for ridding your aquarium of bloat. First, remove any carbon from your aquarium filters if it is less then one month old. This will prevent your filter from removing any medication you will add later. Do a water change.

Add a handful of Epsom salt for every ten gallons of water. Epsom salt is a natural laxative and will also help the fish take on some water. Next medicate the aquarium against parasites.



quote:
Hi Guys,

Just curious about the usefulness of the Epsom salt?
What is it normally used for?
For clearing of the bowel?

With Best Regards,
Samuel Phan


Chris Yew

[Samuel Phan]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your reply ... it is really enlightening and informative.
But for the "Bloat" ... are we able to equate that to preliminary stage of dropsy?

Can I say that after "bloat" normally comes dropsy?

I have a particular spawn that just die off one by one regardless of whether they are individually jarred or in community tank ... they just die for no appearent reason and it is only restricted to that particular spawn.

This happens over a extended period of about 01 month ... wiping out an entire plakat population of near 100 when they are already about 2 months old.

In the end, have to cull every single piece from that spawn just to play safe that the virus do not spread to other spawns.

After the drastic move, all spawns are intact. It was really a bad experience.

[Chris Yew]

Hi Samuel,

I'm not too sure if Bloat will definitely leads to Dropsy. I do have sure experience of one dying after another though they are jarred. But I think it's most likey due to tubiflex worms poisoning and not bloat or dropsy. The worms that we bought some times may not be the 'fresh' one, so there may be 'contamination' of the worms.



Chris Yew

[Samuel Phan]

Understand that tubifex does contribute to that ....
But it is just so strange that it only attack a particular spawn ...
Other fishes from other spawns are not affected at all ...

[Alex Lim]

Hi all,

have noticed that epsom salt is probably ineffective at high water levels in my experience. but as i lowered water levels to around 2-4 cm, it seems to be working better. i'm unsure of usage so i "experiemented" [:o)]. seems to work only at low water levels probably because it is better able to consume the salt itself or the concentration of the salt is higher there. i'm not sure.. any guidance from users please?

[Alex Lim]

Hi all,

have noticed that epsom salt is probably ineffective at high water levels in my experience. but as i lowered water levels to around 2-4 cm, it seems to be working better. i'm unsure of usage so i "experiemented" [:o)]. seems to work only at low water levels probably because it is better able to consume the salt itself or the concentration of the salt is higher there. i'm not sure.. any guidance from users please?