Kashim

I'm wondering if I should mostly keep the hood on my tank closed or open. I have a 55 gallon tank and I usually have the lights on for 8-10 hours a day, during which time I leave the hood open so the heat from the bulbs doesn't get trapped. The rest of the time the hood is closed to stop evaporation.

I'm going to be raising the temperature in my tank to 30°C/86°F in order to treat an ICH outbreak and I'm worried about oxygen levels.

I'm wondering if leaving the hood open all the time would improve oxygen levels in the tank at all. I read on another site that lowering the water level a little to create more of a "splash" from the filter would increase aeration and improve oxygen levels. Is this true? I usually fill my tank to about 1/2" of the rim, so there isn't much of a splash from the water filter. I don't want to buy an airstone/bubbler, unless I really have to.

I also read that I should add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 1 gallon of water, but that's 55 teaspoons for my tank. That seems like a LOT of salt and I don't want to hurt my fish. Does anyone know if raising the temperature without adding salt would still help get rid of ich?

Alessa

Don't use salt. It will only hurt your fish more, The raising of temperature is enough to treat ich, as long as you leave it like that for 3 weeks, and vacuum frequently.

With the temperature that high, I would leave the hood open if it is a tightly fitting one, but I would preferibly add a couple airstones (with a gang valve to divide the air current coming from the pump) or an air wand. The splash from the filter should also help.

sirdarksol

To answer your question: Yes, it does. I don't know to what level, but it will affect gas exchange, especially if it's a tight fitting hood.

Yes, lowering the water level will create more splash from the filter, thus oxygenating the water more.

I agree with Alessa, don't bother with the salt. If you have an extreme outbreak of ich (fish are more white than colored), adding meds might be a good idea (I've heard good things about Rid-Ich).
Salt is an old remedy. It can be really harsh on the fishes' systems (depending on your water quality and the type of fish you have and other things), so I think it's best to steer clear of it except in absolute emergencies.

I also agree that an airstone with a cheap air pump would be an excellent addition.