Opinions on Salt Baths?

Hi, I just gave my betta his salt bath (this is day 2, he has fin rot and popeye) and after I put him back in the tank he was lying at the bottom motionless. My face turned pale thinking I killed him, but when I put the net down he thankfully swam away, but then lied down again. He's just sitting there at the bottom. He was swimming before I did the salt bath. Do you think the salt bath was too much for him? What has your experience been with salt baths? Thanks!

 

I had this happen with one of bettas in the past. I still don't know if this kind of fatigued behaviour was a result of what was afflicting him, or due to the salt baths.. he didn't recover I'm afraid. But I've used salt baths with my other bettas and never had this as an issue, so perhaps it's a result of stress?

 

IME salt baths can be pretty stressful for the fish, and if the fish is already very ill sometimes it can be too much for them and they don’t make it. Maybe the popeye was caught too late and he’s weak enough that the salt bath was a bit too much for him to handle ?

 

Salt baths are generally WAY more stress than they need to be, IMO. Salt can be added directly into the tank in doses high enough to take care of most infections without issue, unless you have catfish or salt-sensitive plants in the tank. And if you do have a reason you can't treat salt into the main tank, I'd sooner move the fish in a holding tank/container, and treat with salt in there.

 

I had this happen with one of bettas in the past. I still don't know if this kind of fatigued behaviour was a result of what was afflicting him, or due to the salt baths.. he didn't recover I'm afraid. But I've used salt baths with my other bettas and never had this as an issue, so perhaps it's a result of stress?

Oh no. I'm so sorry to hear that happened. That's so sad. He is in pretty rough shape, but he was swimming before the salt bath (but even then would occasionally lie at the bottom), but he was never lying down this much like he is now.

IME salt baths can be pretty stressful for the fish, and if the fish is already very ill sometimes it can be too much for them and they don’t make it. Maybe the popeye was caught too late and he’s weak enough that the salt bath was a bit too much for him to handle ?

He is pretty ill and the popeye was caught late. Do you think I should stop with the salt bath treatments then?

 

He is pretty ill and the popeye was caught late. Do you think I should stop with the salt bath treatments then?

I would. Sounds like the baths are causing far more stress than is healthy for him right now.

 

Salt baths are generally WAY more stress than they need to be, IMO. Salt can be added directly into the tank in doses high enough to take care of most infections without issue, unless you have catfish or salt-sensitive plants in the tank. And if you do have a reason you can't treat salt into the main tank, I'd sooner move the fish in a holding tank/container, and treat with salt in there.

Yeah, I never thought about doing salt baths until people recommended I do it for the popeye. I decided to try it. Now my fish is lying on the bottom of the tank. I'm scared it was too much for him.

 

Oh no. I'm so sorry to hear that happened. That's so sad. He is in pretty rough shape, but he was swimming before the salt bath (but even then would occasionally lie at the bottom), but he was never lying down this much like he is now.

He is pretty ill and the popeye was caught late. Do you think I should stop with the salt bath treatments then?

Then it's more likely than not stress is your issue, imo. As others have suggested, I'd either use salt directly in the tank, (unless thats not possible because you've plants or other inhabitants that youre worried about) or perhaps just increase the temperature in your tank.

 

I'm in tears right now. Today, day 2 of my betta's salt bath, did not go well. He did not tolerate it well. When he went back into the tank, he sank to the bottom motionless. My face turned pale thinking I killed him. When I touched him with the net, he thankfully swam away, but sank to the bottom again. People I talked to say they think he was stressed since he was so ill. I'm in tears. I can't handle the guilt if I killed him. I think he's going to pass. I killed him. I killed my fish. I'm going to wait 24 hours before I confirm if he has died just to see if he's just resting right now. I can't handle this if I killed my fish. I can't handle this.

 

Hey, it’s gonna be alright. We will only hope for the best but either way you’ll be ok. It’s not your fault, some fish get sick no matter how good we take care of them and he’s just not handling the treatment well. I’ll be praying for him

 

Oh my, I'm so sorry! That is absolutely the worst feeling in the world. You were doing right by this little fish, and he's so lucky to have such a caring and responsible person looking out for him. It's so hard to think we're failing our little buddies, but in the end... we're really so helpless.
I don't know if this will help you or not, but this has helped me... One of my favourite aquarium experts, when asked how he got so good at caring for fish, answered "I've killed more fish than you." We learn from all our mistakes and the problems we ran into (not at all saying you made a mistake here!) and we use that knowledge to provide an even better life for the next fish we care for. I often think back in such deep guilt to my first betta that I killed in the way most people kill their first betta... I was 9 years old and he lived in a 1/4 gallon no heater no filter. He lived 3 months. But because Zorro died, Blue got 2 good years, and because Blue died, Joey and Freddie now live in betta paradise. This has helped me cope with the tolls of learning in this hobby.
If you need to talk, about fish or mental health or anything, send me a message. Fish have been my fourth medication for my anxiety and OCD (after the 3 prescriptions) since I was 15 and that makes it so much harder when things go wrong. Sending you all my love and miracle cure vibes to your betta boy

 

Listen to redmare. She's a very smart young lady, and I have nothing to add to what she said.

 

So sorry that you are going through this! Hope the little guys makes it!

But if he doesn't please remember that sometimes even the best treatment doesn't always work. You can make the correct decision about a course of action but it may fail anyways. There are so many variables that affect an outcome, we can't control it all. We can only try to do our best and learn from each experience. It sucks I know, but it doesn't make it your fault. You were simply doing what you could to help your fish. Keeping you in my thoughts!!!!

 

Hey, it’s gonna be alright. We will only hope for the best but either way you’ll be ok. It’s not your fault, some fish get sick no matter how good we take care of them and he’s just not handling the treatment well. I’ll be praying for him

Thank you so much for your kind words, I really appreciate it! I feel like it IS my fault because he only got this ill because I was physically unable to care for him at one point because of the severe depression I was going through (I couldn't function). Again, thank you so much for your words of encouragement and for praying for him! I really appreciate it.

Oh my, I'm so sorry! That is absolutely the worst feeling in the world. You were doing right by this little fish, and he's so lucky to have such a caring and responsible person looking out for him. It's so hard to think we're failing our little buddies, but in the end... we're really so helpless.
I don't know if this will help you or not, but this has helped me... One of my favourite aquarium experts, when asked how he got so good at caring for fish, answered "I've killed more fish than you." We learn from all our mistakes and the problems we ran into (not at all saying you made a mistake here!) and we use that knowledge to provide an even better life for the next fish we care for. I often think back in such deep guilt to my first betta that I killed in the way most people kill their first betta... I was 9 years old and he lived in a 1/4 gallon no heater no filter. He lived 3 months. But because Zorro died, Blue got 2 good years, and because Blue died, Joey and Freddie now live in betta paradise. This has helped me cope with the tolls of learning in this hobby.
If you need to talk, about fish or mental health or anything, send me a message. Fish have been my fourth medication for my anxiety and OCD (after the 3 prescriptions) since I was 15 and that makes it so much harder when things go wrong. Sending you all my love and miracle cure vibes to your betta boy

Thank you so much for your kind words, I REALLY appreciate it! I feel like I'm not a responsible person because he only got this ill because at one point I was unable to physically care for him because I was going through severe depression to the point I couldn't function. That does help a lot, thank you so much! I never thought about it that way before! Oh I agree, fish help with mental health. I have agoraphobia, 2 anxiety disorders, depression, and OCD, and am on approximately 15 and 1/2 pills. Fish are really helpful in addition to medication. Again, thank you so much for your wise words and words of encouragement! I really appreciate it!

So sorry that you are going through this! Hope the little guys makes it!

But if he doesn't please remember that sometimes even the best treatment doesn't always work. You can make the correct decision about a course of action but it may fail anyways. There are so many variables that affect an outcome, we can't control it all. We can only try to do our best and learn from each experience. It sucks I know, but it doesn't make it your fault. You were simply doing what you could to help your fish. Keeping you in my thoughts!!!!

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement, I really appreciate it! I sure feel like it's my fault, by your words are very helpful. Thank you so much!

 

Thank you so much for your kind words, I really appreciate it! I feel like it IS my fault because he only got this ill because I was physically unable to care for him at one point because of the severe depression I was going through (I couldn't function). Again, thank you so much for your words of encouragement and for praying for him! I really appreciate it.

Thank you so much for your kind words, I REALLY appreciate it! I feel like I'm not a responsible person because he only got this ill because at one point I was unable to physically care for him because I was going through severe depression to the point I couldn't function. That does help a lot, thank you so much! I never thought about it that way before! Oh I agree, fish help with mental health. I have agoraphobia, 2 anxiety disorders, depression, and OCD, and am on approximately 15 and 1/2 pills. Fish are really helpful in addition to medication. Again, thank you so much for your wise words and words of encouragement! I really appreciate it!

Let me just say I totally understand how you feel about the guilt and depression keeping you unable to care for your fish. A lot of days, my fish are the only reason I get out of bed. Unfortunately, sometimes it isn't enough though, and I do the bare minimum of turning their lights on before going back to sleep. There's been a few times where I didn't properly care for them for a couple days and of course those are the times where they really needed my attention. I'm ashamed to say a few have ended up dead because of it.

The way that I try to look at it, is I loved my fish and tried my best to give them an awesome life. I can tell you care a lot too. That's 100x more than 95% of the people who keep fish will ever do. Making mistakes sucks, especially when it's at the expense of another being you're in charge of. But it's the only way to learn. This hobby is brutal for people with a lot of love in their hearts. I'm a big crybaby so I cry over every fish. I apologize to them as well, and promise them that I will learn from this so I don't repeat it. Keep in mind that there's a significant chance that by being the one to adopt a particular fish, you've saved it from a short life full of neglect and suffering.

How did your boy do overnight, by the way? Big water changes might help if he's still hanging in there

 

I know I said above that I didn't have anything to add, but I guess I do after all. If you were physically unable to care for your fish for a period of time, but did all you could (and I have no doubt that's the case), then anything resulting from that is in no way your fault, or anything you need to feel guilty about.

 

I know I said above that I didn't have anything to add, but I guess I do after all. If you were physically unable to care for your fish for a period of time, but did all you could (and I have no doubt that's the case), then anything resulting from that is in no way your fault, or anything you need to feel guilty about.

Yes that's very well said, thank you for chiming in. You're only human remember not a machine

 

Thank you so much for your kind words, I really appreciate it! I feel like it IS my fault because he only got this ill because I was physically unable to care for him at one point because of the severe depression I was going through (I couldn't function). Again, thank you so much for your words of encouragement and for praying for him! I really appreciate it.

I completely understand this. This is what happened to my second betta, when I hit my worst mental health period. Shortly after he died I rehomed my snake and gecko since I knew I wasn't able to care for them at that time. Take care of yourself, that's the most important thing. We're all here for you!

Listen to redmare. She's a very smart young lady, and I have nothing to add to what she said.

I really needed this today, thank you

 

I'm in tears right now. Today, day 2 of my betta's salt bath, did not go well. He did not tolerate it well. When he went back into the tank, he sank to the bottom motionless. My face turned pale thinking I killed him. When I touched him with the net, he thankfully swam away, but sank to the bottom again. People I talked to say they think he was stressed since he was so ill. I'm in tears. I can't handle the guilt if I killed him. I think he's going to pass. I killed him. I killed my fish. I'm going to wait 24 hours before I confirm if he has died just to see if he's just resting right now. I can't handle this if I killed my fish. I can't handle this.

Its ok I had one fish death today because the Australian rainbow ate the tail of a tetra and it died.. Its ok its part of the hobby Everything is gonna be ok. If he was old it probably was gonna happen anyways and you tried your best to save him

 

Let me just say I totally understand how you feel about the guilt and depression keeping you unable to care for your fish. A lot of days, my fish are the only reason I get out of bed. Unfortunately, sometimes it isn't enough though, and I do the bare minimum of turning their lights on before going back to sleep. There's been a few times where I didn't properly care for them for a couple days and of course those are the times where they really needed my attention. I'm ashamed to say a few have ended up dead because of it.

The way that I try to look at it, is I loved my fish and tried my best to give them an awesome life. I can tell you care a lot too. That's 100x more than 95% of the people who keep fish will ever do. Making mistakes sucks, especially when it's at the expense of another being you're in charge of. But it's the only way to learn. This hobby is brutal for people with a lot of love in their hearts. I'm a big crybaby so I cry over every fish. I apologize to them as well, and promise them that I will learn from this so I don't repeat it. Keep in mind that there's a significant chance that by being the one to adopt a particular fish, you've saved it from a short life full of neglect and suffering.

How did your boy do overnight, by the way? Big water changes might help if he's still hanging in there

Awww I'm so sorry to hear you have struggled too. No need to be ashamed, you were doing the best you could! Like you said, you loved and cared your fish!

Thank you so much for your encouraging words, I REALLY appreciate it! I also cry over every fish when they die, it's really hard when they die. Again, thank you so much for your kind words, they were very helpful!

Thank you for asking! He's still alive (somehow). He keeps lying at the bottom though. When I opened the lid, he swam, which is a sign he wants food (he always wants food), so I guess that's good. I'm hoping he'll recover. I keep praying he will.

I know I said above that I didn't have anything to add, but I guess I do after all. If you were physically unable to care for your fish for a period of time, but did all you could (and I have no doubt that's the case), then anything resulting from that is in no way your fault, or anything you need to feel guilty about.

Thank you so much for your kind words, this gives me reassurance and makes me feel so much better! I really appreciate it!

 

im really sorry, I have had these days too. one time I quarantined my 8 year old electric yellow, and it really stressed him out. its a terrible feeling, but its also really wholesome, considering they are just small fish. can I ask why he was getting a salt bath in the first place?

 

I completely understand this. This is what happened to my second betta, when I hit my worst mental health period. Shortly after he died I rehomed my snake and gecko since I knew I wasn't able to care for them at that time. Take care of yourself, that's the most important thing. We're all here for you!

I really needed this today, thank you

So sorry to hear about your struggles as well. That must have been difficult rehoming them. You are very brave. I wouldn't have had the courage to do that. Thank you so much for your encouraging words, and thank you for being here for me! I really appreciate it!

Its ok I had one fish death today because the Australian rainbow ate the tail of a tetra and it died.. Its ok its part of the hobby Everything is gonna be ok. If he was old it probably was gonna happen anyways and you tried your best to save him

Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry for your loss. He was pretty old, he's about to be 3 years old this summer. Thank you for your encouraging words!

im really sorry, I have had these days too. one time I quarantined my 8 year old electric yellow, and it really stressed him out. its a terrible feeling, but its also really wholesome, considering they are just small fish. can I ask why he was getting a salt bath in the first place?

Thank you so much! Wow he was 8 years old? Of course! Some people recommended he get a salt bath to treat the popeye. It was swollen so much. He also had pretty severe fin rot.

 

Hi, yesterday was day 2 of my betta's salt bath and it did not go well. As soon as I put him back in the tank, he sank to the bottom motionless. My face turned pale thinking I killed him, but when I touched him with a net he quickly swam away and sank to the bottom again. This morning, he was still at the bottom. About 1 hour ago, I checked on him again. He was still at the bottom. I opened the lid and he started swimming and sank to the bottom again. Every time I see him at the bottom like that I think he's dead, but he thankfully isn't. I'm wondering, so long as I don't do anymore treatment as of now, will he survive? I'm really hoping he will. I don't plan on doing salt baths ever again.

 

I'm not clear on what you did here. To me it sounds like you were putting him in and out of salt water for 2 days? Hope he recovers.

 

I'm not clear on what you did here. To me it sounds like you were putting him in and out of salt water for 2 days? Hope he recovers.

Thank you! On the day 1, he had an aquarium salt bath in 1 gallon of water in a bowl for 10 minutes. On the second day, I did the same thing, but for 15 minutes. So 15 minutes in 1 gallon of water with aquarium salt on day 2.

 

Ok so more like a dip. I've never done that myself.

 

Are you doing a bath or a dip? A bath means having the fish live in slightly higher salinity of water for a period, say 48 hours.

A dip is using a very salty solution to quickly remove skin parasites like leeches, bugs, planaria etc off the skin of a fish and should be like 5mins at most. Usually the parasite will come off instantly.

 

Are you doing a bath or a dip? A bath means having the fish live in slightly higher salinity of water for a period, say 48 hours.

A dip is using a very salty solution to quickly remove skin parasites like leeches, bugs, planaria etc off the skin of a fish and should be like 5mins at most. Usually the parasite will come off instantly.

Thanks for the information! It was a dip and it was recommended to me that I do it for 15 minutes.

 

Thanks for the information! It was a dip and it was recommended to me that I do it for 15 minutes.

Ah okay...was there any parasites on the skin that you wanted to remove?

 

Ah okay...was there any parasites on the skin that you wanted to remove?

I had asked on a separate thread what treatment to do for popeye and was recommended salt dips for my betta.

 

I had asked on a separate thread what treatment to do for popeye and was recommended salt dips for my betta.

Hmm I don't think a salt dip is the correct treatment here.....if it is some infection in the eye I dont see how the salt can get into the eyes to be effective....

 

Hmm I don't think a salt dip is the correct treatment here.....if it is some infection in the eye I dont see how the salt can get into the eyes to be effective....

I heard from others that the salt dip can bring the swelling down. I was hesitant to do it because I also heard they can be stressful on fish (I asked the question on how to treat popeye in different ways like 20 times because I wanted an answer other than salt dips, but then gave up. Since I got the same answer every time, I reluctantly tried a salt dip, and sure enough, my betta is now at the bottom of the tank).

 

I heard from others that the salt dip can bring the swelling down. I was hesitant to do it because I also heard they can be stressful on fish (I asked the question on how to treat popeye in different ways like 20 times because I wanted an answer other than salt dips, but then gave up. Since I got the same answer every time, I reluctantly tried a salt dip, and sure enough, my betta is now at the bottom of the tank).

Epsom salts is typically what is used to bring swelling down and yes, 15 mins seems to be the recommended time. Aquarium salt you can usually put in the aquarium. Though in this case maybe not a good idea if youe fish has reacted like that.

 

Epsom salts is typically what is used to bring swelling down and yes, 15 mins seems to be the recommended time. Aquarium salt you can usually put in the aquarium. Though in this case maybe not a good idea if youe fish has reacted like that.

Oh, that is magnesium sulfate... It doesn't affect salinity though...

 

Epsom salts is typically what is used to bring swelling down and yes, 15 mins seems to be the recommended time. Aquarium salt you can usually put in the aquarium. Though in this case maybe not a good idea if youe fish has reacted like that.

Huh... I was told Epsom salt was used if the popeye was caused by an injury and aquarium salt is used if it was caused by a bacteria. In my case, it was definitely a bacteria, so I used aquarium salt. Yeah, I'm just gonna stay away from doing anything to treat him for now and once he (hopefully) recovers, I plan to treat with Kanaplex since Erythromycin did nothing which tells me he's got a gram-negative bacteria causing the popeye.

 

I would lower the water level or get him a little closer to the surface ( in a net or similar) that way he is able to put more energy into getting better than trying to get to the surface to breathe. I would use epsom salt and not aquarium salt because aquarium salt will pull more liquid into him and epsom will do the opposite (as well as act as a laxative).

There is only so much you can do for a fish, no matter how hard they are fighting as well. I had a female betta that fought hard to stay alive and I did everything I could to try and help her (even was taking her with me to work while I did construction so I could give her hands on care throughout the week), she tried for two months and finally succumbed after fighting so hard. She was buried under a flower.
You shouldn't feel guilty about doing your best at the time for your fish. You cannot save every fish, no matter what you throw at them or how much effort you put into saving them, even ones that you are really attached to or even raised from a fry.

 

I'm in tears right now. Today, day 2 of my betta's salt bath, did not go well. He did not tolerate it well. When he went back into the tank, he sank to the bottom motionless. My face turned pale thinking I killed him. When I touched him with the net, he thankfully swam away, but sank to the bottom again. People I talked to say they think he was stressed since he was so ill. I'm in tears. I can't handle the guilt if I killed him. I think he's going to pass. I killed him. I killed my fish. I'm going to wait 24 hours before I confirm if he has died just to see if he's just resting right now. I can't handle this if I killed my fish. I can't handle this.

Sorry your hurting I lost 3/5 of mine in the last two months due to a illness. Bettas are iffy fish. I don’t know why anyone would label them as beginner fish. Some fish don’t show signs of illness until it’s too late and others show signs of illness just hours after they git sick. I really hope this doesn’t affect you wanting to continue this hobby. We need more good fish keepers in this hobby to keep it pure. Hope you feel better.

 

Sorry your hurting I lost 3/5 of mine in the last two months due to a illness. Bettas are iffy fish. I don’t know why anyone would label them as beginner fish. Some fish don’t show signs of illness until it’s too late and others show signs of illness just hours after they git sick. I really hope this doesn’t affect you wanting to continue this hobby. We need more good fish keepers in this hobby to keep it pure. Hope you feel better.

Thank you so much for your kind words, I greatly appreciate it! So sorry to hear you lost 3/5 of yours, that's so sad and not an easy thing to go through. I agree, bettas can be pretty difficult! I think I will continue with this hobby, but might take a little break once this guy passes. Again, thank you for your kind words, they mean a lot!

 

Can't do anything but get him/her/it into salt free dechlorinated water and wait. Good luck.

 

Awww I'm so sorry to hear you have struggled too. No need to be ashamed, you were doing the best you could! Like you said, you loved and cared your fish!

Thank you so much for your encouraging words, I REALLY appreciate it! I also cry over every fish when they die, it's really hard when they die. Again, thank you so much for your kind words, they were very helpful!

Thank you for asking! He's still alive (somehow). He keeps lying at the bottom though. When I opened the lid, he swam, which is a sign he wants food (he always wants food), so I guess that's good. I'm hoping he'll recover. I keep praying he will.

Thank you so much for your kind words, this gives me reassurance and makes me feel so much better! I really appreciate it!

No thank you, I've honestly had a rough couple weeks so this whole thread was so wholesome for me to read. I've been kinda hard on myself because I lost 10/14 of my CPDs, the last 4 are barely holding on. It all happened so fast, they weren't acting sick even. Then all of a sudden 10 died within 5 days, somehow they all got the fast strain of columnaris. It sucks. But reading this makes me remember I'm not alone, so yea thanks for starting this

I'm glad your boy is holding on still! If you think he has a shot with the right medication and you're in the US, aquatronics makes really high quality meds that have saved my fish many times. I know they make one for Popeye, I haven't tried it myself but it is probably the best shot you'd have save going to a vet. I know it comes with two little vials and you drop them both right on the eye, so I imagine it's much stronger than something just mixed in the water.