Salt Dosage Calculator

Standard Dosage for Ich or Velvet is 2 Teaspoons of salt per Gallon of Water

Standard Dosage for Fungus is 5 Grams of salt per Liter of Water

(For more information on the treatment of ich, please read this article- Ich Article)

Enter Target Level of Salt

Teaspoons per Gallon Teaspoons per Liter Grams per Liter

Enter Amount of Water to Treat

Gallons Liters
Amount of Salt Needed Ounces Grams ppm or mg/l
Teaspoons Tablespoons Cups
About Salt: Do not use Aquarium Salt. Aquarium Salt often contains unnecessary minerals and/or pollutants. Only use food grade NaCl, such as Kosher Salt or Canning & Pickling Salt.

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Adding and Removing Salt too quickly can cause Osmotic Shock. 2 teaspoons of salt per gallon will raise the water's salinity and TDS* by about 3170 ppm. Normal freshwater tanks only have a TDS of 50 - 450 ppm.

To prevent osmotic shock, drip salt solution into aquarium over a 48 hour period. A good method to do this is to mix the salt with aquarium water in a pitcher, set pitcher above aquarium, and siphon the water into the aquarium with air line tubing. To slow the water down to a drip, use an airline valve or tie a knot in the tubing.

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When removing salt, be sure that the fish are 100% healthy. Sick fish do not acclimate as well to osmotic drops. It usually takes a fish 2-3 weeks to fully recover from disease outbreaks.

Only do small water changes when removing salt. No more than twice daily 20% water changes is recommended

It will take approximately 14 - 20% water changes to get the salinity below 100 ppm, this is usually done over the course of a few weeks.

*TDS is Total Dissolved Solids. Using a TDS meter in this salt treatment is highly recommend. It can help prevent measuring errors. TDS meters only cost about $20 on Ebay. It's a great investment for monitoring water quality and for keeping healthy fish.

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