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.
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.
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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