The Puffer Forum

In brackish tanks, when treating for ich is it ok to use table salt if i don't have aquarium salt or does the iodine and calcium in table salt mess up the water parameters?

I have read a post to the same question a while back and the answer was no. Do not use table salt. I can't remember why. I'm sure someone else will chime in with the answers.

Aquarium salt does not make brackish water, you need Marine salt for that, Instant Ocean for example.

Just wanted to point that out.

In the other post, one person corrected the other in saying that you CAN use table salt.. I personally don't know for sure.. I would assume coarse sea salt (sold for cooking) would be more healthy than the iodized salt we normally use as table salt.

It's an old wive's tale that table sale contains iodine that will kill your fish. I actually add very concentrated iodine to my reef tanks. The amount of iodine in table salt is negligabvle & is fine to use for medicinal pourposes.l The issue here is, using any non-marine salt to treat ich in BW fish. If the SG is really brackish (~1.005 minimum), this should be plenty enough salt to help irradicate the parasite, along with high temps & large WC.
http://www.aquariumboard.com/forums/articles/4770.htm

Can you use marine salt to treat ichs for FW puffer or stick with aquarium slat?

Use aquarium/table salt.

PP is correct, table salt has no iodine(which would be BAD) but contains iodide, which I dose my marine tank with as a supplement as she does and use to prevent further enlargement of a goiter on my large male DP in a totally FW environment. Before I got the supplement, I was using table salt in an attempt to help control the goiter for several weeks with no ill effect.