Proper care of the aquarium - disinfection. Potassium permanganate in an aquarium with fish dose Purification of water in an aquarium with potassium permanganate

Do not forget that the aquarium is a real home for fish. He, like a human dwelling, needs cleaning. If a person can provide himself with frequent cleaning, then such a luxury is not available for fish, so it is the owner who must disinfect the aquarium and monitor the condition of his pets. Many people know about this, but not everyone knows how to properly disinfect an aquarium.

Primary activities

The first disinfection of the aquarium takes place immediately after you have purchased the tank. The future home for fish must be carefully processed before the first inhabitants of flora and fauna appear there.

How to properly disinfect:

Fill the aquarium with normal water.
Dilute the potassium permanganate solution to a dark color and pour it into an aquarium filled with tap water.
After that, leave it for a day. During this time, all pathogenic bacteria will die.
Drain all the water and dry the walls with a dry cloth.
Rinse it several times with clean running water.

The next step will be the preparation of water for the launch of a new aquarium. In order for free chlorine to come out of the water, it is necessary to defend all 100% of the water for at least 3 days. Then fill it up and wait a couple of days again. Only after that the aqua will be ready to receive the first inhabitants.

In order not to waste time, prepare the rest of the equipment and decor for your exclusive pond. Don't forget, they also need to be thoroughly disinfected before they end up in the same water as the fish. Particular attention is paid to the soil. As it is most often used sea sand and pebbles collected in natural conditions. Of course, a huge number of pathogenic bacteria have been collected in the substrate, which will poison the entire environment in the water. To defeat the negative consequences, you need to ignite the soil in the oven or in a large frying pan. It is necessary to expose the entire soil to the maximum temperature and for at least 20 minutes. For convenience, divide it into portions. Do not pour hot sand into the aquarium! Cool and rinse it well. One washing is not enough, it is better to repeat the procedure 3-4 times, only after that you can place it in the aquarium. Do not ignore this stage of the initial launch of the aquarium.

Among the mandatory elements of the normal functioning of an artificial reservoir are accessories. Collect all the decor elements, excluding plastic options and boil them thoroughly. Since plastic parts can melt from heat treatment, it is better to treat them with a dark solution of potassium permanganate.

Aquarium disinfection is a necessary measure that aquarists have to take to protect pets and plants from death. The need to disinfect the water and elements in the aquarium arises after the manifestation of infectious viruses and microorganisms in the reservoir, as well as after the death of pets. However, not all owners of artificial reservoirs know how to disinfect the aquarium correctly so as not to harm the inhabitants of the aquarium.

When is disinfection needed?

Disinfection of the aquarium is carried out in two cases:

During the initial launch of a new artificial reservoir.
Disinfection of the existing tank with disinfectants when infectious diseases are detected.

When you first start the tank, disinfection is necessary in order to destroy possible contamination, bacteria, microbes and other viruses that can later lead to sad consequences and even death of pets, so it is necessary to treat the aquarium immediately after purchase. An active aquarium is disinfected if infectious diseases of fish or harmful algae have been detected, for example, with ichthyphothirius, black beard or blue-green algae. In these cases, disinfection of the aquarium will not only destroy the remaining bacteria and viruses, but also help the owner treat the pets.

Primary aquarium disinfection

Primary disinfection of the aquarium is carried out before planting plants and laying out the soil in order to protect vegetation and fish from possible infections that enter the tank upon purchase. It is necessary to process not only the container, but also the soil, as well as stones for the aquarium. Disinfection of the plant before planting is also required. The primary disinfection procedure is easy to perform at home and will take 72 hours.

To disinfect a reservoir with potassium permanganate, you must perform the following steps:

The container is filled with ordinary tap water.
Prepare a solution by mixing water with potassium permanganate until the liquid becomes dark in color.
The solution is poured into the tank, and left for a day.
After a day, all the liquid from the tank is drained, the tank is rinsed and wiped dry with a clean cloth.
The procedure is repeated two more times.

Soil and plant treatment

Successful cultivation of plants in a pond depends on the quality of the soil, so the substrate must undergo a disinfection period before laying out. For processing, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the soil, allow it to dry and ignite the substrate in an oven for 15 minutes at a temperature of 100C. The finished soil is allowed to cool at room temperature and laid out in a tank.

New plants are disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, putting water flowers there for 15–20 minutes. The main thing is not to overdo it with potassium permanganate, otherwise there is a risk of burning tender leaves.

Decoration processing

Decorations made of wood, stone or metal, and aquarium stones are disinfected by boiling in boiling water for 15-20 minutes - this time is enough to destroy possible harmful bacteria and viruses that can harm the fish. Decorative elements made of plastic cannot be boiled, therefore, a solution of potassium permanganate is used for bactericidal treatment.

Disinfection of an existing aquarium

The existing artificial reservoir with fish is treated with antibacterial substances. In order for the tank to become disinfected, a solution with penicillin (10 mg / 2 l) is used, and the procedure itself takes 72 hours. You should not be afraid for the flora: aquarium plants will not die. If a fish suddenly died in the tank, then the treatment is carried out using a bactericidal light bulb, including the device for 15 minutes for three days in a row.

Effective methods of disinfection

The most effective and popular ways to treat an existing tank are:

Disinfection with boiling water - using this method, all harmful algae, bacterial colonies and infections are guaranteed to die. The temperature should be increased gradually so that the glass of the container does not crack. The method is suitable only for seamless reservoirs or with resistant glue, otherwise leaks and damage to the container are possible.
Strong antibacterial agents are used in case of infection of fish with dangerous infectious diseases - tanks are disinfected with a powerful cleaning or chlorine-containing agent. You can't use white! After the tank has been processed, rinse the tank several times with water.
Hydrogen peroxide will help disinfect the pond as a preventive measure. The action of the remedy is not as strong and powerful as that of the previous method, however, hydrogen peroxide is the most careful and safe to use. However, after applying peroxide, the container should be rinsed.
A mixture of table salt and water of a thick consistency will also help to disinfect the pond. After mixing salt and water, the resulting slurry is applied to the corners and seams of the tank, then the container is filled with liquid and left for two hours. After processing, the liquid is drained, and the reservoir is thoroughly washed, since salt is very dangerous for many phenotypes.
Methylene blue is one of the most popular preparations. It is safe for fish, therefore, when processing an aquarium with blue, pets can not be resettled from the reservoir. Blue is added to the liquid in a proportion of 2 mg / 10 l. The disadvantage of using this method is that methylene blue turns the water blue.
An ultraviolet lamp is another safe way for fish to disinfect the tank. The UV lamp can be used as an independent method, and in combination with the above methods.

Aquarium disinfection is a simple and effective way to ensure that dirt, bacteria and algae colonies that harm fish, plants and shellfish are destroyed. When decontaminating the tank, you should follow the general rules and instructions on the packaging of antibacterial products in order to upset the ecological balance and not harm your pets.

Aquarium disinfection video

However, its effectiveness is fully manifested only if the rules for its application are observed.

The disadvantages include restrictions on application to certain fish species that do not tolerate an increase in the concentration of sodium and chlorine ions. These include:

- Sumatran barbs, including varieties, which are colloquially called "mutants" by aquarists;

Salt treatment should be used very carefully in juvenile labyrinths (maximum tolerated salt concentration is 1.5%).

For fish of the above species, the maximum salt concentration should not exceed 2-2.5% with a bath duration of ten minutes, but if the fish can withstand such a time without problems, it is extended to fifteen minutes.

One way to overcome this shortcoming is to gradually add salt to the aquarium water. Start with ¼ teaspoon per ten liters and gradually increase the dosage to 2 tablespoons. The method is effective if it is started to be used in rearing aquariums. However, this method eventually has a drawback - the fish get used to salted water and are no longer able to live in ordinary freshwater aquariums.

Also, the disadvantage is the intolerance of increased concentrations of sodium and chlorine ions by higher aquatic plants. Lower algae, on the other hand, are resistant to increased concentrations of these ions, as a result, an outbreak of increased growth of these algae can begin in the aquarium.

Do not use salt treatment in aquarium water with a high nitrate content.

Therapeutic baths with solutions of high salt concentration are successfully used in the treatment of diseases such as:

The minimum time for the use of baths with saline to destroy the pathogens of the diseases listed above is 10 minutes, and the higher the proportion, the more effective the treatment. But for aquarium fish, the practical limit of saline concentration lies in the range of 4%-5%. Therefore, a concentration of 2% is chosen and the treatment time is increased to ten to fifteen minutes.

The time of treatment in solutions with a concentration of about 2% within the specified time interval is best selected experimentally. Start by checking the time interval of ten minutes. For the first time, a low-value fish is bathed in the bath, carefully watching its behavior. If the fish do not show symptoms of intolerance (they do not try to jump out, there is no increase in breathing with convulsive bouncing of the fins, having risen to the surface they turn over on their side, they cannot sink to the bottom, an increased secretion of mucus begins), the time is extended to fifteen minutes. If during this time the symptoms of intolerance do not appear - increase the concentration (optimally - reaching the threshold of 4%).

To prepare a treatment solution, you can use any, including iodized. If there are no exact scales, you can use the popular method of determining weight using kitchen utensils. For a proportion of 2% solution per 1 liter of water, you need 2 teaspoons with a small slide of salt. The solution is stirred until the salt is completely dissolved.

The method of treatment in baths is as follows. Prepare two outpatient otsadnik. The prepared solution for treatment is poured into the first one, powerful aeration is established (it must be arranged so that the fish is not captured by the emerging current) and the temperature is equalized with that maintained in the aquarium with the fish to be treated (the temperature difference of 2 ° C should not be exceeded) .

Naturally, higher dosages of salt are more effective, but in cases where severe forms of neglected lesions are started, the weakened body of the fish may not withstand treatment. In such cases, begin treatment with bathing in a 1.5% salt solution and increase the concentration on the second day, an even more concentrated solution on the third day, and so on until the optimal concentration is reached (from 2% to 4%).

The difference between the pH of the water in the aquarium with fish and in the treatment bath and in the rinse bath should not exceed more than 0.2 units (in either direction). The temperature of the water in the rinsing bath should not differ from the temperature in the treatment bath.

In cases of emergency, you can boil ordinary tap water, wait until it cools down to the temperature in the aquarium, setting powerful aeration as soon as the temperature conditions allow for the equipment. You need to aerate for at least half an hour.

When using salt as a medicine, the effectiveness will increase if potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) is added to the medicinal bath solution. Permanganate (potassium permanganate) is added until the color of the solution with a crimson color is obtained.

For a full-fledged treatment with salt baths, at least three baths should be carried out with a daily interval.

Edible salt is also used to create long-term baths for treatment. Such baths can be used in quarantine jigger tanks, in rearing aquariums - that is, in aquariums without decoration with higher aquatic plants. Such treatment or prevention is carried out with concentration solutions at the rate of one and a half grams of salt per liter of water. The duration of the content in such a solution in the range from several days to two weeks. If you keep the fish in such a solution for more than the specified time, then disorders of self-osmoregulation may occur. Returns to normal conditions are made by changing 10% of the water daily - the process is continued until zero salt levels are reached. Such long-term baths are well tolerated by livebearers, spawning toothed carps, cichlids, varieties of goldfish.

Potassium permanganate is indispensable in the treatment of fish affected by protozoa (ichthyophthirius, chilodonella, costia, oodinium, trichodina), crustaceans (lernia and argulus), multigenetic flukes (dactylogyrus and hydrodactylus), as well as leeches (piscicola). Potassium permanganate is also used for dermatomycosis. It is ineffective only in cases of infection of fish with infectious diseases.

Recipe for therapeutic baths: 0.5 g of potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water. Fish are bathed in the morning and in the evening for 15 minutes (the interval between baths should be 12 hours).

Fin rot

Without exception, all fish are prone to such a disease as fin rot. It begins with a bluish-white clouding of the edges of the fins, then the ends of the rays fall off.

In the early stages, the disease is easily treated with salt and potassium permanganate. First, the fish are bathed for 10 minutes in a 2.5% salt solution, then for about a minute in a 1% solution of salt and potassium permanganate, diluted to a pale pink color. The plaque disappears before our very eyes.

Argules (fish louse)

Carry out therapeutic baths according to the previously described recipe. Moreover, we should not forget that potassium permanganate crystals are first dissolved in a glass of water, and only then this solution is added to the bath. There is a nuance here: not the entire solution is poured immediately, but only half of it, the remainder is added only after 5 minutes.

When bathing the fish, it is important to monitor their behavior: if the fish sway or turn over on their side, then they are immediately placed in a container with fresh water and the concentration of the solution is reduced. If air bubbles appear on the body of the fish, you should not worry: it is not dangerous.

Primary activities

How to properly disinfect:

Fill the aquarium with normal water.
Dilute the potassium permanganate solution to a dark color and pour it into an aquarium filled with tap water.
After that, leave it for a day. During this time, all pathogenic bacteria will die.
Drain all the water and dry the walls with a dry cloth.
Rinse it several times with clean running water.

Continuous disinfection measures

In the event that the aquarium is already functioning, but a nuisance has occurred and various bacteria and algae have begun to appear in it, then disinfection cannot be avoided. It is urgent to save plants and fish from there.

All fauna that was in the infected aquarium must be treated with an antibacterial solution. The most popular is a mixture of 10 mg of penacillin per 2 liters of water. Soak the plants in it for about 3 days. Do not be afraid, nothing terrible will happen to the plants during this time. The aquarium itself can be disinfected with a special bactericidal lamp daily for 20 minutes. Disinfection of the aquarium is necessary even if there are no visible problems. Preventive measures are the best way to keep your fish and other inhabitants healthy. The next disinfection begins with the disinfection treatment of all surfaces. The simplest improvised means are potassium permanganate and peroxide. Remove all the fish and decor from there, then fill to the edge with 3% peroxide or a dark solution of potassium permanganate. Leave everything for 5-6 hours. Then thoroughly rinse all surfaces and corners.

If there is neither time nor desire to wait so much time, then you can use the express method. Buy a special solution from the pet store that is designed to disinfect all surfaces. Remember to put on gloves before work. If you have the opportunity to process everything with formalin, chloramine, hydrochloric acid, then use this option.

To disinfect plants, it is necessary to prepare a penicillin solution in a ratio of 10: 2. Leave all the plants there for about three days.

The most common means:

Isopropane 70%;
Ethanol 70%;
Sidex;
N-propanol 60%.

With these tools, you can wipe the plants just once, this will be enough to kill the pathogenic sphere. They sell these funds in zoo-pharmacies. The rest of the inventory should be boiled. To be sure, keep them in boiling water for at least 20 minutes. The more time they stay in boiling water, the less chance the bacteria have to survive. Please note that rubber, plastic and thermometers should never be boiled.

Choose the way that is most convenient for you and enjoy the view of a beautiful, healthy aquarium with happy fish.

Ordinary table salt is rightfully considered a folk remedy for treating aquarium fish. You can treat with salt directly in the aquarium (slightly adding salt to the water), or you can bathe the fish in a separate container in a relatively strong salt solution. Scientifically speaking, treat with long-term and short-term salt baths.

Photo 1. Table salt from a regular grocery store is a one-stop treatment for aquarium fish. It is best to use non-iodized coarse salt, ideally rock salt. But it is possible and another - fine grinding of the "Extra" type.

2 - the Sumatran barb and all its varieties, for example, "mutant" (aka "mossy barb"), do not like long-term salt treatment.
3 - can not be treated with salt.
4 - care should be taken to treat young labyrinth fish with salt. As a rule, they do not tolerate short-term baths with a salt concentration of more than 2%. In no case should you exceed it for these fish. It is optimal to use a concentration of table salt of 1.5%. A lower concentration during short-term bathing of fish is already ineffective. Some breeders little by little (1-2 teaspoons per 10 l) salt the juveniles right in the nursery aquarium. It turns out a long-term therapeutic salt bath. The fish gradually get used to the increased salinity, while they really get sick less, but the trouble is, they then get sick in fresh water.
5 - do not use salt in decorative aquariums with plants. Higher aquatic vegetation for the most part does not tolerate high concentrations of sodium and chlorine ions, but algae, which so maliciously spoil the entire aqua design, do not interfere with their multiplication without measure (for more details, see the article " ").
6 - you can not add table salt to the water of the aquarium with, this will only worsen the condition of the fish.
7 - and, finally, it is not necessary to use table salt for the treatment of ichthyophthyroidism (at least only one salt). Without the use of proprietary tools, or the method described in the article " "Salt will not bring success in the fight against semolina.

What diseases can be treated with salt in aquarium fish?

Under what symptoms is it advisable to treat fish with salt?

if the fish start on the ground and leaves of plants;
whitish or gray-blue mucus becomes noticeable on their body (sometimes only at a certain position of the fish in relation to the observer);
body and/or fins covered with fine grayish or golden sand;
the fins of the fish are constantly compressed, they do not straighten them even when they try to swim quickly, with compressed fins this is very clumsy;
fish stay at the surface of the water near the air diffuser;
viviparous fish make characteristic oscillatory movements from side to side with the whole body, and labyrinth ones - back and forth.

If you notice these symptoms, then it is best to first make sure that the conditions in the aquarium are quite acceptable for the life of fish (the article will help you understand the basics of aquarium hydrochemistry) "and). And if it turns out that it is quite possible to live in your aquarium, but for some reason the fish feel bad, then they are most likely sick and you should start treating them.
A short-term salt bath in this case may well be the best choice. How to do it in detail is described below, but first of allI want to draw the attention of readers to the need for accurate selection of the concentration of saline solution.

How long should fish be bathed and what should be the concentration of saline?

A 4-5% solution is guaranteed and quickly kills pathogens, however, a rare aquarium fish will last even 5 minutes in it, not to mention the minimum required for a short-term salt bath - ten. However, a 2.0% solution also has a significant therapeutic effect. Almost all aquarium freshwater fish can tolerate this concentration of salt within 10-15 minutes. In case of urgent need, in a salt solution of such a concentration, catfish can also be redeemed. With experience comes an intuitive understanding of what strength the solution will benefit the fish, but for now there is little experience, at first perform a bathing procedure with one or two of the least valuable fish,and if they withstand a 15-minute bath, then you can safely bathe the rest, and the salt concentration can even be slightly increased (in principle, solutions with a strength of up to 4% can be used for aquarium fish).As a rule, a 2.0 - 2.5% solution is optimal (bathing time is 10 minutes, and with good health of the fish - up to 15 minutes). During the salt bath, watch the fish very carefully. If they start to be pushed out of the water, they lie on the surface on their side and cannot go down, or too much mucus begins to separate from them, then the bathing procedure must be urgently stopped.

Photo 2. A teaspoon with ten grams of table salt. To fit 10 g in a spoon, the slide should be pretty decent. I even spilled some while placing the spoon on the scale. The weight of the spoon is compensated, the display shows the weight of the salt. Before you start treating fish with salt, check yourself again if you calculated the concentration correctly and measured out the right amount of salt.

So, the most versatile and cheap treatment for aquarium fish is short-term salt baths. Here's how they do it:

The method of short-term therapeutic salt baths is good because it allows you to do without adding medicines (antibiotics and dyes) to the water of the aquarium, which violate, killing useful and. In addition, many antibiotics inhibit the growth of plants, and can even lead to their death. Therefore, if you have valuable plants in your aquarium, or plants are always more valuable to you than fish, the only acceptable method of treatment will be short-term therapeutic baths, in particular, the short-term salt baths described here.

Long-term (long-term) salt baths for the treatment of fish: how and why to carry them out?

Long-term saline therapeutic baths can be carried out in quarantine tanks, rearing aquariums and in aquariums where there are no living plants. In this case, it is more correct to take natural rock salt, but it is acceptable to use any edible table salt. Long-term treatment of fish with salt is used to combat the same pathogenic organisms that are already listed at the beginning of this article and to relieve symptoms. As a rule, concentrations not exceeding 1.5 g / l are used, and in case of nitrite poisoning - much lower.Long-term salt baths are well tolerated by viviparous fish, this method of treatment is also applicable to goldfish, cichlids, spawning carps and some other types of aquarium fish.
The duration of long-term salt baths is from several days to two weeks. At this time, during water changes, water is poured into the aquarium with the same salt concentration as in the aquarium. I would not recommend keeping fish in water with high salinity for more than two weeks, so that they do not develop disorders in their osmoregulatory mechanisms. As soon as the fish are free from pathogens (symptoms of their poor health will disappear), you should use fractional water changes (10 - 15% of the aquarium volume daily) to begin to reduce the salt concentration.

If you have a need to treat fish with salt, but you are not sure whether salt can be used for certain species and you find it difficult to choose the concentration and / or duration of treatment (short-term or long-term baths), then ask about it on where a special subject: .

More materials on the treatment of aquarium fish with short-term therapeutic baths: " ".

V. Kovalev 29 04 2015

Updated 19 02 2019