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Is aquarium salt safe for mystery snails when treating betta ich?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Fish | Unknown - Fish | Male | unneutered

Hi. My betta has ich. I have 3 mystery snails in the tank. Is it okay to put in aquarium salt for the treatment with my snails in there? I put them in separate tanks so I could do a water change on my 5 gallon.

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on August 10th, 2017

Ich can only be killed in its free swimming stage. After it feeds off the fish, it drops into the substrate where it forms cysts and multiplies. Then the new ich parasites swim out of the gravel and find new fish hosts and start the cycle all over again. That is why it is important after all white spots have disappeared to continue treatment, you should continue treating for an additional 2 weeks after all symptoms are gone. After the spots disappear off the fish, I would vacuum the gravel to suck up any cysts. If you increase the temperature the life cycle of the ich becomes faster. Snails will be likely killed by the salt so it is best to remove them before treating. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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