How Colloidal Silver Works in a Fish Tank
Posted by Expert Aquarists on Sep 12, 2020
Colloidal Silver works in a fish tank remarkably well. Colloidal silver is perfectly safe for your aquarium if you use it in smaller, measured amounts.
However, with so much information on the internet there can be much misinformation and misconception regarding the usage of colloidal silver as a treatment in fish tanks and aquariums.
Like with all treatments… just remember to follow the correct protocols.
Can you use colloidal silver to stop ich infections?
The simple answer is yes, you can.
Some of the popular antifungal products for fish tanks are mostly based on silver as their primary active ingredient. Which can be used for both tropical freshwater and decorative fish in the case of general healing of wounds.
By a simple rule of thumb, you can mix about 5mL of the product with 20 litres of water in your fish tank. After a few weekly intervals, the ich infection is supposed to recede.
Does colloidal silver get the job done?
It all boils down to experience. Fish tank enthusiasts have reported many cases where colloidal silver has worked like a charm. The claim is not just by word of mouth but supported by legitimate research and Expert Aquarists on the internet too.
In case of skin lesions that arise due to ich in the fish tank, colloidal silver can show promising results in treating them. An average concentration of about 1ppm is good enough.
You can achieve this level in your fish tank by mixing ½ teaspoon or so of colloidal silver (20 ppm) to 10 gallons of water every alternate day.
A good strategy is to keep this going until the lesions disappear entirely. If you need to continue it for a longer time, try to keep half of the water intact and replace the remaining half every other day.
At all circumstances, the level of colloidal silver remains at about 0.3-0.05ppm in the fish tank. This is adequate evident proof of how colloidal silver works in a fish tank and gets the job done quite effectively.
What to do in case of bacterial growth?
You can be a novice fish enthusiast with no more than two fish in a fish tank and no specialized equipment. Even then, one thing you must face is the growth of microbes and bacteria. This is a real concern for many fish hobbyists, who panic about their fish tank.
However, there is no need to be worried. If you ever see that the water in your fish tank is getting cloudy you can bet it is because of an overload of bacteria in your aquarium. One natural way of treating this is with colloidal silver.
If you do not treat it right away, the fish might develop white bacterial spots. A basic program to follow would be to add ½ teaspoon of colloidal silver which contains about 20 ppm of silver to 10 gallons of aquarium water every other day.
This treatment has been found effective in healing some fish, even those with rather large wounds, in a matter of days.
If a longer treatment period is required, then the colloidal silver addition is continued at the same rate, and then 50 percent of the water is changed once a week, until the lesions have healed.
Even if you change the water during the duration, the bacteria most probably will not come back due to the remaining colloidal silver.
If, however, you sense that some of it might be returning, you can use an eyedropper or the oral measured syringe to squirt just a measured amount of colloidal silver here and there. That will give you the peace of mind you need every two weeks or so.
What about the natural colour of your fish?
You can add about a capful of colloidal silver to any tank that is more or less 25 gallons without causing any damage to the natural colour of the fish. Some fish enthusiasts are concerned their fish could turn blue with continued use of silver in their tank. That is just not true.
If you keep the dosage of colloidal silver to measured amounts, all your fish will remain vibrant no matter what.
Your guppies will remain deep purple or peach, your black skirts will be a richer shade of black, and even your Danios will not lose their striking patterns.
Is colloidal silver organic? Can I find it in natural bodies of water?
Yes, of course, you can! The oceans of the world alone contain about two million tons of trace silver. Other sources of nature include thousands of tons as well.
Despite such presence, the natural sea beds seem to thrive with colourful, vibrant living wildlife. Starting from tiny shrimps to substantial humpback whales, all sea creatures are living with the presence of natural trace silver.
So, there is no reason to doubt How colloidal silver works in a fish tank. If you do not mix any other sort of contamination into the water, natural evidence shows that fish will be able to handle colloidal silver quite well.
What is with all the negativity?
The bottom line is that there will always be naysayers. You cannot let some arbitrary comments on the internet deter you from trying this safe and natural treatment in your fish tank.
You will see people claiming that colloidal silver could be toxic to freshwater and telling you to use commercial fish antibiotics.
The most contradictory thing about that is the fact that antibiotics not only kill off bacteria they are harmful to the natural health of most living creatures due to the toxic side effects.
That's simple evidence right there of how people can be misled when it comes to colloidal silver.
The same people who will scare you with colloidal silver indiscriminately killing all your fish will tell you how antibiotics are reasonable with no harm. That is just a contradiction.
Bottom Line
So the bottom line is that colloidal silver used in small amounts can be like a cure-all for aquarium hobbyists, in both clearing bacterial issues or treating sick fish, as well as preventing spread of infections from getting hold when used in small amounts on a regular basis.
What you need to remember if you are uncertain is to just start with less to begin with and use some caution while watching your tank. There are more perks to using colloidal silver in your fish tank then not. As long as you use it in amounts within reason, there will be no case of colloidal silver harming your fish!
Read more about fish keeping here: https://expertaquarist.com/
