Aqurium Salt

[Fishy1954]

Who uses aquairum alt in their FW tank, and why, and how much?

Thanks in advance.

 

[joannde]

Its generally not needed except for some species (mollies come to mind - they do a bit better with salt). Some people use it to treat ick, but you need to be very careful since some species are said not to tolerate salt well.

 

[Fishy1954]

Its generally not needed except for some species (mollies come to mind - they do a bit better with salt). Some people use it to treat ick, but you need to be very careful since some species are said not to tolerate salt well.

Maybe that is why my Dalmation Molly died for no apparent reason the other day. He was the only Molly I had in a 10 gal tank with Tetras and Cats. They are all doing fine, and the water quality is perfect.

How much salt should I have been using for the Molly?

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

How much salt should I have been using for the Molly?

That's easy--more than the tetras and cats would like. Actually, a lot of mollies can be fine in water without salt because they have been bred in freshwater for generations.

I add salt but that is because I use RO water, so there isn't any natural salt. I add one tablespoon of aquarium salt per five gallons. Do you have a hardness test kit?

 

[WaterPond]

I have heard of people useing 1 teaspoon per gallon of water. Do not use salt with any scale-less fish and bottom feeders, i don't think that your cats will like the salt, tetras can benefit from a bit of it though. It would be better to find a different type of fish to put in your tank. One that does not like salt, i would suggest a dwarf gourami, it would do well in your ten gal.

 

[evercl92]

I agree with Apocalypse. I use Seachum's Equilibrium for my RO water though. I may spinkle some (table spoon, maybe) after a 50% water change (55 gal tank), but that's hit or miss since the Equilibrium takes care of dissolved ions, Ca, K, Na, and such.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I don't use it since I've never found a use for it. Unless you are using RO water you can skip it. Mollies have been bred in freshwater tanks for generations and do not require it. If you have a wild molly that's a different story. But even then you would use Marine salt, not Freshwater Aquarium salt.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I personally don't use aquarium salt either. I've used it in treating ick in the past, but don't use it anymore.

 

[tropicfishman]

I don't use it either, unless I do a purely brackish tank, or if I'm treating an illness, than I use it in a QT tank, but when I do use it, I usually use around 1 tsp per 10 gallons of water

 

[Fishyfanatic]

If you are going brackish you will use marine salt, not aquarium salt. Freshwater Aquarium salt would not make a brackish tank.

 

[eah]

I used to use aquarium salt as a precautionary measure. I was told that there was no good reason not to use it and that it can help reduce your chance of problems in the tank. I have since stopped using it completely after hearing from several fishkeepers, whom I respect, that it is not beneficial in most cases and can actually be bad for some of the fish I have (my rubberlip pleco in particular).

I wish I understood the exact reasoning better. However, in the absence of a clearly written article from a reputable source, I will tend to go with the advice of people who have successfully keeping aquariums for decades since I am relatively newer to the hobby. If anyone has more information about the specific biological reasons for not using salt, I'd love to hear them.

 

[ChileRelleno]

Salt, like any other tonic or med should only be used when necessary.

It is not just to be added for everyday use, FW fish are FW, not BW or SW, they have evolved for millenia and do not need us adding salt to their water to help them with ----------- (You name it).
Those who argue that it should always be in the FW aquarium are IMHO grossly mistaken/misinformed.

I suggest everyone read this, http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/salt.shtml

 

[voo]

Hmm that article mentions that salt is bad for plants.
Everyone here was thinking about the effects of salt on fish and forgot about plants

 

[hc8719]

scaleless fish arent suppose to have aquarium salt?

you think this would be bad for my bgk then? i also have balloon mollies and yellow chromides, which i believe need salt, as well as ghost shrimp

 

[Guest]

I don't use salt for anything other then hatching brine shrimp. But the one reason I see for not useing salt in your tank fishy1954 is the catfish. They are scaleless and it would burn there skin to the point of death.

 

[ChileRelleno]

scaleless fish arent suppose to have aquarium salt?

you think this would be bad for my bgk then? i also have balloon mollies and yellow chromides, which i believe need salt, as well as ghost shrimp

Regardless of salt tolerance/preference...
Your fish are not compatible in the first place, your BGK will get large enough to snack on your Mollies and shrimp.
Most tankraised mollies 'can' do without salt, but will be happier in brackish conditions, truly thrive and live longer.
And yes, BW/SW requires marine salts, not standard/ordinary aquarium/household salts that would generally be used for medicinal purposes.
Regardless of however many generations removed from the wild we cannot in so short a time change a genetic preference evolved over millenia.

But the one reason I see for not useing salt in your tank fishy1954 is the catfish. They are scaleless and it would burn there skin to the point of death.

(Weasel this is not directed at you in particular.)
Some scaleless fish are more suseptible to adverse reactions to salt than scaled fish, but many scaled fish are also prone adverse reactions to salt too.
Many scaleless fish can handle lower doses of salt, especially when added gradually, those that can can handle enough to allow salts use as a remedy.

We must research our individual species tolerances.
This generalizing and extremism is not good and may result in a situation where certain species (Plecos, Cats, Loaches, Tetras and ect.) otherwise easily treated with salt in moderation are lost.