Salt in aquarium?

[zacdl]

I was wondering if I should be adding salt to the tank to help with fish stress or whatever.

How much and how often?

Would Instant Ocean (A saltwater mix) be OK for that or does it require differant type of salt?

 

[Devilishturtles]

Do NOT use sea salt. Some people like adding aquarium salt to their tanks, and there are about a thousand threads on here already about salt usage in aquariums. It's highly debated. Do a quick search for it, and you'll find many a posts.

I do not bother adding aquarium salt, but I have it on hand incase I need to treat a bout of ich.

 

[zacdl]

Why whats bad that is in sea salt?

The search funtion on this fourm is terrible, every time I try searching for something I come up emty handed.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Freshwater Aquarium salt is sometimes used in freshwater. I don't use it unless treating for ich. I don't see anything beneficial from using it. Some fish, like loaches, do not fare well with salt.

 

[zacdl]

I dont see anything benificial from it either, but I was wondering if I should keep the salt or if it was truely bad for a FW tank.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

It can be bad for some fish. Anything scaleless in the tank really doesn't do well with salt.

 

[Jchillin]

If you're still planning on plants...ditch the salt. It's not bad for a normal FW tank but it's a disaster for planted tanks. 8O

 

[greenmaji]

SW salt has alot of trace minerals that could be toxic to FW fish.. Boron, Silver, ect. ect. ect.

FW salt is a treatment for ich, but not nessisary, heat can treat ich.
and it can be used to treat nitirite poisioning..

I have never used the stuff to be honest with you..

 

[jrp1588]

I had salt in my planted tank for a while...no wonder things didn't do too well. He he. I'm such a noob.

 

[zacdl]

I have used salt with Ich before... it really does work well!

It seems like it would kill the fish but it doesnt, i could get the dosage if anyone is intersted.

You basically add a ton of salt (Not a ton, but a good amount) to the tank, and repeat that dosage 3 times each 24 hours. Wait two days after the last dose, and do a 50% PWC.

This kicks ich in the butt! Normally in 3 days ich will be gone.

 

[Guest]

i dont think its healthy to add salt to a freshwater aquarium.. only Brackish water. Think about it, in their natural habitat do they have salt? if the answer is no then i wouldn't add it for any reason.

 

[Guest]

oh also id like to add that the salt makes it harder for Freshwater fish to regulate osmotic pressure because they are made to be in freshwater,

 

[mvigor]

You basically add a ton of salt (Not a ton, but a good amount) to the tank, and repeat that dosage 3 times each 24 hours. Wait two days after the last dose, and do a 50% PWC.

No, you add the required amount of salt once. Too much salt will kill the fish but not enough salt won't begin to kill the ICH. You just put it all in over the course of a couple hours.

 

[Guest]

You basically add a ton of salt (Not a ton, but a good amount) to the tank, and repeat that dosage 3 times each 24 hours. Wait two days after the last dose, and do a 50% PWC.

No, you add the required amount of salt once. Too much salt will kill the fish but not enough salt won't begin to kill the ICH. You just put it all in over the course of a couple hours.

the salt doesn't kill ICH, saltwater fish get ich too!!! its the HEAT that kills the ich, it is said to add salt and raise the heat, but youi don't need the salt, it is not necessary and causes more harm than good!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I've never had salt harm my fish and I've treated for ich with the heat and salt treatment several times. Only once have I done just the heat treatement. Suprisingly my rubbermouth pleco survived the salt. But in a normal tank isn't not needed. Salt basically helps dry up the ich.