Do you add aquarium salt to tank or sump? Can I apply this during a fishy cycle?

[bjbass]

Hello. I need treat some fin rot on my smallmouth bass. Do I just add this to the sump or the tank?

I have a 210 with a 50 gallon sump. I have 25 tablespoons poured out to put in, instead of the ~50 that I am supposed to use.

I bought API aquarium salt.

Also, I am nearing the end of my tank cycling with fish. I have nitrates at about 20 ppm. Will this negatively impact my fish cycle?

 

[krap101]

It won't affect your cycle, but someone else should chime in on bass and salt.

 

[taylorodw]

I would raise salt content gradually, and go through the sump if you put it in directly (or pre-mix with dechlored water). You can pre-mix to what you want your tank to eventually be, then take out for a PWC and replace with 10% more salty-water each 2 days or so. This should give the fish enough time to adjust if you go with the full dose.

That said, you'll have to do your own research (or wait for somebody with bass knowledge) on bass tolerance to salt.

 

[BigJim]

It's better to dissolve the salt in a cup of tank water rather than add the salt directly to the tank or sump. I'd dissolve it, then add it to the sump.

 

[bjbass]

Do you just pour water in the cup and let it dissolve? Do you have to stir it until it dissolves?

How do you monitor how much salt is in your system. When you do water changes, you are losing some, so then it would be difficult to gauge how much you should add to make up for that.

 

[BigJim]

I stir it around to dissolve it.

If the salt is dissolved properly, your aquarium water will be a homogeneous mixture, meaning every cup of water in the aquarium will have the same salt content. This means that if you do a X% PWC, you've lost X% of your salt.

 

[meegosh]

Playing Devil's advocate, "What about the water that evaporates?" LOL

 

[cabezon]

when I put stuff like ferts into my tank I put it in one of the 5 gallon jugs I use to fill during a PWC. That way it is very dilute.

 

[meegosh]

when I put stuff like ferts into my tank I put it in one of the 5 gallon jugs I use to fill during a PWC. That way it is very dilute.

Are you EI dosing? If so, you are 'resetting' the levels each week by your 50% WC on Sundays.

 

[Crepe]

Are you EI dosing? If so, you are 'resetting' the levels each week by your 50% WC on Sundays.

who said you have to change your water on sunday
:3 I use one of those pill boxes with Sun-Sat written on them to hold my ferts so I remember what to dose and how much of it. WC day is friday for me.

Anyways I just dump the powder whatever into the tank. It's up to you really.

 

[cabezon]

lol, dosing charts. Thats a lot of work. I dump some miracle grow in every once in a while.

I was just commenting to how to add something to the tank.

 

[meegosh]

Lol.. you guys like to keep me on my toes!

Yeah, I don't premix them, just dump them in the outflow.

@cabezon - I was talking more about the evaporation/ppm levels. Just ignore me, I have a severe case of the Mondays. As you were.

 

[BigJim]

Playing Devil's advocate, "What about the water that evaporates?" LOL

Good point. That salt stays in the water. As long as you're reasonably diligent about PWCs, evaporation should be a small percentage on a FW 260g system.

 

[meegosh]

I just wanted to cover all bases. That is what I was getting at with your comment cabezon (levels reset at PWC time).

 

[jsoong]

Good point. That salt stays in the water. As long as you're reasonably diligent about PWCs, evaporation should be a small percentage on a FW 260g system.

If you really want to be perfect ... you would replace the evaporated water first before your pwc.

First you mark the "full" level at your sump after adding the salt. If there is any evaporation, you would fill the tank/sump back up to the "full" level with plain water. That would dilute your salt back to the original concentration. Then it is easy enough to figure out how much salt you removed with the pwc.

EG. If you are at 0.3% salt, and you took out 20 gal of water, then you add back: 0.3 grams/100 ml x (20 gal x 3.78 liters/gal x 10) = 226 grams.