Salt added to water is killing my plants

[Gillphill83]

Hi,

In order to keep my fish healthy I add some aquarium salt to the tank water. Fish are certainly good for it but my plants are dying.
Are there any plants that like the salt water?

Thanks

 

[Mrduna01]

I would focus more on what is needed to keep fish healthy without regular additions of salt to a FW tank. I am not a fan of doing this unless a sickness has been identified and are using salt to treat. I have never added salt and have a healthy tank. As far as plants can tolerate it, I'm not sure hopefully someone can help.

 

[molly100a]

Plants don't like salt. I would do water changes to get the salt out. Your fish will stay healthy without it.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Freshwater fish don't need the salt. What kind of fish do you have?

Plants don't like salt, which is why your plants are dying. Stop adding salt.

 

[Mr. Breeze]

The question is how much salt and at what intervals. Many are big proponents of a little salt for fish health. I have a 29 gal and add 1/4 cup, 1/8 cup and 0 cup at 4 week intervals. Fish are great and plants are great. I am told this is great for their gils and outer membrane.

There are obviously two different camps here on this subject.

Go to: Aquarium Pond Plants Freshwater Aquarium Plants Aquarium Accessories

Click on Top "Aquarium" Secrets down on the lower left directory. There is a discussion with a dosing protocol

 

[BBradbury]

Using Salt in Freshwater Tanks

Hi,

In order to keep my fish healthy I add some aquarium salt to the tank water. Fish are certainly good for it but my plants are dying.
Are there any plants that like the salt water?

Thanks

Hello Gill...

Salt has been used in freshwater tanks for decades. It's typically used with Livebearers because the parts of the country that farm these kinds of fish have a trace of dissolved salts in their water.

I've used a teaspoon of standard aquarium salt in my Livebearer tanks for several years and my fish are very healthy and reproduce extremely well. You can also use commercial canning salt and kosher salt. Never use table salt, it has additives that may be harmful to your fish.

I use a teaspoon for every five gallons of my water change water and my aquatic plants are fine. If you use more than this, then I'd recommend smaller doses.

Don't be afraid to use salt, I find it's needed for a healthy tank. Most fish pathogens can't tolerate even a trace of salt in the water.



B

 

[HN1]

I find salt is NOT needed for anything other than ich treatment or creating brackish conditions. We have over 80 tanks of FW fish (including a dozen or so reproducing types of LBs) without the addition of ANY salt.

 

[adadkins1]

Please don't put salt in your water unless you have found fish infected with Ich or some other disease that may warrant the use of salt. The only fish that may benefit from the addition of salt is brackish fish. Freshwater fish like Tetras, Bettas, Barbs, Danios, etc. DO NOT need salt in the water. I would think it would harm them more than do good. These fish are native to FW habitats, not brackish. Thus why use salt unless it is a remedy for an illness or used for BW fish. So, please discontinue the use of salt is it is completely unnatural for the vast majority of FW fish. As far as plants that can live in brackish environments: if you quit using salt it won't matter how salt tolerant the plants are!

 

[Gillphill83]

Gosh this confusing!
I started adding salt after unexplained deaths in my guppies and finding out other meds do more harm than good..water etc was all good, so I tried the salt then and guppies are thriving and doing more reproduction than I'd like! Another story..
However I've had a couple of deaths in lamb chop rasbora recently so perhaps the salt is bad for them and my plants but good for guppies..oh and good for assassins which are constantly at it! Perhaps it's an aphrodisiac for those guys.

Think what I'll do is reduce the salt maybe just add on the 4th week water change and see if the plants and rasbora can handle it..obviously if the rasbora don't I'll stop altogether.

Thanks a lot everyone.

 

[jetajockey]

Salt doesn't make or help animals reproduce, just because they started thriving at one point does not necessarily mean that the addition of something is the key factor in their behavior.

Reducing the salt is a good start to the plant issue, though, most plants in the trade can't handle much at all for any extended amount of time.

 

[BillD]

Hello Gill...
Most fish pathogens can't tolerate even a trace of salt in the water.

This isn't true.If it were we would all use salt and never have any diseases. If salt were necessary FW fish wouldn't survive in salt free waters, which is not the case. Mollies don't need any salt in their water either. FW fish evolved to control the water balance in their bodies in fresh water. Adding salt upsets this system. Regardless, salt isn't necessary in spite of some anecdotal evidence that it may be helpful.
What does contribute to healthy fish is clean water.

 

[adadkins1]

This isn't true.If it were we would all use salt and never have any diseases. If salt were necessary FW fish wouldn't survive in salt free waters, which is not the case. Mollies don't need any salt in their water either. FW fish evolved to control the water balance in their bodies in fresh water. Adding salt upsets this system. Regardless, salt isn't necessary in spite of some anecdotal evidence that it may be helpful.
What does contribute to healthy fish is clean water.

Freshwater fish were created with the ability to maintain their own balance. Thus, adding salt does nothing to help them, unless there is a disease.