Salt in a planted aquarium?

[Solarris]

I was watching video of a planted aquarium on youtube and the person setting it up put salt in before adding the plants. It looked like pieces of rock salt that he just put around on top of the substrate. What is the salt for?

 

[Smitty]

Without more information it is hard to say. Some people do add salt to a tank for the fish (I don't because I have some fish that would not like that) or he could have been setting up a brackish tank.

If they are big pieces then maybe it just looked like salt but was really something else?

Have a link?

 

[Solarris]

This was definitely salt. It wasn't really a video but more of a slide show with headings on the pictures. On the picture after the substrate was added it said "adding salt". I actually had to go back to that pic and look again to see the pieces of salt sitting on the bottom.

 

[JohnPaul]

In general, (plants+salt) is not a great combo. There are exceptions of course. But unless you are using plants that are especially brackish-water plants, then there is really never any reason you would want to add salt to a planted tank for the sake of the plants.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Using salt all the time in freshwater at all is more harm than good in the long run, in a planted tank it can be even worse. It should be reserved for treating illnesses. The onlt exception would be helping goldfish and koi settle in since so many stores and wholesalers keep so much salt in those tanks.

 

[JohnPaul]

Using salt all the time in freshwater at all is more harm than good in the long run, in a planted tank it can be even worse. It should be reserved for treating illnesses. The onlt exception would be helping goldfish and koi settle in since so many stores and wholesalers keep so much salt in those tanks.

Actually most mollies, especially the sailfin mollies, come from water with a fair amount of salt in it, in fact many mollies live in what we would probably call brackish conditions. So some salt in their tanks can actually be quite helpful.

But in general, yes, what you say is true--there is usually no point in putting salt in a freshwater tank.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Mollies are not brackish. They are what is called euryhaline, meaning they can adapt to and live in various salinities. This is very different from needing salt in any way like a true brackish fish. If adding salt to your molly tank improves things that significantly then there was another issue going on that needs to be addressed.

The mollies in shops are all bred in fully freshwater farms.

 

[Bigzmey]

Mollies are not brackish. They are what is called euryhaline, meaning they can adapt to and live in various salinities. This is very different from needing salt in any way like a true brackish fish. If adding salt to your molly tank improves things that significantly then there was another issue going on that needs to be addressed.

The mollies in shops are all bred in fully freshwater farms.

Are you sure? Why then all books and LFS say add salt for mollies?

 

[mgamer20o0]

Mollies are not brackish. They are what is called euryhaline, meaning they can adapt to and live in various salinities. This is very different from needing salt in any way like a true brackish fish. If adding salt to your molly tank improves things that significantly then there was another issue going on that needs to be addressed.

The mollies in shops are all bred in fully freshwater farms.

Are you sure? Why then all books and LFS say add salt for mollies?

he is right. besides aquarium salt or nacl doesnt change water to brackish.

 

[Fishguy2727]

You always want to check fishbase.org for accurate info on wild conditions.

Just like goldfish being coldwater, mollies needing salt is just an over-regurgitated myth that everyone spreads but no one checks with actual facts. They can tolerate brackish and even saltwater salinities, but they are still freshwater fish.

 

[DragonFish71]

I had a really long post to add to this since I have a BW set up, specific gravity of 1.015, but I'm just gonna shake my head and let it go.