Plecos and salt

[Cichlid Kid]

A friend of mine just purchased 2 spotted sailfin plecos and asked me if they do better in totally fw like say Cory cats? Good question. I told him Id post it on our AA forum and try to find an answer.

 

[BHead707]

is there a specific reason he adds salt in his aquarium anyway?

 

[bs6749]

FW is what they need. There is no reason to add any salt for plecos.

 

[00youknowit00]

In fw there is really no need at all for salt unless treating for something. They are what we call them, freshwater.

 

[Cichlid Kid]

He assures me that a little over trace amounts of inorganic mineral salts is all he uses because of using distilled water @ pwc's

 

[bs6749]

That really isn't necessary unless he is breeding, where osmosis comes into play for the viability of eggs.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Well, he shouldn't be using distilled water in the first place. If he has a specific reason for it, there are certain minerals he will have to be dosing into the water. I don't believe aquarium salt is one of them. But, it's worth a Google search.

Honestly, keeping aquarium salt out of the water on a regular basis is for the best. That way it can be used as a sort of medication if some ailment ever does pop up. And aquarium salt is not what causes saltwater. There are actually tons of different "salts" out there, just flip through a chemistry textbook <3

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

From my two minutes of Googling, something like this is what he should be buying if he insists on using distilled water:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4128

 

[Cichlid Kid]

Yes I agree that inorganic mineral salts arenot giving him near the diversity of trace elements that healthy water needs.