I have a 29 gallon tank with white sand with 2 small sucker fish, 2 small bala sharks, 2 pictus catfish, and I plan on getting 2 silver tip sharks. the fish store said Aquarium Salt could be good for the tank as long as I put just enough but I am not sure so I am asking for some advice
Should I add some Aquarium Salt to my tank?
- Thread starter amskater
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Is your tank already cycled? If not, you may want to read up on the nitrogen cycle.
If by sucker fish you mean plecos then I would say salt would be a bad idea. Plecos are scaleless fish and could get burned by the salt. The use of Aquarium Salt is a much debated topic. Personally I don't use salt in any of my tanks but their are a number of people who swear by it.
My belief is that if you have a healthy cycled tank salt is not really needed. Salt is useful for treating Ich and some other diseases but does not have to be in the tank all of the time. If you do decide you want to use salt please research the fish you plan to have in the tank to make sure they can handle salt.
Is your tank already cycled? If not, you may want to read up on the nitrogen cycle.
If by sucker fish you mean plecos then I would say salt would be a bad idea. Plecos are scaleless fish and could get burned by the salt. The use of Aquarium Salt is a much debated topic. Personally I don't use salt in any of my tanks but their are a number of people who swear by it.
My belief is that if you have a healthy cycled tank salt is not really needed. Salt is useful for treating Ich and some other diseases but does not have to be in the tank all of the time. If you do decide you want to use salt please research the fish you plan to have in the tank to make sure they can handle salt.
Do you have a test kit? If not you should probably get one, the liquid reagent kits are the best. The strips can be a little inaccurate after they are opened. If your Ammonia readings are zero, your Nitrites are zero, and your Nitrates are climbing then you are cycled.
Also forgot to mention, your Bala Sharks will get too big for that tank. At full size they can reach 12 inches and will need a lot more room. Not sure about the silver tip sharks.
Also forgot to mention, your Bala Sharks will get too big for that tank. At full size they can reach 12 inches and will need a lot more room. Not sure about the silver tip sharks.
yeah the other filter I had didnt get the job done and my aunt gave me her 50 gallon tank with filter and the 50 gallon tank hood was in bad shape and I dont have the room yet for the tank so I set up my 29 gallon tank for now. I had the water tested more than once on different days before I got any fish the water passed evertimeEmptyH said:
If you had it tested before you added fish what did you use to cycle the tank? If you did not have fish, or some other source of Ammonia, then your tank is probably not cycled. Just running an empty tank with the filter running will not cycle your tank.
Fish waste produces Ammonia, which is toxic to fish. Ammonia levels will continue to rise for a couple of days to a couple of weeks, it varies. After Ammonia has been present for a while bacteria develops that changes the Ammonia to Nitrite, which is also toxic to fish. The Ammonia levels will fall and the Nitrite levels rise. Eventually another form of bacteria will form that will transform the Nitrite to Nitrate, which is a much less toxic substance. Once you have gone through all of these steps and see Ammonia and Nitrite levels of zero and rising Nitrates the tank is cycled.
How long have you had the fish in the tank? You should have your water tested again to see if you have Ammonia. If you do have Ammonia and/or Nitrites you will have to perform frequent water changes to keep these levels below toxic.
If you have the lfs do another water test ask them for the actual numbers, not just if it passes or fails. When you get the numbers post them here.
Fish waste produces Ammonia, which is toxic to fish. Ammonia levels will continue to rise for a couple of days to a couple of weeks, it varies. After Ammonia has been present for a while bacteria develops that changes the Ammonia to Nitrite, which is also toxic to fish. The Ammonia levels will fall and the Nitrite levels rise. Eventually another form of bacteria will form that will transform the Nitrite to Nitrate, which is a much less toxic substance. Once you have gone through all of these steps and see Ammonia and Nitrite levels of zero and rising Nitrates the tank is cycled.
How long have you had the fish in the tank? You should have your water tested again to see if you have Ammonia. If you do have Ammonia and/or Nitrites you will have to perform frequent water changes to keep these levels below toxic.
If you have the lfs do another water test ask them for the actual numbers, not just if it passes or fails. When you get the numbers post them here.
BillD
Aquarium Advice Addict
As EmptyH, has said, salt is not needed, in a freswater tank. It has it's place, but regular use is not needed. Others will disagree.
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
If your tank is that new, it is not cycled. Do you have a gravel vac or syphon?
EmptyH said:
I just got my water tested
Nitrate 40
Nitrite 10
Water very hard 300
Total alkalinity 300 high
Ph freshwater 8.4 Alkaline
the lfs told me I need to do a 50 percent water change, told me to get a nitrite & nitrate remover(I got this stuff called Amquel Plus) and they told me to vacumm the gravel but I have sand I also bought a Python Aquarium Kit. does anyone have any advice to offer to me? thanks, Doug
Do you mean a Nitrite of 1? 10 seems really high! Did they test your Ammonia? I agree that a 50 percent water change is a good idea. You will most likely need to do a water change every other day for a while. If you can, getting a liquid test kit would be a good idea. That way you can keep an eye on the levels without always going to the lfs.
My gf works at a pet store I have to take her back and fourth to work for the next couple days so I have to go there anyways so why not test it there. with the Python I bought should I beable to clean out tank good even though I have sand?EmptyH said:
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
The python is the best invention in aquaria. It will work perfectly fine with your substrate.
I am concerned about your water results. From the results that you gave, it sounds like they used the test strips. They are not reliable once they have been opened for a while. I doubt that the values are what was posted. Get a liquid reagent test kit for accurate readings.
Since you do not have an ammonia reading, you will need to get an ammonia test kit. Since your tank is only a week old, it probably has high Ammonia levels. This is also why I doubt that your Nitrates are 40 and Nitrites are 1. You need to purchase a kit such as the Aquarium Pharm. Freshwater Master Test Kit. Tests for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate are vital during the cycling phase.
I am concerned about your water results. From the results that you gave, it sounds like they used the test strips. They are not reliable once they have been opened for a while. I doubt that the values are what was posted. Get a liquid reagent test kit for accurate readings.
Since you do not have an ammonia reading, you will need to get an ammonia test kit. Since your tank is only a week old, it probably has high Ammonia levels. This is also why I doubt that your Nitrates are 40 and Nitrites are 1. You need to purchase a kit such as the Aquarium Pharm. Freshwater Master Test Kit. Tests for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate are vital during the cycling phase.
RoK
Aquarium Advice Addict
Silver tip sharks are not really FW fish. They can only live in FW as juveniles and need full SW as adults. Plus, they get HUGE.
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