Aquarium Salt Useless?

[CicGuy]

So I have my Cichlid tank, my Goldie tank, and my tropical tank and I got suckered into buying aquarium salt. Can I use this for any of my tanks and if so would it even be beneficial to my fish? Even if I used salt could I just use Epsom?I havent had any problems as of yet except my older goldish losing scales but i thought it was because of some sharp decor I had in their tank so I removed it. So any and all comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks people!!

 

[phin]

So I have my Cichlid tank, my Goldie tank, and my tropical tank and I got suckered into buying aquarium salt. Can I use this for any of my tanks and if so would it even be beneficial to my fish? Even if I used salt could I just use Epsom?I havent had any problems as of yet except my older goldish losing scales but i thought it was because of some sharp decor I had in their tank so I removed it. So any and all comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks people!!

Aquarium salt = sodium chloride
epsom salt = magnesium sulfate

They are not the same thing.

There are varying opinions on salt. Some fish require it. African cichlid tanks from the rift lakes prefer hard water and a aquarium salt/epsom salt mix may be beneficial depending on the chemistry of the water you are using.

I put aquarium salt in my planted tank.

i don't really know much about goldfish tanks, even though my 4 year old has kept hers alive for a year so far, with no addition of salt.

 

[jlk]

The goldies do not need salt- epsom or aquarium. Epsom salts, btw, can be used as a seperate bath in certain situations but are strongly not recommended for regular tank use because they can be toxic even in small amounts. If you have an issue with a goldie losing scales, some more info (tank size, stocking, parameters, description, etc) will help to figure out if its just the result of injury (ie, sharp decor) or if theres something else going on.

 

[vanimal]

The only time I use it are with live bearers, cichlids, and if a fish gets an injury adding salt to the tank will help protect it and heal faster.

 

[phin]

The goldies do not need salt- epsom or aquarium. Epsom salts, btw, can be used as a seperate bath in certain situations but are strongly not recommended for regular tank use because they can be toxic even in small amounts. If you have an issue with a goldie losing scales, some more info (tank size, stocking, parameters, description, etc) will help to figure out if its just the result of injury (ie, sharp decor) or if theres something else going on.

I dont' know if epsom salts can or cannot be toxic in small amounts to some fish. I do know that for years I made my own cichlid salt mix of 1Tbsp Morton Ice Cream Salt, 1Tbsp Epsom Salt, 1 tsp baking soda per 5 gallons for my mbuna tank with colorful, excellent looking fish as a result. Recently I switched over to seachem cichlid lake salt in order to provide a more extensive supply of trace minerals to my fish, but sodium and magnesium are still ingredients in the seachem stuff. I still use baking soda as my buffer.

 

[jlk]

I dont' know if epsom salts can or cannot be toxic in small amounts to some fish. I do know that for years I made my own cichlid salt mix of 1Tbsp Morton Ice Cream Salt, 1Tbsp Epsom Salt, 1 tsp baking soda per 5 gallons for my mbuna tank with colorful, excellent looking fish as a result. Recently I switched over to seachem cichlid lake salt in order to provide a more extensive supply of trace minerals to my fish, but sodium and magnesium are still ingredients in the seachem stuff. I still use baking soda as my buffer.

Its really concentration dependant as well as the water composition that effect the toxicity of MgSO4. There are numerous studies cited in the first link below in respect to MgSO4 toxicity to aquatic life (scroll down). The second link discusses MgSo4 toxicity as it relates to water composition (mainly Ca). In trace amounts, its probably not a concern but I would personally skip using it other than for medicinal reasons.

Magnesium sulfate - toxicity, ecological toxicity and regulatory information
Aquatic toxicity of magnesium sulfate, ... [Environ Toxicol Chem. 2010] - PubMed - NCBI

 

[frank98284]

epsom salt can be used to raise the water hardness to help keep the ph from lowering getting the hardness to 6 provides a buffer. 1 tsp per 5gal

 

[librarygirl]

There's a lot of debate about the regular use of salt in a freshwater tank. Personally I don't see the point unless you're treating for a specific illness. I have aquarium salt on-hand for emergencies but I never add it to my tank. Most fish stores will tell you that you need salt but I think they just want to make a sale. A Petco employee told me that they use salt in their tanks to help treat/combat illness and stress but in the home aquarium I don't see the need.