Thinking ahead - salt question...

[MoxieGrrrl]

Ok, I am biting my nails hoping my order from Big Al's arrives for Xmas - tracking information is only showing it's been BILLED, but not shipped, and Al's said they shipped it yesterday. Argh!

Anyway, I have some aquarium salt in the order and it made me think of something... I've read in several places where it's good to add some salt to FW tanks and the dosage is typically 1 teaspoon per gallon. I have a 36 gallon tank - should I really put in 36 teaspoons? (I'll look up a conversion so I don't have to actually count that many teaspoons)

It just seems like a LOT of salt.

Can someone confirm this for me before I slaughter a whole community? Thanks!

EDIT: Used Google to search "convert 36 teaspoons to cups" and it did it for me - it's 3/4 cups. Still seems like a lot of salt, but maybe that's just me...

 

[Billsgate]

It is not necesairry to add salt to your FW aquarium. Some livebearer species prefer salt, but plecos for example cannot have salt in their water. I would only use salt when treating Ich, apart from that i never do it. (Never had ich either).

HTH

 

[MoxieGrrrl]

Really? Damn. Now I have salt for no reason.

Is there a website that you can check which fish like salt and which can't handle it?

 

[PK Tester]

Moxie didn't you say you were going to have mollies?

Mollies do so much better with some salt.

I myself, have put salt in my tanks with plecos and have never had a problem.

I keep my salt level very low and watch for stress...

The salt wasn't added regulary and was for an ich treatment.

 

[Jchillin]

Moxie - I'm sure you read or was told to add this amount of salt and since joining AA, I've never seen it. I have salt in my tank because I originally had 3 mollies and 3 platys (I still have one). This is because livebearer's (as Billsgate says) prefer a "brackish" environment. This is just between pure SW and pure FW. So it depends on your inhabitants (livebearer's will need it) and other brackish fish need it also. Check this site

http://fishprofiles.com/profiles/fw/

It descibes almost all FW fish and whether or not they prefer the brackish conditions.

 

[MoxieGrrrl]

Ok, let me back up here and make sure I have it right...

When I joined AA I know one of my earliest questions was what fish can be in the same community and I was directed to liveaquaria's site because of it's compatibility chart. I decided to make a community around an angelfish.

Looking at their chart, I marked what fish can live with an angel and cross referenced them to make sure they ALL can live with each other. Then I went back to the liveaquaria site and looked at all the different kinds of fish and marked 4 or 5 kinds that really interested me (i.e. had interesting markings, growth size, long flowing fins). So initially, I'd like to have an angel, some mollies, guppies and a pleco. If I see a platy or swordtail at the LFS that strikes my fancy, I might throw them into the group too.

I recall someone mentioning that even though it's a FW tank, they like a little salt (in fact, the girl at my LFS actually equated it to the fish having a martini at the end of the day). I also recalled someone messaging that the amount of salt to put in is 1 teaspoon per gallon of water.

Now, based on the fish I mentioned above, should I:

1. Put ANY salt in the tank.
2. Put a LITTLE salt in the tank (please give the amount)
3. Eh dump the whole box of salt in, you git. You're obviously going to kill them with your newbishness.

Thank you for your help!

 

[Jchillin]

Since you're planning on having the mollies, here is the recommended dosage:

1 tbsp per 5 gal of water.

HTH

 

[MoxieGrrrl]

Since you're planning on having the mollies, here is the recommended dosage:

1 tbsp per 5 gal of water.

HTH

1 TABLEspoon per 5 gallons, right? Not TEAspoon?
(Just doublechecking... like I said, I may just be a total git.)

God, do you guys hate me yet or what?

 

[An t-iasg]

For mollies, I have seen online recommendations to put in 1 teaspoon per gallon of water, and I've also seen the 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. The 1 teaspoon per one gallon, added to five separate gallons, would be more than 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons (three teaspoons = one tablespoon). So I would start off with the 1 tablespoon of salt per 5 gallons of water. If the molly shows signs of "shimmy" then you can always add a bit more salt. Once you find the level that they like, you can keep it consistent.

I would not mix mollies with plecos. The mollies require more salt than the pleco can handle. The mollies will probably become ill if they don't have enough salt, and if the pleco has salt all the time, he will probably become ill. Plecos can handle a temporary salt treatment, like for ich, but I would still watch a pleco if I added salt for ich. Plecos don't tolerate a continuous salt level, or salt added back at every water change. Mollies can be considered brackish, and I don't know offhand of any brackish pleco.

In my betta tanks, I use 1/8 teaspoon per 1 gallon. I used to put in 1/4 teaspoon per gallon. When I joined here, I found lots of discussions about whether FW fish besides mollies and some other live bearers need some salt. I decided to back off the amount of salt I was putting in my tanks. The fish are doing well with 1/8 teaspoon, so I've left it at that level for now.

 

[MoxieGrrrl]

Ok now I am totally confused...

So now mollies and plecos shouldn't be tankmates?

 

[Jchillin]

Don't be confused...some people have been successful having both. Some haven't due to the different needs (salt/no salt/some salt). I've checked some compatibility charts for each of these and I've seen it recommended on some and recommended on others. I would say it's a matter for you to decide at this point.

 

[MoxieGrrrl]

Ok thanks Jchillin, I was starting to go a little batty.

 

[Cafe Jeff]

Plecos are ok with salt. As least 7 of mine are. Jeff

 

[MoxieGrrrl]

Plecos are ok with salt. As least 7 of mine are. Jeff

Thanks Jeff - what kind of plecos do you have?

 

[Cafe Jeff]

A common, a rubber-mouth, a clown, a gold nugget, 3 red gibs, and a chocolate albino. I suppose that makes 8. Whenever I see an oddball pleco in the shop that doesn't cost the earth, he or she inevitably follow me home. Jeff

 

[MoxieGrrrl]

I read somewhere that the gold nuggets are more sensitive - are you finding differently? Which one is your favorite? And where are the pictures???

 

[BASSNMAN]

The salt thing is a long ongoing debate. I raise mollies and they do fine with no salt. The ones I have spawned don't know any better. The addition of 1 teaspoon per 5 gal. will not hurt most fish and salt is a good treatment for some ailments, up to 1 teaspoon per gallon. However, some of the things I have read say don't use salt as you could develop salt resistant ich. You pay your money and roll the dice!

 

[BrianNY]

You ask great questions Moxie. You have to understand that not all of the advice given (either here or at the lfs), will be accurate or complete. Many people do things because they were told to. Their experiences seem to show no bad effect so they assume they are doing the correct thing. The best bit of advice I can give you to be successful with your aquarium is NEVER add anything to your water without fully understanding why you are doing it, and what you are hoping to accomplish. That includes salt.

I'm not picking on you Cafe Jeff, but why are you adding salt to your pleco tank? Salt acts as an irritant to the skin. At times it can be beneficial as it encourages the production of a protective slime coat. Fish with scales can handle this better than fish without scales. Those plecos might not be complaining or showing signs of stress but I'm betting they're mighty uncomfortable.

This fish compatibility thing is another issue. I think to most people it means can these fish live together without killing each other. The question should really be not can I keep these fish together, but should I? If you want to provide the best possible care for your fish, then don't mix species which come from different regions and have different preferences for water. It isn't fair to the fish.

HTH

 

[Cafe Jeff]

I read somewhere that the gold nuggets are more sensitive - are you finding differently? Which one is your favorite? And where are the pictures???

I know theoretically how to take a picture. I can't however take one practically. I leave this all to my wife and she prefers film--hence no pics.

I didn't know that Gold Nuggets were more sensitive. Interesting. Anyway, he's a cutey that waits under a log and watches the rest of the tank. I think he or she believes that he's invisible from his perch. Jeff

 

[MoxieGrrrl]

I read somewhere that the gold nuggets are more sensitive - are you finding differently? Which one is your favorite? And where are the pictures???

I know theoretically how to take a picture. I can't however take one practically. I leave this all to my wife and she prefers film--hence no pics.

I didn't know that Gold Nuggets were more sensitive. Interesting. Anyway, he's a cutey that waits under a log and watches the rest of the tank. I think he or she believes that he's invisible from his perch. Jeff

Bummer! Get yourself a cheap digital They are so easy to use nowadays Your little guy/girl sounds adorable.

If you wanted to know, here is the website I found where a couple of people had commented on their hardiness: http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_nugget.php