To Salt or Not To Salt

[Fish Head J]

Some definitive advice regarding the addition of salt to my new fresh water aquarium PLEASE!
So....I have done my research, taken all of the necessary steps recommended by the books and the local pet shop and for the most part the information has been consistent. So today I take my kids to the pet store to purchase a few "starter" fish to begin populating our new 40 gallon freshwater tank. I brought a water sample to the pet shop and was informed that my well water is a little hard and a bit alkyline. I was advised that unless I want to soften the tank water then I really should stick to Mollies, Swordtails and other Live Breeders. So already my kids are a bit disappointed to learn that our choices will be limited by the chemestry of our tank water. After some lengthy discussion and consideration we left the pet store with (6) Mollies and (4) Swordtails. So here is my problem; the pet store owner tells me to add noniodized salt to the aquarium (about 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons of water). I had not read about this in any of my prior research, so I checked it on the web when I got home with our new fish before releasing them into the tank. I found a rather convincing article on the web that strongly advised against adding any salt to the aquarium. I have attached the link below.
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article22.html
This article completely contradicts the advise of the pet shop. What should we do? Who is right? Please help! Much thanks.
FHJ

 

[Fishyfanatic]

What exactly are the levels of hardness and pH in the tank? As long as you have stable parameters, it really doesn't matter what the numbers are (within a reasonable range 6.5 - 7.8). I am keeping German Blue Rams (who prefer softer, lower pH water) in a tank with a decent hardness and a 7.8 pH.

I do not add salt to freshwater tanks. IMO it does nothing. Some people swear by it, but I've never seen any benefit to adding it to a healthy tank. Plus, some fish can not tolerate salt.

BTW- Don't trust the guy at the lfs. Just because he works there doesn't mean that he knows everything. He's just trying to sell his product. That's what's great about this site, we are here for no monetary benefit. How did you cycle the tank prior to adding the fish?

Welcome to AA FHJ!

 

[RoK]

Most mollies really are brackish water fish so I think that's why he suggested the addition of salt. They do best in hard, alkaline and somewhat salty water. Swordtails, platies, and most other livebearers like hard, alkaline water but do not need salt.

 

[Fish Head J]

Thanks fo the quick reply...much appreciated. The first time I had my well water tested from the tap it was reported to be "perfect" by my lfs. They checked both pH and hardness because they told me it was possible that my well water had a high mineral content (common around these parts). With this news,we proceeded to build our own wood tank stand, level the tank, purchase the gravel, driftwood, rocks and plants and take the recommended steps to condition the tank. We filled the cleaned the tank thoroughly (no soap, just water and elbow grease), placed our gravel, driftwood, rocks, and plants (plastic, we just beginners) and filled the tank slowly with water at approximately 76 degrees. We prepped our new power filter, set out heater and thermometer and let the filter run for about 30 hours. We then made the trek back to the pet store to purchase the hearty "starter" fish that any number of soures advised us to buy to estrablish the proper tank environment and biology. Wanting to be extra sure, I brought another water sample (this time from the tank) with me to the lfs for testing. This time it was reported to me that my pH was a little alkyline and the water was also a little "hard". So.....to make a long story short, we advised to purchase Mollies and Swordtails for our "starter fish" (10 total). Sorry to be so pedantic, but I realize that it is important for the health of the aquarium to be specific and I really want to succeed. I have much to learn! I hope I won't be too limited with the fish we can put in the aquarium with our water chemistry. Any thoughts?
Once again.....thanks a bunch.
FHJ

 

[Fish Head J]

Thanks for the response. So.....I'm being advised to add salt for the Mollies....but what will that do to the Swordtails.....should I worry? So much to learn......What about future fish for this aquarium.....slightly hard water and slightly alkaline pH?
FHJ

 

[Zagz]

Welcome to AA! One thing I will mention the lfs forgot to mention is that your tank is not cycled. The water parameters are not perfect. Or rather they are harmless right now, but you will have to do regular, possibly every second day, water changes to keep deadly ammonia, and nitrites down. This article will explain the nitrogen cycle.
Agreed the water is better off stable that "perfect". The people at the lfs stand to sell you more fish if you don't know about the cycling process. Lfs can obviously be self serving as they are in business to sell you things. The best investment you can make right now is a test kit and a lot of reading time here. LOL.The people here are the most helpful I've found anywhere and like mentioned above, we aren't in it for the money.

As for the salt, mollies do like salt, I have several mollies in different tanks and no salt in any of them. Some of my mollies have been with me for about a year now. There are many varying opinions on this so beware. LOL.

 

[Fish Head J]

Thanks for the welcome....I am already feeling much better having the experienced support of you seasoned veterans. I have read all about the Ammonia to Nitrites to Nitrates cycling you are describing. I am planning my first water change for tomorrow evening (it will have been about 24 hours since adding the fish). I have read that the water change should be about 15% of the total tank volume....does that sound correct? I have a very simple pH only test kit. Can you recommend a more comprehensive test package with everything I will need?
Thanks again!
FHJ

 

[Zagz]

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals (sp?) is a good kit to get, they have a master kit. If you can't find it at your lfs for a decent price, try Big Al's Online . I do water changes of 25% at least. When cycling depending on your levels it is not uncommon to do 50%. IMO you can't over do water changes, just don't do deep gravel vacs until your cycle is complete. Just vac the gunk off the top. I'm still a newbie btw, I've learnt everything I know from AA.

 

[RoK]

I like to use this site for some general information on some fish, not too specific: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/categ.cfm?pCatId=830
Another good site for information on fish is http://fishbase.org
I agree that you should get a test kit of your own to get some better results of your water parameters than "a little hard and alkaline". I suggest this one: http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19383;category_id=3111;pcid1=3233;pcid2=

 

[Fish Head J]

Much thanks for the recommendations!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Salt for Mollies is not the same thing as Freshwater salt. And, Mollies have been bred in freshwater environments for so long that it is not necessary to keep them in Brackish. We had mollies in a strictly freshwater tank for about 6 months. They bred like crazy and we ultimately had to give them up due to not enough space for the surviving fry. James' mother took 6 of the fry and they are thriving in a freshwater environment.

The AP Freshwater Master Test Kit is highly recommended on this site. It's easy to use and simple to read the color charts.