I have heard that aquarium salt cures some fish diseases. My question is this? Is there some type of salt out there that is not aquarium salt that I can use in my aquarium to save a few bucks? I think I have heard something about using solar salt, but I just wanted to check first. Thanks.
Aquarium Salt?
- Thread starter born2lovefish
- Start date
Small traces of iodine, yes. Some people feel it wont bother your fish to use it. My thoughts are, why risk it? Aquarium salt from AP is hella-cheap anyway, i think it costs me $5USD for like 10lbs of it, at my LFS. You can get it online too, just check around.
While I am going to quote RTR here. This man has been keeping fish longer than most of this forum's members are alive and has more than 30 tanks active right now. If you want to read the full article that this quote came from, click on the link that Roan Art posted. Roan, myself and countless other forum members have used table salt without any ill affects on the fish.
"Iodine is a halogen, and is required for vertebrates. It is necessary for our metabolism as an essential part of thyroid hormone, which is our metabolic pacemaker. Soils in wide areas of this country are deficient in iodine, and can result in goiter (hypertrophy of the thyroid gland, effectively from insufficient iodine intake). Thus the practice arose of adding iodide to salt intended for human consumption. This was the safest (the levels of iodine are minute) and surest way of protecting the population from this deficiency as salt is ubiquitous (all but universal) in food processing and preparation. The levels of iodide added to table salt are so small that any water-living vertebrate would be pickled in brine well before toxic concentrations of iodine/iodide could be reached, so that particular urban myth is without foundation. In fact, a number of our tank inhabitants need iodine- most crustaceans have a significant demand for the material, and a number of fish can develop goiter in captivity from the lack of iodine- African Rift Lake fish seem especially prone to this. The often-discussed toxicity of iodine could be considered urban myth #1. "
"Iodine is a halogen, and is required for vertebrates. It is necessary for our metabolism as an essential part of thyroid hormone, which is our metabolic pacemaker. Soils in wide areas of this country are deficient in iodine, and can result in goiter (hypertrophy of the thyroid gland, effectively from insufficient iodine intake). Thus the practice arose of adding iodide to salt intended for human consumption. This was the safest (the levels of iodine are minute) and surest way of protecting the population from this deficiency as salt is ubiquitous (all but universal) in food processing and preparation. The levels of iodide added to table salt are so small that any water-living vertebrate would be pickled in brine well before toxic concentrations of iodine/iodide could be reached, so that particular urban myth is without foundation. In fact, a number of our tank inhabitants need iodine- most crustaceans have a significant demand for the material, and a number of fish can develop goiter in captivity from the lack of iodine- African Rift Lake fish seem especially prone to this. The often-discussed toxicity of iodine could be considered urban myth #1. "
I purchase 30# bags of salt from my local bakery supply house for $8.77. Use lots of it to hatch out brine shrimp eggs daily.
