Salt in Freshwater? Help need to figure this out...

[meowfish]

hello all, me again.... I have heard that you should add salt in to a freshwater tank for keeping the bacteria at bay. I have a 55g as below so 5 tsp is what I was told and I have not done this without asking here first. I would just like to know if its true and if this is something that I should do? My tank is fine as it is but just wondering.....Thanks for all the help as usual

 

[Lazersniper]

Salt is something that is still very debatable. Some say yes some say no. This is my exp. It seems to have helped me out when it comes to live bearers. As for other fish I've not noticed too much of a difference. As far as I've read it also is suppose to help out the fish's gills and some other body functions.

Your platys would prob enjoy the salt. However I've read that corys don't like salt. I know that snails don't fair very well if they come in direct contact to salt.

 

[MyShrimpDied]

Salt should be used in large amounts when combating nitrite poisoning (1tsp per gallon), but otherwise, you should not add too much. Salt will serve as a slime coat for your fish, and will help fight off bacteria and diseases.

People say you should not use salt with live plants, But I have used regular table salt in my 20g planted and didnt notice a difference in the plants and yes, some fish are less tolerant of salt, some love it. Livebearers do like it.

Regular table salt does work for the slime coat purpose, but aquarium salt will be more beneficial in healing physical injuries (nipped fins) and also, table salt has got a lot of stuff that is harmful or non-beneficial to fish since it's not made for fish, aquarium salt is made for fish so it will be more beneficial for your fish.

~ MyShrimpDied

 

[dwayne]

I've had salt in my tank forever (4 years, forever for me )

1 tablespoon (I have a 29 gallon, 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons is the 'recommended' amount of salt).

I have not noticed any adverse effects on my plants... I initially used salt because I had almost all livebearers in my tank... now I don't have any livebearers, but my pleco and rainbow shark who have been w/ me since the beginning are probably used to the salt and I don't want to chance taking it out of the water.

As long as you're consistent with the salt it can be beneficial to livebearers - ie, adding it back in after you do a water change, but if you have to 'top off' your tank (add water w/out siphoning any out), don't add more back in because when water evaporates the salt is left behind.

*thanks for this thread, it reminds me that I have to add some salt to my son's 5 gallon, we got him 2 platies this weekend...*

~Tara

 

[RTR]

http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/salt.shtml

HTH

 

[JSchmidt]

Originally posted by MyShrimpDied
Salt should be used in large amounts when combating nitrite poisoning (1tsp per gallon), but otherwise, you should not add too much. Salt will serve as a slime coat for your fish, and will help fight off bacteria and diseases.

According to the Skeptical Aquarist web site (http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/toxic.shtml), only a small amount of chloride is necessary to outcompete nitrite being taken up by the gills. (Potassium chloride will work just as well as sodium chloride.) The figure I've seen quoted is one teaspoon salt (or even less) per ten gallons of water, and even that was considered to be overkill. That level will provide protection against nitrites but won't irritate salt-sensitive fish.

HTH,
Jim

 

[happychem]

Originally posted by MyShrimpDied
Regular table salt does work for the slime coat purpose, but aquarium salt will be more beneficial in healing physical injuries (nipped fins) and also, table salt has got a lot of stuff that is harmful or non-beneficial to fish since it's not made for fish, aquarium salt is made for fish so it will be more beneficial for your fish.

Absolutely not true! First off, fresh water fish come from, um, fresh water, so obviously marine or sea salt is not the answer. Next, the claim made by aquarium salt people is completely rediculous. The idea that one form of NaCl is better than another is, to say the least, illogical. Table salt is 99.8% pure NaCl. What's 0.2%? Some NaI/KI (iodide) added to keep middle-americans from getting goiters and anti-caking agents to keep salt flowing.

As RTR points out, the quantities of these are so small that it would be the NaCl that gets the fish first, not the additives.

 

[daveedka]

Read the article RTR linked, it really covers the subject well,
In addition, here is a link from the archives that will address the livebearer salt myth also.
the Great molly debate
Salt can be an effective treatment for ICH, and can be used to combat the effects of nitrite poisoning as well, both of which are short term needs. Otherwise it is unneccessary in Freshwater tanks.
As several have said alredy, table salt will work fine. When I treat ICH I use Iodized salt right out of the blue (mortons or Meijers) box. It hasn't hurt my plants, but then again they weren't exposed to it for very long either, So I can't say it wouldn't long term. I'll never know.

 

[meowfish]

wow thanks for all the great info as usual Think that I will skip the salt idea, I mean my tanks not broke, so why fix it. Thanks RTR as well the great link!! Have a great day all talk to you soon

 

[bluegopher]

Any thoughts on adding salt to water during a fishless cycle?
I imagine there is no reason to add in the absence of fish. On the other hand, it might be best to establish the tank under the conditions that you will ultimately be using. Bacterial culture media in lab work typically contains NaCl, so it shouldn't be harmful to bacterial, at least in low levels.