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Hi Everyone,
I have been asking about adding salt to my cichlid tank and have had conflicting answers from different fish shops.
My LFS said to use a product called Rift Lake Salt at a rate of 1 teaspoon per 20L. When I asked if this can harm other fish like clown loaches he replied 'no'. He also said that he uses it in all his tanks. Another LFS said don't buy anything, just go down to WA Salvage or Bunnings and buy your normal Swimming Pool Salt. He said only use it for the cichlids and not any others. Another said use salt for all except tetras.........HELP!!!!
I have 2 clown loaches in my cichlid tank and I don't want to harm them as I think the salt could harm their scale free bodies?

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My Fish like swimming all day long,
They love my bubbles 'pop' on their bum!
http://photos.yahoo.com/shedevil_90

the salt can definitly be harmful to the clown loaches, but ive added salt to my tank with CLs before so if you put 1/3 the reccommended dosage the loaches should be fine.

No need to keep salt in your tank. I have used regular aquarium salt in tanks before with CL's for treatment of ICK with no ill effects. I keep over 450g's, all tanks with africans, and never use salt unless for medication. What is the PH of your new water?

I did a water change on Friday night.
Readings as of today 10th April on Cichlid tank:-
PH - 7.4
Nitrate - 8mg
Ammonia - 0

I think I'm going to give the swimming pool salt a big miss. Don't want to hurt my fish friends

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My Fish like swimming all day long,
They love my bubbles 'pop' on their bum!
http://photos.yahoo.com/shedevil_90

Actually the Cichlid Salt is not what you call salt. It is a mixture of minerals which are the same as the rift lakes of africa. These salts are only recomended for the cichlids that come from these lakes as well. Not for South American Cihclids and West African Cichlids.

More or less, these "salts" just help to harden the water. They won't really hurt any of the other fish, as long as they can tollerate harder water, and higher ph waters. If they cannot, then it will not be pleasent for them. Personally, I never use salt, or the salts in any of my tanks. The best way to raise the ph and buffer it, as well as harden the water, is with a good crushed coral type sand. The Calcium in the substrate will leach into the water rather quickly. Yet not to quickly as to harm any fish. And it will buffer it as well, thus not allowing any ph swings and such. Limestone rocks will work the same way. Just be sure you are keeping fish that like the higer ph and higher hardness levels of water.

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