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Does everyone use salt in their freshwater aquariums? If so, when do you add it?

I have used little salt in my freshwater tank but am thinking of using it now, as I understand it may have great benefits.

MOST IMPORTANT: I know the salt must be dissolved prior to adding, but would you add it all at once? (i.e., I have 72 gallon, should I add the whole tbsp. per 5 gals in one dose or trickle it?)

Thanks for your advice

You'll get people who will never use salt in their lives 'cept on a cheeseboiger ©, and others who use it with every water change. You'll get people who will tell you cories, cardinal tetras and other fish will keel over and die if salt is brought in the same room.

I like to use salt, always have, and always will. I use it at home and at the job i had as a pet shop emoployee. I have cories, tetras, barbs, rainbowfish, plecs, barbs, rasboras, killifish, etc etc.. and have never had a problem. I even have a planted tank, and they suffer no ill effects.

Salt is a good addition, in my opinion. It's a tonic for well fish and a helpful addition to a remedy for ill fish. It will reduce the risk of freshwater parasite infestations dramatically.

I'd go 1tbs for 10 gallons, 1:5 is a bit high. Yes, also, dissolve it and add it over a week or so to your tank. Osmotic shock is bad

You'll get people who will never use salt in their lives 'cept on a cheeseboiger ©

I am one of those people. It is useless, and from the words of the cheeseboiger eater. It has no place in a fresh water tank.

It's a tonic for well fish and a helpful addition to a remedy for ill fish.

Actually Tim this is an old wivestale. There isn't any real data that says this is true that I know of.

If you have seen it cure illnesses without the addition of meds, please let me know. I only know what I have been able to find and read, and have never seen anything other than suggestions to use it, that it actually does anything.

The addition of it in small quantities does not hurt your fish, but I still have yet to see any real proof that it helps them at all.

I've used it for several conditions...fin rot, and ich to name a few, and it never helped. In the end I always had to dose with meds to solve the problem.

I use salt in all my tanks I add every water change at table spoon for every 5 gallons, salt is in lakes and rivers in nature it just occurs naturally

The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an bacon and egg breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."

Sorry Shannen, I am going to have to agree with Tim on this one. I use it, all the time. And I think it helps, nobody will tell me different because of my experience...

I never used salt in freshwater tanks, never will. My water is already really hard, and salt would make it harder and more alkaline. Don't need it.
South American fish like soft, acid water, so salt isn't at all required.
For Malawian fish, you should probably use salt if your water isn't already hard and alkaline.
etc.

I have never used salt in my tanks, and I don't plan to unless I start keeping shellies and need African cichlid salts. I have not seen proof that salt benefits healthy fish, though I know that it can help fish with parasites. With that being so, I'm not going to spend my time and money using something that may not work, or may even harm my fish. I'm sure that my cories and tetras are happy to be in a salt-free tank.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

I don't use it in all of my tanks. I use it in certain tanks though...

Why does it hurt corys and rasboras??

The potential discomfort from salt increases when fishes don't have scales. Cories have armor plating on their sides which is just as good, but they don't have any protection on their undersides, and that leaves them vulnerable. Clown loaches are among fishes that don't have scales or plating at all, so they are also moer vulnerable.

I'm not sure about the rasboras.

Rasboras should suffer no ill effects from a little salt, but I don't use any in their tank. I used to use it in my molly tank, one tbs for the whole ten gallons. I think it helped when she was feelin down, I put her in there with the salt and she perked right up overnight. had lots of fry in there too