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Hi

I've heard a lot of reference to aquarium salt on FP but I'm not really sure what it's used for. Could someone please give me the low down on it's pros and cons for your tank. I'm just wondering if my tank would benefit from a sprinkle or two.

thank you.

Because salt is harmful to many fish (particularly catfish and other fish that are scaleless/come from very soft water) and has not been proven to help anything when used as a tonic, it is best not to use it.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Some fish require a little salt in their water since they live in such a climate naturally. Mollies do well with salt in their water.

It really depends on who you ask...Before Psycho and the leeches I never even bought aquarium salt, but originally bought it in hopes of killing the leechesno go but had it lying around when Psycho, my betta girl got pop eye and clamped fins, and she is still with us after dosing and dosing and dosing...then it was 2 weeks about later when Twerp, Kitten's little girl had problems and apparently it wasn't just luck for Psycho, because as kitten says twerp is looking good again...so yes there are good uses for it, and if you use it, it is up to you, and especially how you use it...heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

I'm going to be lazy and just send ya to a recent thread on the [link=same subject]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Advanced%20Betta%20Care/61878.html?200507182307" style="COLOR: #00A0AE[/link]... my answer is down near the bottom.


~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

I agree with Cory Adict... Salt is not helpful to most fish, so why add it UNLESS you are trying in particular to treat something. I have seen and heard various forms of salt used to treat constipation in Betta's, with success. Personally, i've never seen it help with Ich, either as a preventative OR as a cure.

This is only my opinion... but with my fish, to keep them healthy, i try to keep their tank environment as close as possible to their natural environment. If your fish are from an area that has fresh water with a noticable degree of salinity, then thats what they need. I suggest with most fresh water fish (including Betta's) you'll find there is almost no salinity present naturally in their ecosystem. So, why add salt?

Keep your water quality good, and you'll never even dream of adding salt.

I have found no real proof that salt prevents anything and would never use it in a freshwater tank unless there was an illness it might help. Now as a cure for a variety of diseases you'll find lots of conflicting results.

As was stated before, salt can be beneficial to your tank. Especially if you're stocking fish such as mollies, who do prefer a touch of salt in the tank. On the other hand, Salt can be detrimental to such species that are scaleless like loaches and cats/pleco* etc.
Keep in mind, tho that wether to use or to not use aquarium salt, we are talking about aquarium salt and NOT marine salt.
I also have used aquarium salt as an aid for some ailing mollies and dwarf gouramis, with mixed success. Basically what the salt does is act as an irritant to them so they secrete more of their protective slime coat, their natural protection against disease and such. This, I'm sure, will be argued tho.

Well I donot keep salt in my tanks(even rift lake tanks),but I always have some on hand. ICK is the most common fish disease(I think), and salt helps with fishes slime coat. I use to treat sick fish, so they can heal themselves. Salt "might" be a good preventitive, but so is good tank maintenence. Most meds are harmful, thats why I choose salt. Salt is in every lake in the world(levels very). Rivers not so much. Your not going to kill a fish from salt(1-5 tsp. per gallon). Just don't use a handfull. And BTW folks, If salt was BAD for scaless fish, why are there so many beautiful cats in the rift lakes? IMO use salt when needed, otherwise don't use it.

If salt was BAD for scaless fish, why are there so many beautiful cats in the rift lakes?

Because they are completely different kinds of salt. Most of the salt in that lake is calcium carbonate, while aquarium salt is mostly sodium chloride.

Sodium chloride is harmful to many scaleless fish that do not have it in their natural habitat (ie, pretty much the entire Amazon Basin where so many aquarium fish come from).

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I hope I don't seem like I’m hi-jacking this thread... but what's with aggravating fish skin to produce more slime coat? This is the effect both Melafix and Salt have on a fish - they aggravate it's skin, which causes it to produce more slime coat to try and stop the aggravation.

I can't think for the world of me how anyone who cares about their fish can think that making it uncomfortable is for it's own good. In particular, I can't understand why experienced fish keepers would even entertain the idea that salt is needed to have healthy fish.

Do some research on where your fish came from - what country, what river/lake, what surrounds that lake/river, is it close to the sea?, is it a basin?, is it near some sort of swap or plains?, is there deforestation around it (which will increase salinity)? Find out where your fish live. Then... do some more research and find out how the fish populations are in these area's. There's been research into most of our tropical fish for years... so there is plenty of trended data out there. Then... put the pieces together, and figure out how much salt occurs naturally in the ecosystem your fish came from, and how this effects the natural population of your fish. I know with mine, all of them, salt is not something they want in their ecosystem for maximum population.

I always thought that was the goal of keeping fish - to try and re-create their natural environment so they are healthy, happy and beautiful. If the fish is healthy and happy, why pre-emptively treat it for disease? Fish don't naturally have salt baths because they feel sick...