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What is the difference between aquarium salt and marine salt?
What is the difference between rock salt, sea salt and table salt?
All these different salts is really confusing me.
I have bumblebee gobis and halfbeaks which apparently like a bit of salt but which one?

Hi,
Salt is NaCl, Sodium Chloride. It is the impurities
that make the different salts.

Salts used in marine tanks is made from pure ocean water
and contains the minerals (from A to Z) necessary
for marine life.

Aquarium salt is salt that contains impurities such as
Magnesium, Calcium, and others that will make the water
"hard" and contains the minerals necessary for keeping
fish such as the African Rift Cichlid. The water there
is different so the "salts" are different.

Rock salt comes from a dried up ancient sea shore.
It contains all sorts of impurities and is NOT fit for
human consumption (though some do). It is most usually
ground up and shipped off to northern climes to be spread
on icy roads.

Table salt comes in two general types, with or without
the addition of iodine. It comes from rock salt, but the
rock salt is processed to remove any harmful impurities.

That, in a nutshell, is the "differences." Many of the
differences are slight and some folks do use marine salt
for African Rift fish, while most would use aquarium salt.
Conversely, Salt boxed as Aquarium salt, should not be
used for a marine tank, it does not contain all the
essential elements and nutrients necessary for good
fish or reef keeping.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Thankyou Frank. That explains salt a little more clearly.
So for just an 18" tank with 5 bumblebee gobies and 6 halfbeaks (who require a fair but of plant coverage), just a couple of teaspoons of aquarium salt is at least better than pure freshwater?

I should also add my rainwater from my tank is ph 6.4.

Hi Bren,
Here is a site that gives you a list of plants that will
grow in brackish water. Additionally, there is a tutorial
on Brackish water.

http://www.azgardens.com/habitats_brackish.php

Hope this helps...
Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

If you're adding salt, it's worth being able to test how much you're adding. Getting a hydrometer or a refractometer is wise.

Aquarium salt, assuming it is what FRANK says it is, will make the water harder, which is a good thing for your brackish species, which generally come from harder water. But as far as I know it does not make the water brackish. For that you want marine salt.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.