FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Can anyone tell me what salt does to the fish if you add some to the water? Is it a good thing to put salt in a freshwater tank?

I hear alot of people talking about it on here saying they put salt in there tank but what does it actually do to the fish/water?

And if it is safe, how much can I add to mine in a 30 litre Mirabello tank with guppies, betta and Tetras?

Regards

Leighton

Hi,
40 years ago it was popular to add a small amount of
salt (I think it was 1 teaspoon/gallon) to the tank water.
The primary reason was to help prevent Ich from occuring
in the tank.

Salt in the water changes the fishs' metabolism and is
a minor irritant to the fish. This causes it to increase
the production of the protective mucus coating on its
surface. It was believed that by increasing the production
of mucus, the constant sloughing of the coating would help
prevent the parasite (Ich) from taking hold and reduce the
outbreaks of the disease.

With today's medications, salt in the water as
a prophylactic is no longer necessary.

A frequent problem, especially with folks new to
fish keeping, is that they think the salt evaporates
along with the tank water and so they keep adding salt
each time they top off the tank. If that is done,
the salt which does NOT evaporate, builds up to
sometimes fatal levels.

The addition of salt to a tank can also complicate plant
keeping in the tank. High levels can stunt plant growth
or kill them.

With the fish you mention, there is no need to add salt.
Some of the livebearers such as Mollies do require some
salt, but the tetras and others you mention do not.

Frank


Last edited by FRANK at 17-Dec-2004 07:40

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

Great thanks for your reply!

Leighton

The ratio(last I heard)is 1 Tablespoon/5 gallons. I agree with Frank though; I have raised Guppies for almost a year now, and have never used salt in their tanks...and they all turned out great. If you are going to use salt however, make sure it is non-iodized...like aquarium salt(do NOT use table salt).

-Keith

http://www.ozarkgames.com

I respect the opinion that it is not a neccesity to use salt in aquariums, however I use salt in all my tanks regulary. I do not add salt everytime I add water due to evaporation, only when I do a WC. But I truly feel it is a great tool to have, and to be honest I had alot of problems with disease in my community tank and a couple of my Betta tanks. Since i've started using salt, I have had no problems whatsoever, and the fish have just grown beautifully. Colors are vibrant and fins long and gorgeous. This is all just my opinion, so before it causes a debate on the use of salt, I am NOT saying it is right or wrong to use salt in FW tanks. But the benefits of using it compared to not using it IMHO far exceed the downfalls, as long as it used properly.

I salt my tanks as well and I never have ick problems

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

I may be wrong, but i thought adding salt to the water was necessary as all fish need the sodium ions found in salty water. Marine fish have the problem of too much salt in the water compared to what they need in their body tissues, and freshwater fish need more salt than the concentration in the water, so have mechanisms to actively take it up through their skin. Humans also need salt for proper body health. Hope that helps Let me know if i've got it wrong.

Hi Misty,
Any salt the freshwater fish need they obtain through
the breakdown of the organic molecules contained within
their foods, and salts already within the water.

The addition of salt, as a regular process, EXCEPT in
the case of Mollies, and a very few others, is completely
unnecessary. All it does is increase the production
of the protective mucus generated by the freshwater fish,
and, in the case of new comers, become a possible cause of
problems.

Frank


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

Well, what I do know is that while many species are intolerant of salt, some enjoy it. like frank said, the species you mentioned don't need it, but my mollies do like a bit in the water. I had them in a big tank w/o salt and when they started lookin a little peaked, I put them (only had two at the time) in a smaller tank and added about two teaspoons for ten gallons water. They were back to normal in no time at all, and look really great.

btw... know anyone who needs some mollies