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I recently got a bunch of swordtails (Xiphophorous helleri) and sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna) in with my mosquito fish. I put some females in a 30g planted tank and they proptly started having babies. I understand they do best with some salt in the water, but have never used it in a tank. So I have several questions:
-Can I put aquarium salt in a planted tank?
-Do swords and sailfins have similar salt level requirements. If so, how much per gallon?
-What is the best method to introduce the salt?
-What would the time table be for bringing up the level of salt?
-Can I use the aquarium salt that some local stores use in the little cups in their tanks?
Thanks

The salt you really want to up your salt level is marine salt mix that folks use for SW aquariums. Aquarium salt is just salt - with none of the other chemicals or buffering capacity that SW or brackish water fish need. However, it'll most likely kill off all your plants. If you do want to use it, raise your specific gravity slowly - no more than .002 per week, and your fish will be happy at a final SG of 1.002 to 1.005(you need a hydrometer to measure this - one that goes down to 1.000, some don't so buy carefully). Your fish really don't need much salt. If they're all breeding and look healthy (no repreat ich outbreaks, shimmies, etc.), you can just leave well enough alone. Or, you could add a bag of aragonite to your filter media and just up the pH and KH which your fish will like and won't harm your plants as much as salt (or possibly harm them at all).

Eric

Thanks Big E. I think I'll try the aragonite.

Sounds like a good plan to me. I often think that many livebearers do just as well with the harder water as they do with brackish water.

Eric