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Everytime I ask a question at my lfs about my fish one of the first questions they ask is if I'm running aquarium salt in my tank. Unfortunately the stores that I have been to recently don't really specialize in planted aquariums. Is it safe to run aquarium salt in a planted tank? Is it bad for the plants, ecosystem?

A little bit of salt won't harm most plants, and there are a few such as bacopa, crinium, some aponogetons, and micro-sword that can tolerate brackish water. If your water is a bit on the hard side, aquarium salt will soften the water which is better for plants.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Great that's what I was thinking. My water is actually on the soft side so I don't have to worry about that. Now just need to make sure that fish are all alright with it. Do you or anyone else know if discus like salt in the water?

Hi,
I guess I'd have to "side" with the folks at the LFSs.
Why are you putting salt in your aquarium? Do you have
fish such as mollies that require some salt? In that case,
from your description, you don't have enough.

The use of salt in a freshwater aquarium dates back decades
when it was used as a prophylactic to prevent outbreaks of
the parasite, Ich. The theory was that by adding salt,
the fish would secrete more mucus and the increased
secretions would prevent the parasite from attaching itself
to the fish. That way the parasite would be sloughed off
along with the mucus.

Today, in the 21st century it is completely unnecessary.
It can, if done incorrectly, cause problems with the fish
and plants, some of which will not tollerate it.

On the other hand, having said that, many claim that the
use of small amounts of salt increase the intensity of
the coloration of their fish. Personally, I believe the
same result could be obtained without salt, if a balanced,
varied, diet was provided to the fish.

These plants will grow in freshwater, freshwater with some
salt, and brakish water:
[link=http://www.azgardens.com/habitats_brackish.php]http://www.azgardens.com/habitats_brackish.php" style="COLOR: #FF00FF[/link]

The rest will be questionable.

Frank


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

Actually it's the opposite. Every LFS around here suggest that I put salt in the tanks. They say that it not only helps fight off disease but it also helps prevent it and that most fish prefer atleast a little bit of salt in the water.

"They say that it not only helps fight off disease but it also helps prevent it..."

That's debatable. It has not been satisfactorily proven that salt will do anything to any disease except maybe for parasites like ich, and the benefit there is that the salt forces the fish to produce extra mucus. While it has been effective in some cases, salt is not always helpful when treating fish for ich or any other parasite. I personally would use medicines over salt if my fish were infected.

"...and that most fish prefer atleast a little bit of salt in the water."

When applied to freshwater fish, that is not true, assuming that we are talking about added salts. While many fw fish live in environments with a fair amount of salt content, the majority don't. Their waters contain only trace amounts of salt, which are all they need. Most fish that we keep in tanks and consider to be "freshwater" do not need any salts beyond those already found in most water, so adding aquarium salt is not needed in my opinion.

---

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

All salts stress "freshwater" plants. They simply will not grow as well under salt riddled conditions.

i don't use aquarium salt at all in fresh water cause i don't see any need to

Alright, thanks