Aquarium Salt

[Toki]

I went to the fish store today, and the clerk asked me if I had fish and I said yes, but that I didn't use aquarium salt (because there were a ton of signs everywhere saying that freshwater fish do well with aquarium salt) and he kind of got snotty with me and told me that whoever told me they didn't need it was an idiot and I was completely misinformed.



Do all freshwater fish need aquarium salt?

 

[thecichlidaddict]

A bit of aquarium salt will not hurt, but you need to be careful that the salinity does not rise do to improper use and evaporation.

I have been keeping fish for a long time. I've used salt in the past and found no benefit at all, and I personally don't think it's worth the bother, and don't use it anymore myself. All your fish really need is the cleanest water that you can provide.

I mostly keep cichlids - very aggressive, injuries are a fairly regular thing. When I have injuries I place the fish in a hospital tank and proceed to do large water changes every other day - clean water heals wounds faster and better then any amount of salt or store bought additives can.

Can you use salt? Absolutely, many people do and have found great success with it, just make sure you know what you are doing.

What do I think of of that clerk? I think he is an idiot. I think he is an idiot because he thinks the only way to do things is his way, and that everyone else is an idiot. People like that are close minded and ignorant.

 

[Sinuhe]

Using salt is an old "trick", and, as far as I know, there is no real evidence that using salt on a regular basic in freshwater tanks is beneficial. Salt can be used, successfully, to treat some illnesses, but the salt level in the tank has to be higher than normal, because when having salt in the tank all the time, the system gets used to it, in a way. It's supposed to ease osmotic pressure and prevent disease, but it doesn't work like that in long term. Also, there are a lot of fish and plants for which added salt is not recommended.

I read a lot about this subject a few months ago when I was planning to use salt on a regular basis in a livebearer tank. After consulting with several more experienced people, I came to the conclusion that I'll be better off with no salt. You will find different opinions on this, which can be confusing, but at the end of the day it makes sense that salt doesn't belong to a freshwater aquarium on a regular basis, and most probably has little benefit, while it can be harmful to many fish and plants.

 

[rsz]

you definitely shouldn't use it with cories (and other catfish too, i think ).


i don't use it (cos i luuuuuuuuurve my cories )

 

[Toki]

Sinuhe, where is your avatar from? I like it!

 

[Sinuhe]

My avatar image was drawn by Hanna, a Swedish online friend, and a very talented artist . You can see her portfolio here http/www.tufft.se/hanna/ . You should ask her permission first before using any of her drawings .