Aquarium Salt

[spookykid927]

Is aquarium salt all that necessary or important? What kind of benefits does it provide and should I use it (I have a 10 gallon tank with two female mollies)?

 

[Fiori]

Mollies actually prefer some salt in their water and livebearers generally can expect to have longer and healthier lifespans with the addition of salt to their water.

Aquarium salt can fulfil a number of functions - it can make certain fish feel more at home, decrease the likelihood of pathogens in the water that can cause disease and improve gill function but not all fish tolerate salt e.g. corys, plecs. It is generally used, where appropriate, as a preventative and also when fish are sick, to aid recovery.

I keep my mollies with some salt and they do great

 

[spookykid927]

Thanks a lot for your help .

But how do I know how much salt to put in there?

 

[Fiori]

Try 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons of water. When you do a water change- say you change 2.5 gallons - then you would only add half a tablespoon to make it up to the normal level. Salt in the water does not evaporate and is not removed by the filter. Just put in in a net and swirl it round in the water - you can see it dissolving, which is quite funky

Good luck

 

[spookykid927]

Thanks so much for your help, I'll have to try it out some time

 

[Fiori]

You're welcome

 

[astroboy]

No point in adding salt in your water unless you've got a problem.

http/www.tomgriffin.com/aquamag/salt.html

 

[Fiori]

I agree to a certain extent; although I do keep my mollies with a little salt, I don't bother with my platies and they do just fine. I generally use salt otherwise when fish are sick.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi spookykid927

All mollies used to be brackish fish that required salt in their water, but these days, many of them have been raised in fresh water. Please check with your lfs to find out which kind you have. They will not thrive unless their water is right for them.

I do not recommend using salt in most aquariums. It is effective as a medicine against ich, but does not do much good otherwise. Keeping your tank clean and doing regular water changes will do much more good for your fish than adding salt or anything else.

NEVER use salt in tanks with corys, loaches or other scaleless fish. While you might not see immediate harm, in the long run it will damage their internal organs and result in a greatly shortened lifespan.

 

[teacherspet]

What about salt with plecos and golden algae eaters?

 

[Dorkhedeos]

inchworm just answered that

 

[teacherspet]

I read what inchworm said. That is why I posted the question. I guess a better way of phrasing it would be do plecos and golden algea eaters fal under the "corys, loaches or scaless fish" categoy?

 

[astroboy]

Scaleless fish, loaches and corys CAN withstand salt for short periods (ie. treatment for ick). However, it is detrimental to their health when used long term.

 

[Inchworm]

I read what inchworm said. That is why I posted the question. I guess a better way of phrasing it would be do plecos and golden algea eaters fal under the "corys, loaches or scaless fish" categoy?

Hi teacherspet

Plecos do, and I think that golden algae eaters do too. If you aren't using salt to treat a specific condition, it's safest not to use it at all.

These fish are freshwater fish who's native water has no salt content at all. They absorb it through their skin and they do not have the ability to excrete it like some other fish do.




____
astroboy,

Corys are resistant to ich and seldom become infected, even when other fish in the same tank are. If you see white spots on a cory, it is most likely a bacterial infection.

 

[teacherspet]

Thanks for the help! So if I need to add salt to the tank with the pleco in it (for medicinal purposes only), will it (the pleco) be ok for the short span of the treatment, or should I move it into another tank? I don't have a hospital tank, so by moving it into another tank, would it infect that tank as well?