do you SALT your fresh-water fish ?

[th3f0rg0t3n]

just a quick survey to see what everyone does differently, perhaps you do add salt, perhaps you dont ?

i've done much reading both good and bad for the use of salt with freshwater fish, just want to know what everyone else does,

thanks for any input on this subject, maybe even specify the amount you use if so, and species or type of fish you do use salt with, tank size etc.

for&against are welcome : )

[Rod]

I use salt NaCl as a medication (salt bath)

The ONLY fish that I would add salt on a permanent basis is Endler guppies, mollies, blue eyes

as they are found in brackish water in the wild

I do add other salts to my Tang (shellie) tanks….but not NaCl

Edited March 4, 2014 by Rod

[buddy02]

don't add salt. I did at one time years ago but stopped once it ran out.

[Brodie-S/A-C]

I do. On all my Americans and a little on my fuscos

[rainbowrunner]

I add salt when collecting fish as it helps with parasite removal, but not in my tanks.

[angry]

Some salt, a dash of pepper sometimes also a splash of lemon or vinegar

Seriously though, I do tend to add some salt... more so if i have an injured fish, etc...

[butch50]

I use salt in all my African tanks and systems

have done for every waterchange on all tanks

over the last 25 years

Also double up if I think they look a bit poor

Cheers Butch

[Aquatic Paradise]

Normally i dont but thats mainly because most of the fish i keep are soft water fish, i do certainly use it as a medication though.

[Brenton]

i add salt but only small amounts for the africans. use it as a medication sometimes as well

[rosieposie]

I don't as I have corydoras and they are intolerant of salt.

[grubby]

I add a small amount to most tanks.

[63off]

I used to use it but haven't done for a long time. No real reason for my change other than I figured fresh water fish don't get a lot of salt in the wild so why dump it in a tank where they can't get away from it! Salt doesn't evaporate so as your water does the salt concentration will get higher until you add more water.

Does anyone know if filtration removes salt? It's not something I've bothered to research but some others might find the answer useful.

[angry]

standard filteration (eg. canister/sump) will not remove salts... water changes will dilute the concentration (assuming less salt in replacement water)

[63off]

standard filteration (eg. canister/sump) will not remove salts... water changes will dilute the concentration (assuming less salt in replacement water)

That right there suggests it should be approached with quite a bit of caution.

[Daydream]

Have used it in all tanks from breeders to grow outs for at least 20 years on Discus,corys Ls,teras through to natives and Africans.Amount varies dep on sp and also water changes.but you do need to keep track of how much you use in each tank.

[Betta-Cray_z]

i use salt in all of my tanks past a present. i have never found it to do any harm but as with most things it needs to be used in moderation.

[aquaholic99]

I am a heavy user of salt. There is a myriad of benefits.

[ozmo]

I add a small amount of salt to all my South and Central American setups with every second water change. The plants also benefit from it.

[mq_camo]

40tsp to 1600L is what I run, have always run at that ratio, lots of benefits and dirt cheap.

[greenterra]

I have always used it with SA/CA's. Pretty much the same dose as with my Jack. 2cups per 100g. Always had great success.

[warwick]

I use Rift Lake salt as I mainly keep tangs. I have done this for years. I also have Discus and other American tanks but I don't use salt in them. Cheers Warwick.

[Rod]

If you use salt...be careful

Also some useful info on Tangs and Mbuna water

See page 3

http://www.tbas1.com/Exchange/The%20New%20England%2011.pdf

Edited March 4, 2014 by Rod

[bluebelle]

Never ever used salt in over 20 years of keeping freshwater fish.

This might be a stupid question to all you salt devotees, but what exactly are the supposed benefits and are they proven

or is it mostly heresay that's simply been adopted?

I think I might open a hornets nest here.

[gotzy]

i dont salt. if the fish are happy i leave them

[Cudders]

i dont salt. if the fish are happy i leave them

Well said Gotzy. It isn't a black and white situation and you don't need "scientific data" to justify stuff. Do your fish behave differently with added salt or no salt at all? Do they live to life expectancies? Do they get sick more or less?

Add salt, or don't. It doesn't matter if your babies are happy

Has anyone near the coast or a beach experienced car rusting due to high salt content in the air? You'd be breathing in higher salt content than other places and will experience no adverse effects.

Edited March 5, 2014 by Cudders