aquarium salt--good or bad?
aquarium salt--good or bad?
I've used salt in my community tank from time to time. Is this something to avoid in the pleco tanks?
Christy
Christy
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Hi!
Theres different opinions on it.
But from what ive read ive built my own opinion that salt has no use in a well running system of softwater fishes. Especially table salt should only be used in cases of disease. If you choose to add salt its better to use the one sold for marine tanks. But again imho its a no-no in a South American setup.
Theres different opinions on it.
But from what ive read ive built my own opinion that salt has no use in a well running system of softwater fishes. Especially table salt should only be used in cases of disease. If you choose to add salt its better to use the one sold for marine tanks. But again imho its a no-no in a South American setup.
cheers
Christian
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In the "olden days", when fish keeping was dominated by crusty old types in fish clubs and LFS, it seems that adding X amount of salt per gallon or liter of water was widely recommended and practiced.
Nowadays, most people in places like the Planet Catfish forum would think that there's no good reason to add salt to a freshwater aquarium unless the fish are from brackish water. There is no salt in the water from which almost all Loricariidae come from, so there should be no reason to add salt to a Loricariid tank.
Dinyar
Nowadays, most people in places like the Planet Catfish forum would think that there's no good reason to add salt to a freshwater aquarium unless the fish are from brackish water. There is no salt in the water from which almost all Loricariidae come from, so there should be no reason to add salt to a Loricariid tank.
Dinyar
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I would only add salt if there's a specific reason. The idea of it being a general tonic is a myth. Chloride ion does combat nitrite toxicity, so in a filter emergency it will help the fish, but calcium chloride is better because it doesn't increase the salinity.
Some people add salt to Rift Lake tanks in the mistaken belief that it will harden the water. It won't.
Some people add salt to Rift Lake tanks in the mistaken belief that it will harden the water. It won't.
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- Dinyar
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Christian and Georg,
It's not only the Germans who put salt in their tea and coffee! Tibetan tea is usually salted. They add butter, not milk, though.
Although there are quite a few interesting catfish from Tibet (e.g., Glyptothorax spp.), Tibetans think of fish as reincarnations of the Buddha and generally do not eat them or capture them. Maybe they know something we don't!
Dinyar
It's not only the Germans who put salt in their tea and coffee! Tibetan tea is usually salted. They add butter, not milk, though.
Although there are quite a few interesting catfish from Tibet (e.g., Glyptothorax spp.), Tibetans think of fish as reincarnations of the Buddha and generally do not eat them or capture them. Maybe they know something we don't!
Dinyar