Is it true you need to add salt to freshwater tanks to keep fish healthy?

Question

i was reading some of the other questions on this website and i came across one that said if you add salt to the water it will make the fish healthier and happy is this true i never knew that if it is. i have a 30 gallon tank with guppies,blue plattys etc...

Answer 1

No, this is a very common misconception. You do not NEED salt to maintain a freshwater tank.

Salt can have certain benefits as many of those mentioned already, but not to a tank that is already healthy. What fish need is a proper sized tank, proper tankmates, proper filtration and aeration, and clean water.

I know, I've kept fish for close to 20 years without ever using additives, store bought or salts, and I simply don't run into health issues because my tanks are healthy, clean, and free of stress.

The less stuff you throw into the water, the less complicated it gets, and the less can go wrong on you. Keep it simple and use additives only to solve problems, and don't use anything if you don't understand exactly why you are using it.

Answer 2

Some people use it, some don't. Both have had success, so it comes down to what type of fish and personal preference.

The "what type" part comes in because even though all fish need some amount of salt to survive, some fish are better than others of obtaining it from water they're in. If they fish expends a lot of energy to get it, it will benefit the fish to put some in the water - then they can use the energy that would have been used for acquiring salt to other uses: growth, disease resistance, and reproduction. As you might guess, I'm in the "for salt" camp. Where I've worked with fish, we have always kept a small amount in the water - 1 tablespoon/5 gallons up to 1 tsp./gallon.

Like most fishkeepers I'd never heard of keeping salt in freshwater tanks - I found this out when I was in college and took an ichthyology course. I'd had trouble keeping guppies before that, but I'd always written it off as "bad stock", "stress" or "inbreeding". Once I tried them with salt, I haven't had trouble keeping them since. There are some species that are sensitive though, and if salt's used, it should be used at lower concentrations.

Guppies (mollies too) are species that can be acclimated to marine conditions - ocean strength saltwater. It needs to be done gradually, though. I keep two sailfin mollies in my largest saltwater community tank (I like their orange color) and am about done acclimating a trio of turquoise guppies for a nano tank.

Any of the livebearers (including your platties) would benefit from salt would benefit from having it as they come from regions where there is salt found in their native environment. Same with a lot of the cichlids.

Since you've read the questions here, you'll see there's a mix of opinions. I'll put some more reading for you in the source box.

Answer 3

some extra info might prevail! length of tank and species of fish. If that's a goldfish and in a sturdy sized tank 3ft or extra, then it is going to stay for 15-two decades and be approximately 6 - 8ins long. If that's in a bowl or very small tank then that's 'stunted' and that reasons swim bladder issues which some fish seem to safeguard, besides as different inner issues, many times the reason of unexplained deaths. Goldfish tolerate the worst achievable circumstances which might straight away kill different fish. it ought to be 3 issues in accordance to the fish wellness instruction manual I extremely have, the already suggested swim bladder disease, poisoning because of undesirable water high quality and inner micro organism an infection. All might nicely be taken care of and a 25 - 50% water exchange could be each and all of the fish needs, fantastically as you apart from mght point out a metamorphosis in shade. If that would not artwork attempt a treatment from the puppy shop.

Answer 4

I don't know about the other fish but guppies definantly do well with a bit of SEA SALT make sure it is coz if you put in table salt with iodine it kills them! but guppies like hard water and also some fish benefit from salt as it helps them build a slime coat of their scales which protects them from diseases.
Read up about your other fish to make sure they can tolerate it and how much to put in per litre/ gallon.
If in doubt go to your aquaruim and they will definanly tell you how much they can have GOOD LUCK!

Answer 5

Salt can kill 77% of all parasites found in water !

How Salt benefits fish health!!!

Most fish have an internal salt concentration higher than their water environment.
Water transfers from higher concentration to lower concentration. (Osmosis)
The greater the difference in salt concentration(salinity), the greater the osmosis effect.
This difference in salinity causes water to transfer from the water to the body of the fish.
Fish have to constantly eliminate the excess water because their body always have more salt than the water around.

When we add salt to the aquarium water, the salinity of aquarium water is increased.
Therefore, the difference in salt concentration between the fish and water is reduced.
The result is slower water transfer to the fish (lower osmosis pressure).
The fish therefore need less effort to get rid of excess water.
Therefore the fish saves energy, and the fish has more energy to fight diseases.

Salt can also help in the production of the fish's protective slime layer and accelerate recovery from wounds. This healing occurs by hyperosmolarity. Fish have a definate specific gravity (concentration of total dissolved solids) in their bodily fluids. If the surrounding water has a higher concentration, the fluids from the wound site goes into the surrounding water, and fresh plasma goes in to replace it, creating more blood flow in that area and making it heal faster. In fact, if you go to a fish shop, you will find that there are many expensive commercial addictives that do the same thing at a much greater cost.

This best thing about using salt to kill parasites or promote healing is that it does not damage your biological filter. Beneficial bacteria in a cycled tank converts ammonia produced by fish into nitrates which are absorbed by plants. These "good bacteria" only build up over a period of time in an established tank. However, most commercial medication can wipe them out once added to the water, causing water conditions to worsen at the worst possible time (when your fish is sick). And if your fish pulls through, you need to remove the medication from the water before your tank can re-cycle and grow new beneficial bacteria.

Some fish that do much better with added salt would include Goldfish, Koi, African Cichlids, and livebearers. Indeed, the secret to keeping healthy, robust Mollys, Platys, Swordtails, and Guppys is to add salt.

NOTE: Salt does not evaporate into the air. Therefore, if you are only topping up
the water level in your aquarium, you do not need to put in more salt.
If you do, the concentration of salt in your tank accumulates more and more.
It is recommended to use one teaspoon of salt per gallon although
a little more will probably not harm the fish.




Caution: Too much salt is not good.

If you add too much salt to the water, the reverse osmosis happens.
As we learned, water transfers from high to low salt concentrations.
If the water surrounding the fish has too high salt, water transfers OUT of fish,
and your fish will die because of dehydration (no water in fish).
In fact, this is the way some water parasites are killed. Their body cells
have a much lower salt concentration than fish, just slightly higher than the water they are in.
So if you add a little salt to the water, it reduces the osmotic pressure for the fish,
but reverses the osmotic pressure for these parasites, killing them while benefiting the fish.

There are also some fish that do not do well with any salt at all in the water. Some fish that do not do well with added salt includes smooth skinned catfish, Corydoras, Tetras, Angelfish, Discus, Loaches and Bettas. There are others as well.

Answer 6

I am with GHapy on this one. YOU DON"T need salt in your aquarium. It doesn't kill parasites that is an old myth. (Ich doesn't like salt but it doesn't kill them)

Seasoned aquarists know this. It adds no beneficial element. Besides, there is a small amount of salt used for processing in your water conditioner (Dechlor). Adding extra salt does not help your fish.

Answer 7

Yes. Many live bearers are slightly brackish even. Salt is good for their health and all freshwater fish except catfish and other scaleless fish. 1 rounded tablespoon per 5 gallons is ideal for most freshwater. 1 rounded teaspoon per 5 gallons is about the maximum for tanks with catfish present.
http://www.aquariumpharm.com/en_us/productCategory.asp?categoryname=WaterConditioners

Answer 8

Next time you have sick fish, the remedy might not be farther away than your kitchen table. Ordinary salt is a useful remedy for the prevention and treatment of several freshwater fish diseases. It assists in the healing of injuries, promotes formation of slime coating, improves gill function, reduces the uptake of nitrite, and is effective against some parasites.

Before you get too pumped up about the virtues of salt, be aware that some of the same benefits are achieved through use of a stress coat product. Furthermore, there plants and some species fish cannot tolerate salt, so it must be used with care. In other words, salt is a double-edged sword.

When To Use Salt
Nitrite Poisoning - The addition of one half ounce of salt per gallon of water is beneficial in the prevention of nitrite poisoning in a newly set up tank. Keep in mind that scaleless fish cannot tolerate much, if any, salt.

Parasites – Many parasites can be effectively treated with the use of salt, particularly Costia infestations.

When Not To Use Salt
Live plants - If you have a tank with live plants, avoid using salt. Plants can be damaged with a relatively low dosage of salt, which is one reason its best to treat sick fish in a hospital tank rather than your regular tank.

Scaleless fish – Scaleless fish, particularly cordydoras, are very sensitive to salt. Even a small amount could harm them. Tetras are also fairly sensitive to salt.

Contrary to popular view, it is not advisable to add salt to your aquarium on an ongoing basis unless the fish require brackish water conditions.

Type and Quantity of Salt
Common table salt is suitable, however it should be non-iodized and contain no additives. Rock or Kosher salt are excellent choices, as they are straight sodium chloride with nothing else added.

The quantity will depend on how and what it is used for. A dip is a short exposure that is useful for the eradication of parasites. For dips a 3% solution is generally used for up to a half hour. Baths are essentially treating the entire tank, and are useful for treatment of stress, nitrite poisoning, as well as some parasites. Salt concentrations for a bath are lower, 1% or less, for up to three weeks.

Performing a Dip
When treating parasites, a dip is the method of choice. Place 4 teaspoons of salt in a clean bucket, then slowly add one gallon of water from the aquarium, swirling it to dissolve the salt. Once the salt is completely dissolved, place the fish in the bucket for five to thirty minutes. Observe the fish closely, and if it exhibits any signs of distress, return it to the original aquarium immediately.

Performing a Bath
A bath is useful in treating an entire tank for prevention of nitrite poisoning, or for reduction of stress.

For stress treatment, measure out 1 teaspoon of salt for each gallon if water in the tank. Using a small container, dissolve the salt in a small quantity of water taken from the tank. Once it is completely dissolved, slowly add the solution to the to the tank.

For treatment and prevention of nitrite poisoning, measure out 3 teaspoon of salt for each gallon if water in the tank. Using a small container, dissolve the salt in a small quantity of water taken from the tank. Once it is completely dissolved, slowly add the solution to the to the tank.

When using bath treatments, weekly water changes of 25% should begin one week after initial treatment. Do not add additional salt once bath treatments have begun.

Answer 9

Aquarium salt helps to prevent certain parasites from growing.

Answer 10

it is not necessary.