Is it a good idea to add aquarium salt to a tropical community tank to help the fish?

Question

I have a couple silver dollar tetras, some gouramis, a pleco, and some other small community fish in my tank. I heard that it is a good idea to add salt in the aquarium to help the fish. But i also heard some bad things about adding salt to an aquarium. I do not know whether to add salt or not. What are your ideas, should i do it or not?

Answer 1

Salt really has more bad to it than good. Adding salt to some fish tanks forces the fish to create a thicker slime coat than normal. This is not healthy for your fish.

It claims to have electrolites in it but infact it does not. It is just salt. Electrolites are replaced when doing a water change.

If you are running a carbon filter, most of the salt will be pulled out by the filter anyway so why add the salt.
It also creates bloat and swim bladder problems in some fish like goldfish and silver dollars.

Some fish cannot handle the salt even the smallest amount

The small amounts of salt safe for a tank does nothing to prevent parasites. HIGH concentrations will knock parasites off fish but does not kill them.

I have had tanks for over 30 years and do not salt any of them for these basic reasons.

Not all stores require salt and more and more are getting away from it.

I would suggest not adding salt or any other chemical but dechlor/conditioner to your tank. Your fish will be much happier for it.

Answer 2

Generally speaking it's a personal preference in your situation. A small amount of salt (about a tablespoon per 5 gallons) would neither very much help nor in any way harm your fish. Some fish (Mollies for example) need added salt in the water, while others (discus) can have problems with any significant amount of salt. Most freshwater fish fall in the middle ground of being neither helped not harmed by small amounts.

Many shops recommend adding salt without knowing the facts of salt usage other than they sell salt for tanks ;)

MM

Answer 3

Salt is good for Cichlids and guppies and a few other breeds. It is not recommended for all types of fish. As far as i know, Tropical fish should do jus fine without the salt. Unless of course u have really hard water or bad water. For the types of fish u have. I wouldnt recommend it.

Answer 4

Non iodized aquarium salt. It should be at your local pet store. Follow the label instructions. Salt is actually helpful for the fish if they get injured or sick.

(worked in a fish store 2 years)

Answer 5

Generally speaking there is no need to add salt to your tank UNLESS the water is too hard and you need to soften it, 2) you have a disease in the tank, 3) have an abundance of algae. If 2 and 3 apply then add 1tbl per 5 gallons of water and increase tank temp to 78-80F and reduce lighting.

Some add a small amount (1tbls to 10 gallons of water) as a means of helping to reduce stress on the fish.

Answer 6

On this forum, I'm one of the folks that believes in the unpopular notion of a very low-dose salt addition to aquarium water. Rather on basing this on "popular knowledge" of the aquarium forums, I base this on my background in biology (I taught biology courses at a college level), and a very good fish science instructor at my graduate school that tried to teach us to look at concepts from an energy expenditure standpoint. If an organism expends a tremendous amount of energy for a function, that function better provide a good benefit to that organism. If it doesn't, that's energy wasted - just the sort of thing natural selection eliminates in favor of more efficient systems. Since osmoregulation consumes about 25-50% of a fish's energy expenditure (http://www.oxyedge-chum.com/oxygen_or_salt.htm - see osmoregulation not quite halfway down the page), and salt concentrations are higher within the bodies of freshwater fish than their natural environment, there must be something to their need for salt (for more information of this topic, google "active transport" and see how salt, and sodium in particular, is used for cellular metabolism).

Salt is also useful as a disease preventative and treatment, because the fish are able to withstand greater differences in osmotic pressure than are the parasites or disease causing organisms they are being used against.

Salt reduces the effects of nitrite poisoning as another use. This is because when salt dissolves in water, the ionic bond is broken and the chlorine ion prevents nitrite uptake by the fish - nitrite bonds to the oxygen-carrying molecules in the fish's bloodstream, which is why you see them gasping for air at the water's surface when the nitrites are high - nitrite causes oxygen deprivation. Fish are shipped in water with salt and a mild anesthetic to reduce their "stress" (actually for osmoregulation and nitrite relief) - this is particularly true of fish that are shipped from overseas, as these will have a longer time in transport. Where I've worked used salt in their tanks at 1 tablespoon per gallon of water (which is considerably higher than the 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons suggested for home aquaria), which is a step down from the shipping concentration. Catfish, goldfish, tetras, neons, silver dollars, loaches, cichlids, aquatic frogs, crayfish, freshwater shrimp, crabs, etc., even the species considered "sensitive", including freshwater aquarium snails and plants, all at the above concentration and without problems.

Now some species are more intolerant of salt than others. Scaleless fish, and softwater species don't like to live in high concentrations of salt for prolonged periods. Others, like guppies and mollies can adapt to marine strength saltwater, and I use these to cycle my marine tanks, rather than using aggressive fish like damsels.

Is it necessary to add salt to aquaria for most freshwater fish - no. But I've reduced losses in new arrivals, both in the fish store where I've worked and in my home tanks by using it, particularly among livebearers. I also have NOT had a case of ich in my home tanks in over 15 years. I also haven't had any cases of dropsy, which I've seen mentioned by other users as a result of using salt too much in freshwater fish and all my fish are living up to (and sometimes beyond) the projected life spans for the species.

No matter where you look, you're going to find some disagreement on this topic. If you add and how much should be partly based on the fish you're keeping (tolerance level), the tank conditions (cycling with fish, treating a disease), how long you've had the fish (some people use it only when adding new fish which have been kept in a low-salt concentration where they were purchased), and your own preference.

I'll include a link below which talks more about the positives and negatives, and the facts and myths of using salt. There are some links within the article to additional websites.

Answer 7

Far eastern breeders tend to use alot of salt in there rearing pools however, apart from mimicing there water conditions for new fish you've quaranteened, ask yourself what salt would do for your body? as for the suggestion its used for softening the water, why would it be harmful to discus then? or for that matter any fish from the Amazon. Use salt either as above or as a medicinal purpose, unless your actually keeping fish from a brackish area.

Answer 8

Salt will damage the pleco's liver. Or so I've heard. If the pleco wasn't there, then only a small pinch wouldn't hurt.

~ZTM

Answer 9

Yes, it provides esstential electrolytes freshwater fish need to reach peak coloration and vitiliaty. Use to set up new tanks or treating fish diease. Also, if you have hard water, this will help as well.

Answer 10

you can do w/o the salt. some fish may need it and it can help with sickness, but there is no need to add it.