aquarium salt fresh water

[svns gunner]

My LFS told me to use aquarium salt in my fresh water tanks to help get down my ammonia problem it sounds strange, adding salt into a fresh water tank does anyone know anything about salt in fresh water?:help:

[Rbishop]

You do not need it all.

Have an ammonia issue? Do water changes.

Ammonia in your tap...use Prime water conditioner.

How long has your tank been operating, and what kind of a cycle did you do?

[Bk718]

most lfs keep some salt in their aquariums to reduce the risk of any diseases spreading.. But i never heard of it taking care of an ammonia problem..

[svns gunner]

Ive been doing water changes ever other day and the tank has been set up with fish since the new year all my levels are fine but my ammonia has spiked in the last few days

[jm1212]

putting aqarium salt in the water does nothing to prevent diseases really. in fact, it may help breed diseases that are resistant to it and otherwise would be able to be treated easily by it (ich, etc.)

[wataugachicken]

i think your LFS guy is probably a little confused. salt may help short-term in case of high nitrites (not ammonia). nitrites bond with blood cells and make it difficult for fish to breathe. adding salt in a certain dosage can help protect the fish from gill damage and breathing problems because the salt bonds to the blood cells more quickly then nitrites can.

HOWEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

if your problem is high ammonia and/or nitrites, you should be doing frequent water changes and testing the water so you know what's going on with it. in a home tank using salt to help the fish get through a cycle is like putting a band-aid on a stab wound. if you do a quick search about salt and nitrite it is generally used in large ponds where water changes are not a simple option. while a lot of people and places recommend salt for freshwater tanks to prevent diseases, the use of it all the time is kind of a catch-22 situation. while salt can sort of help to ward off disease, it does this through irritating the fish's skin, causing the dish to grow a thicker slime coat. it is this thickened slime coat that actually does all the protecting. however, the constant irritation of the salt can stress a fish out and cause a lowered immune system - which actually makes the fish MORE susceptible to illness over time, especially with fish that are very sensitive to salt.

i think almost everyone here would agree that the only real use of salt in a freshwater aquarium is as an ich treatment, as salt in the right dose will actually kill the parasite in its free-swimming stage of life. salt could also be used in a tank with mollies - but marine salt, not regular aquarium salt - and then it would be a brackish tank, not fresh.

[Marinemom]

As already stated, aquarium salt in a freshwater setup is usually not necessary. I have never heard of using salt to clear up an ammonia problem. Water changes are your best friend right now.

Marinemom