salt for cycling a tank?? what????

oh boy. . .

you're right - tetras, tiger barbs, and platies DON'T go together. . . . there are more problems here than just a cup of salt for the tank, and no, your friend doesn't need it. that's just the store policy at petco. that's what they're taught, and they think everyone should do it the same way. it's not necessary. it certainly doesn't make the cycle go any faster. i hope your friend signs up here, my crystal red magic ball says there are big problems in her fishy future.

Tetras and platies are not really a problem, those barbs however I would not mix with them. And if she plans on keeping the tetras, the Angels are out of the question as well. Neons are the natural food for Angels.

And my guess is that she got confused about what the cycle actually is. Sounds like the petco person was just spouting off the same old myth about salt. Salt actually irrates the fishes skin, which produces more of a slime coat which isn't a bad thing, but the fish is stressed out. Salt should ONLY be used for Ich.

Wow, no, salt is absolutely unnecessary and does cause fish stress, although less than most commercial medications - why it is the preferred treatment for ich. It is their store policy there (though I have been to some that don't do it) that they leave these cups of salt in the tank, I always assumed it's because a lot of the fish get ich and it is to try to prevent or cure this, but I don't know. No salt unless you are specifically treating for ich, and it definitely does not cycle the tank any faster. And tetras are not a good choice to cycle a tank, and tiger barbs are nippy and active - how big is the tank? I would try convincing her that a "good fish guy" would not have told her these things, even though this guy may have had good intentions he didn't really know what he was talking about. I agree the angels would eat the tetras, but kissing gouramis are worse. They get to 12" and are aggressive and territorial and bully other fish. I wouldn't think any of the fish she has now would survive with one.

there are a lot of myths about salt; bottom line is unless treating for Ich, or treating a minor soft tissue injury (the salt stimulates the healing process) it is not something you need in a FW tank.

it does have however a positive effect in cases of nitrite poisoning; it assists absorption of oxygen, which is what nitrite prevents, which is probably where the myth that it can cycle a tank comes from. the point being of course that we try to avoid nitrite poisoning when cycling by fishless cycling, or as many water changes as are necessary to keep nitrite below .25 - so again it should not be necessary.

Nevertheless, since some nitrite is inevitable in a cycling tank, and it can start to harm fish at levels of 0.1ppm, it is a useful measure to take (but the required amount is only around 1/2 teaspoon per 10 gallons) during cycling if cycling with fish. Just dilute it out afterwards.

For one, what she heard about salt is completely untrue. This man hasn't a clue to what "cycle" means, and it sounds like he (like most Petcos and Petsmarts) is treating salt like it cures any aquarium related problems (according to him, it's probably also very beneficial to load your filter with salt and feed your fish salt weekly).

What sized tank is this? I'm guessing it's a 10 gallon or something of the like. In any case, tiger barbs should have a 30g minimum (IMO), because of their adult size, nippyness, and activity level. Tiger barbs + angels = dead angels. Kissing gouramis get huge (a foot long), like to "kiss" (which is actually a test of strength which is stressful to other fish), and aren't very peaceful. The platies and tetras would be eaten, and maybe the barbs, although they may be too much of a mouthful. Typically, red tailed sharks turn out as 5-6" agressors. She should leave them out for now, too.

How big is said tank? Tell her to leave out the angels, kissing gouramis, and shark, and whatever she means by "catfish" (judging from popularity alone, I'll take a stab out of thousands of possibilities and say cories). Depending on tank size, she should return the barbs and get a few more black neons.

Tell her not to shop there if she can, and if she does, to PLEASE not listen to anything they tell her outside of prices. She'll only wind up with a nasty tank and money wasted.

rbishop said:

Not useful at all if you do water changes as you should...just a compensation and band aid for being lazy....


notice ...she posted...

the albino tigers are babies..so Im gonna wait till they are bigger for the angels

That is not a good idea..

Click to expand...

^ x2

Just "Wow"! Wrong on sooo many levels.

Tell your friend to slap the "knowledgable" fish guy in the face with her PALS card and then get rid of her tank.