I've heard this from a few sources, what is the advantage, or advantages of adding salt to a fresh water tank?
Advantage of adding salt?
- Thread starter robmit87
- Start date
If your fish are not sick with one of the few conditions which can be treated by salt, there is IMHO and IME, absoutely no justification for adding salt routinely and chronically to your tank.
For more detail:
http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/salt.shtml
For more detail:
http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/salt.shtml
In my part of the world salt in tank = no fungus and no salt in tank = fungus, and that's fairly reliable. It's also good for ich treatment. I haven't had any particular problems arrising from the use of salt, tho obviously difficult to tell , but certainly have had problems with the lack of salt. I had long lived rainbowfish and guppies live full lives and the gudgeon just keep going. Neons die on a regular basis but other tetra don't. That might be just the neons and it is possible it's the harder water we have these days. I haven't had any effects show up to cause me to not use salt, but as I always say, that's just my situation in tropical Australia...
so the pros are have been mentioned - slime layer, nitrites, fungus, ich, etc. The cons I don't know of, but interested to hear. I think irritation was one. Not sure. I haven't observed anything myself, but it's a hard thing to test and judge...
so the pros are have been mentioned - slime layer, nitrites, fungus, ich, etc. The cons I don't know of, but interested to hear. I think irritation was one. Not sure. I haven't observed anything myself, but it's a hard thing to test and judge...
The cons are that most fish we keep are from lower TDS (total dissolved solids) waters than those we keep them in. Making the TDS even higher by adding salt therefore makes the water even less like those in which the fish evolved.
The other con is that when you are sold the "add salt" mantra you will also be sold the "must only use aquarium salt because other salt contains iodine" nonsense, which means your LFS can extract more money out of your fist every few months.
And salt at the levels tolerable by freshwater fish (note this designation!) will have no effect whatsoever on bacteria. There is evidence that very high concentration short term salt baths can be effective against some skin bacteria, but that is all.
The other con is that when you are sold the "add salt" mantra you will also be sold the "must only use aquarium salt because other salt contains iodine" nonsense, which means your LFS can extract more money out of your fist every few months.
And salt at the levels tolerable by freshwater fish (note this designation!) will have no effect whatsoever on bacteria. There is evidence that very high concentration short term salt baths can be effective against some skin bacteria, but that is all.
Salt in freshwater certainly has no effect on bacteria, which is no doubt a good thing when considering the nitrifying bacteria 
Thanks for a couple of suggestions on the 'cons'. The TDS is a mild issue here I suppose as our water is practically liquid rock. The salt probably doesn't make a lot of difference to it. Not great tetra water. And I tend to buy salt in bulk - ie usually 50kg-100kg at a time - 'real cheap'.
Thanks for a couple of suggestions on the 'cons'. The TDS is a mild issue here I suppose as our water is practically liquid rock. The salt probably doesn't make a lot of difference to it. Not great tetra water. And I tend to buy salt in bulk - ie usually 50kg-100kg at a time - 'real cheap'.
My biggest concern regarding the ongoing use of salt in a FW aquarium is one of control. Very few people have the means of testing the salinity levels in their aquariums, and no way to take into account the concentrating effect of evaporation. This means there's a very real risk of salinity levels that slowly climb over time, and this can result in serious problems.
As for 'increased slime layer'--this isn't a great thing, either, IMO. If a fish is producing a thicker slime coat, it means the fish is being irritated, in this case by salt. A thick slime coat has some benefits, but comes with risks, including suffocation from too thick a slime coating, and the increased odds that any bacteria which does penetrate will be harder to deal with and more likely to kill the fish.
IMO, more frequent water changes are a better use of time and money than adding salt to a FW tank.
As for 'increased slime layer'--this isn't a great thing, either, IMO. If a fish is producing a thicker slime coat, it means the fish is being irritated, in this case by salt. A thick slime coat has some benefits, but comes with risks, including suffocation from too thick a slime coating, and the increased odds that any bacteria which does penetrate will be harder to deal with and more likely to kill the fish.
IMO, more frequent water changes are a better use of time and money than adding salt to a FW tank.
Just from my experience. I used to keep only bettas originally. I always added 1 tsp of salt per gallon or less during water changes. My bettas never lived very long. I no longer add salt and my fish seem to live much better. My bettas now live siginificantly longer without salt, and my other fish have been around since i bought them. Not super scientific but the best I can do right now.
I would agree that proper water changes and minimal additions to the water are the best way to go. Adding salt for freshwater fish seems to be purely anticdotal (sp?) and with all the science I read on this website and others, I will be sticking to proven facts for the time being until I better understand the chemistry behind such practices.
I would agree that proper water changes and minimal additions to the water are the best way to go. Adding salt for freshwater fish seems to be purely anticdotal (sp?) and with all the science I read on this website and others, I will be sticking to proven facts for the time being until I better understand the chemistry behind such practices.
sure salt kills bacteria
You pickle food in salt to preserve it, and there isnt much bacteria or fungus living in there
aye well if I'm wrong -meh, there's still more pros to using salt then there are cons.
You pickle food in salt to preserve it, and there isnt much bacteria or fungus living in there
aye well if I'm wrong -meh, there's still more pros to using salt then there are cons.