Aquarium Salt?

[Rippinlip]

I was at the store today getting some supplies for tank cleaning and began to pick out the fish I would like to get. I noticed that some of them required aquarium salt. My question is if you put aquarium salt in for the fish that need it will hurt the other fish? Thanks in advance.

Buck

P.S...I am sorry for my simplistic questions. I am sure this stuff I am asking is very fundamental but I am a complete newbie.

[Mgamer20o0]

there are fish that need salt but not aquarium salt. there are salt water tanks and brackish tanks.

i never add anything my tank unless i am treating something. there is no need to add aquarium salt unless something is wrong.

[Blueiz]

Aquarium salt is not needed for freshwater fish. Aquarium salt is NaCl. Its only use in fw water tanks is to treat for diseases, or to help with nitrie toxicity.

Some stores use aquarium salt for brackish water fish. Aquarium salt does NOT make brackish water. Marine salts make brackish water.

If you are looking into purchasing a fish that has the label aquarium salt on it, research the fish before purchasing to see what its requirements are. I would in not way take advice from an LFS or any pet store that sales fish and uses aquarium salt, I honestly don't know that I would purchase fish from them either.

Blue

[amosf]

'aquarium salt' is a ripoff anyway. It's just salt - with a 10x price tag.

[Blueiz]

'aquarium salt' is a ripoff anyway. It's just salt - with a 10x price tag.
Agreed. I buy ordinary table salt if the need arises.

Blue

[Daudzegier]

I'd stay away from most table salts. Most of that stuff is iodinized. I would try either rock salt (witch is what most "aquarium salt" is), or my personal favorite - Kosher Salt. Hey, if its good enough to season your parave food on passover, then its good enough for fish to have anytime. Stick with the kosher salt and you will be fine.

[FreakIndeed]

I've seen many pet shops around my area say a fish needs "aquarium salt" when indeed the fish is actually a brackish water fish. To create a brackish environment you would use sea salt not aquarium salt. This is the fault of the pet shops as they need to correctly label the fish. If you could let us know which fish it was that you saw, we could probably tell you if it is brackish or not.

[Blueiz]

I'd stay away from most table salts. Most of that stuff is iodinized. I would try either rock salt (witch is what most "aquarium salt" is), or my personal favorite - Kosher Salt. Hey, if its good enough to season your parave food on passover, then its good enough for fish to have anytime. Stick with the kosher salt and you will be fine.
Don't want to take this thread to far off OP's topic, just wanted to note this..



I'd stay away from most table salts. Most of that stuff is iodinized.

Use the uniodized table salt..;). The miniscual amount of iodine in iodized table salt and in the quantities in which we use it isnt going to harm your fish..

Blue

[fishcatch22]

exactly which fish in the store were labeled as needing aquarium salt?

[Hereford]

i'll guess this was a PetsMart store. They have this tag on nearly all their tanks. Just why, is anybody's guess. The tags that identify the fish and declare "Needs Aquarium Salt" are the durable plastic kind which suggests that this is a blanket policy across all PetsMart franchises. I often get supplies there and last week bought my first fish (Three Mickey Mouse Platys for a buck each; couldn't resist.) I have them in their own tank for now to ensure that there are no health problems before adding to the community. So far so good. They appear very normal and frisky.

[hmilstead]

Petsmart and Petco use salt in their tanks. The Petco I had in Maryland used salt in all their tanks - display tanks and the tanks that the fish to be sold were in. I would here the sales associates tell new buyers to buy the aquarium salt becuase they need to have salt in their tanks. They only time I have ever put salt in my 55 gallon was when I had an ick breakout. As soon as the ick and waiting period were over, the salt was slowly gotten rid of through water changes.

[Rippinlip]

Thanks for the replies. Like posted above..it is a Petsmart store and the salesperson told me that they use salt in all their tanks. I am very unfamiliar with the names of the fish as I am just starting but I am going today to get my first three fish and I will get the names of a few of them and post. I know that I liked several of them. I will post the names when I get back and thanks again.

Buck

[Blueiz]

When you get the fish home, you need to take special care in acclimating them to your tank if you are not using salt. Acclimation should be done extremely slow..

Blue

[sanfran94107]

Thanks for the replies. Like posted above..it is a Petsmart store and the salesperson told me that they use salt in all their tanks. I am very unfamiliar with the names of the fish as I am just starting but I am going today to get my first three fish and I will get the names of a few of them and post. I know that I liked several of them. I will post the names when I get back and thanks again.

Buck

I've used the API Aquarium Salt -- it's just regular old salt with no additives. Supposedly it helps the fish during stressful conditions and being moved from the store to your home tank is a stressful condition. PetSmart would be wise to recommend anything that would increase the chances that their (now your) fish survive after you take them home (14 day ill/death return policy.) I've also read that it can help counteract the effects of nitrites in the tank.

Here's the product literature:

Product Description
During disease and stress, healthy gill function is disturbed. This can lead to the loss of electrolytes through the gills. This reduces the intake of oxygen and release of carbon dioxide from the fish. Aquarium Salt reduces electrolyte loss and promotes gill function. Use with remedies to improve disease recovery. Directions For Use: Important Note--Aquarium Salt does not evaporate, is not filtered out, and can be added as directed with a water change. General Tonic and Stress Reducer: Add one rounded tablespoon for each five gallons of aquarium water. Tropical Fish Treatment or With A Remedy: Add one rounded tablespoonful for each five gallons of aquarium water. Water temperature of 80 degress (F) during treatment is recommended. To Hatch Brine Shrimp Eggs: Add eight tablespoons for each gallon of water. Goldfish Bowls: Add 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water.

[jm1212]

there is a reason the fish are called freshwater, and not, "not really brackish or marine fish because their water doesnt need marine salt, but they need aquairum salt" fish.
yes i know, there is an ammount of salt in ALL water, but in the amazon river, its some insane decimal of a girain of salt per gallon. the fish are getting enough before you put any in... that insanly tiny decimal ammount (unless of course you are treating for ich).

as for the iodized salt thing; the FRESHwater fish would die from high salt levels before they died from iodine levels.

ive heard at one petstore right from the persons mouth that you can go home drop in the fish right out of the bag, water and all... if you add some Aquarium salt (ugh yea right. like Blueiz said, it needs to be a slow process). their fish only have a 24 hour garantee that they strictly enforce... i wonder why. but since then they have gone closed. oh well