Do I...

[looney417]

add aquarium salt in planted tanks? I've stopped adding it for along time now, because no one ever says to put it in. its always adding ferts, water change, add ferts, water change...how about the aquarium salt? you know, just a little at least?

 

[Lupin]

Aquarium salt is totally useless. You don't need to add it.

 

[Hooked Newbie]

:iagree:

 

[KarlTh]

You don't add aquarium salt to any tanks. Why would you? Look at the reasons you might need to use salt (as in NaCl) in an aquarium:

1. Combat acute nitrite poisoning where water changes alone aren't equal to the problem - ordinary table salt will do this.
2. Treating protozoal infections like ick - a/a
3. Creating brackish water conditions - for this you need marine salt (not sea salt either, you need the stuff the salty guys use, just less of it).

No place for aquarium salt. It's a con trick, built on a number of myths:

1. Fish need "essential electrolytes". Well, they do. Do you need "aquarium salt" to provide them? Nope. Most tap water is already higher in these electrolytes than the fishes' natural waters. Where it isn't, you'll be using rift lake cichlid salts or marine salt anyway (see "Brackish" below).

2. Table salt contains harmful additives. It contains additives, but these are at tiny levels. You'd pickle the fish in brine before you gave them iodine poisoning (or whatever the current "scare" additive is).

3. Salt acts as a prophylaxis against disease. It might, but only by osmotically stressing the fish the same way as it does the potential pathogens. Really, this makes as much sense as taking two paracetamol every day in case you otherwise get a headache. Not usually considered sound medical practice.

Add to this some mystique by not actually listing the ingredients (this is because it's either plain NaCl, or boring old sea salt) and bang - a big moneyspinner for the shops.

Just don't get me started on the similar pH mythology and the lucrative industry that's hanging on the back of that.

 

[MrGoodbytes]

I don't think you could put that any better. I agree completely with Karl and the others. It's completely useless. Kinda like vitamin water .

 

[KIM_TMA]

What about with livebearers, Is it a myth that they like salt in there water? For instance when mollys get the shakes, it says to add electrolytes/aqua salt? Would regular table salt work?

 

[KarlTh]

What about with livebearers, Is it a myth that they like salt in there water? For instance when mollys get the shakes, it says to add electrolytes/aqua salt? Would regular table salt work?

They like water with high Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). This should be achieved either using cichlid salts (to replicate a hard freshwater environment) or by using marine salt (to simulate a mildly brackish environment). The former is generally preferable, although many molly keepers use the latter method. However, much tapwater is already quite high enough in TDS anyway.

Certainly I don't see a place for "aqua salt" whatever that might be.

 

[jpappy789]

Karl pretty much said it. All AQ salt is is pure NaCl, basically table salt without the anti-caking ingredients. A complete waste of money with no use in the aquarium trade IMO. It certainly has no use for plants.

 

[looney417]

really, aquarium salt is pure NaCl??? i thought it was another type of salt, like epsons or something. mmm...k, i use RO DI with ferts...and some crushed coral in one of my can filters...thats the only thing i add to my water, everythign else comes from bio waste from everything else. like i said i stopped using it for a long while. and i was just wondering if in fact should/should not be put in.

 

[Lupin]

Aquarium salt is a scam if it costs more than the table salt. Table salt works just as well.