Looking for info: adding salt to tank

And it is important to know what sort of salt is being added to the tank. A true marine mix of salt meant for marine tanks includes all sort of buffering mineral that help make a good environment and are the salts that are used to make a brackish tank as well. I assume your friend is adding mostly NaCl (Freshwater Aquarium salt) and that won't do anything but potentially hurt your fish long term. I mean if salt water was good for all fish, then all fish would live in salt water. Fish like plecos come from South American rivers where the water is very salt free and has a very low pH and buffer.
 
Very helpful!

Thanks, thanks and more thanks!
This is just the kind of detailed info I needed! It is important to me to have detailed fact based info to understand and share! I had looked on the internet, but didn't find this terrific info.

If anyone has any more info on specific creatures that are not as sensitive to any salt I would appreciate having the info.

31337, TKOS, daveedka, JSchmidt, and anyone I missed - THANK you for sharing your knowledge and time! :bowing:

Kit
 
Here is the article where I picked up on Amano's and salt, My understanding is that Amano's come from an area that should be freshwater completely, but I could be confused on that as well. this author as you will see adds salt to the tanks, and has evidently had success breeding amano's. more I do not Know.
http://www.uniquaria.com/articles/amano.html
Dave
 
Adult Amano shrimp are found in marshes which are at the edge brackish to marine, upstream are FW. If has been reported many times that the females release the fry in the outgoing current at low tide to allow the young to be transported to a higher salinity environment for deverlopment. After settling out and as juveniles of the same form as adults, but smaller, the fry migrate upstream to reach fresh water.

A similar life style is also the norm for Macrobrachium shrimp -which complicates tank breeding of these critters as well.
 
Thanks for that addition RTR, I really wasn't sure and hesitated to speak on the natural conditions, but the article about Breeding amano's did indicate a need to add salt as well as change the quantity frequently. this led me to beleive that they would live in a salted tank despite the fact that the salt isn't needed.
Dave
 
I do know that adding a little iodine to my tank with amano's certainly has helped their molting, but I do not add any salt. Interesting stuff.
 
Any critter with its reproduction involving BW or SW is by definition adaptable to osmotic conditions and pH. But tank reproduction of those same critters is a hassle, and exactly which set of conditions is appropriate and "best" for what life cycle stage can be, and is, argued endlessly. :)
 
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