salt for freshwater??

mdcordeiro

AC Members
Oct 2, 2005
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Massachusetts
Ive just changed my lfs my local lfs is terrible ive found one thats not too far away that im pretty impresed with ,the owner talked to me for about 30 mins which is 100% more than the last lfs did. the only thing he said that im not to sure about is that he recomends this special (blue in color) salt that he say's will keep my fish healthier and disease free he say's it will also give the fish a better slime coat which i guess is one of the reasons that there less likely to get any diseases? what do you think ? he wasnt pushing it too hard just telling me he uses it and loves it.
 
Lots of people use it and there is always a debate. I use salt only for medication (and seasoning on the BBQ). Just ask yourself, what reason does my fish want a bigger slimecoat (is more slime better?) and why doesn't my fish live in salted water in the wild?

Alsoa quick search will yield many threads asking about adding salt to freshwater tanks. Any info saying it is a good idea seems pretty annecdotal (sp?) but in the end it is your choice.

bear in mind that some freshwater speciies cannot tolerate elevated levels of salt for prolonged periods of time.
 
i have nothing to back this up at all, neither experience nor research, but i've been starting to wonder if the salt actually irritates the fish initially, and therefore causes greater slime coat production as a safeguard. similar to when we get a sore throat or sniff something that makes our nose burn, then we end up producing more mucous in order to cover the damaged parts of the membranes and promote healing.
 
That is exactly why the slime coat gets bigger. Fish produce excess in response to irritation. But really is bigger better?

Keeping a tank disease free through the use of quarentine tanks is your best bet.
 
Did he have a name for what he showed you? Was it called BAUSMAN Tonic? I have used this before and it is light blue in color. I used it much the same as hobbyists use Melafix today. Excellent for getting rid of Hydra also.
 
yes i beleive thats what he called it im going there again this week ill pay more attention next time :)
 
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