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Aquarium Salt??

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  • Aquarium Salt??

    I am so mixed up about all the salts for a freshwater aquarium...I guy at city pets told me that aquarium salt is needed in a freshwater system because it helps keep the fish healthy.

    If that is true, how many teaspoons per gallon?

    Also...what's up with the 50 different types of salt??
    Which do I use??

    Aquarium Salt?

    Table Salt?

    Epson Salt?

    Kosher Salt?

    Saltwater Aquarium Salt?

    Is there even a dang difference in all the salts?


    Any and all help is appreciated.
    Kind Regards.  :sick: (Random Fact: I just found a dead slimy botia...hence the pukey face smiley)
    Help support (C)atfish (A)nd (K)ool Pleco's; Houston's premier fish club
    Alexa Rae
    Co-President of CAK
    MAY THE GOD OF YOUR CHOICE BLESS YOU.

  • #2
    Re: Aquarium Salt??

    A bit of salt helps but there are some fish don't like it.

    Table salt is advisable since it's iodized

    Epsom salt is like a laxative and also helps raise kh

    Kosher salt is like aquarium salt

    Saltwater salts will raise Ph and Hardness I believe.


    Most salts I use one tablespoon per 5gallons but with the Saltwater salt I would use some in a container and test the params to see how much it changes which is used for cichlid buffer along with epsom and baking soda.
    700g Mini-Monster tank

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    • #3
      Re: Aquarium Salt??

      This may help a little:

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      • #4
        Re: Aquarium Salt??

        didn't we just do this ?

        'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust ...'
        He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

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        • #5
          Re: Aquarium Salt??

          We talked about aquarium salts, but didn't talk about regular, "everyday" use.  :)

          There are some that add salt to every tank, some that add it just to certain tanks, and some that don't add it at all. Like PhishPhreek's link mentions, there's a lot of information out there but many people choose to stick with what they've done for all the years they've been keeping fish, no matter what scenario. I personally only add salt to my livebearer tanks, and I add the "Freshwater Aquarium Salt," or whatever it may be called, but in small amounts. Probably (at the most) about 1 tsp. per 5 gallons - not even sure if this makes a difference, but it's a habit!  
          Of course, in my soon-to-be brackish tank, I'm using marine salt.

          I don't believe that it's necessary in order to "keep the fish healthy." I could probably write for hours about what different people have told me and the different views I have read! In the end, I feel like it's all going in circles.

          Table salt doesn't provide as many salts as, say, marine salt, which has a very long list of componants. But I can't really say what the underlying difference between a lot of the salts on the shelves of the LFS are. Not that fond of chemistry.  :)

          Sooo...in my opinion, keep doing what you've been doing!  :)  If your fish are happy, they're happy - no use in changing the routine. Hmm, I think this post went in circles, too!
          "Millennium hand and shrimp!"

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          • #6
            Re: Aquarium Salt??

            Okay...so Kosher salt is an alternative for Aquarium salt, and does basically the same thing...did I read that right?

            I'm asking because I want to get rid if these "tubifex worms" (at least I'm told that what they are) I see swimming in a couple of my tanks.

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            • #7
              Re: Aquarium Salt??

              Kosher is the same thing but I don't think that is tubifex worms in your tank... maybe planaria.
              700g Mini-Monster tank

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              • #8
                Re: Aquarium Salt??

                Ek...what is that, is it harmful, nad how is it treated?

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                • #9
                  Re: Aquarium Salt??

                  After researching a bit on the net, what I have in my tank seems to be Nematode. It's similar to Planaria in that it is harmless, but their morphs are different.

                  Nematodes results from overfeeding basically. There's 2 ways to solve the problem and both involves a really, thorough cleaning: 1) cut back on the amount of food you're feeding. 2) Use aquarium salt (or as we have concluded - Kosher salt) in your tank.

                  That explains it for me. My last 2 cleanings of this particular tank has been "rush jobs". So I didn't think to add any aq. salt.

                  At any rate, big-ups to you Ek for giving me an idea as to what it could've been...

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                  • #10
                    Re: Aquarium Salt??

                    "salt" is about as definitive as "dog" or "car". Generally a combination of an inorganic acid and base. Generally water soluble, producing an ionic solution.
                    I would say you could use "table "salt (NaCl) in fresh waters as you won't be using much. On the other hand; it would be easy to get a few pounds of sea salt (a mix of maybe a dozen"salts") at a pet shop and it will last a long time in fresh water applications.  
                    I use aquarium sea salt for cooking because I have an extra 35# of it. I don't really notice a difference.

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