salt question?

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keeno2086

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jan 13, 2015
21
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16
kingston, uk
hey all,
I use a range of products to try prevent problems before they occur. I have just got some aquarium salt (api brand). it says to use 1 tea spoon to every 20l of water. I hate this as I like to work in grams or use precise measurements. my tanks are large, ranging from 400l to well over 1000l, so if I just use a tea spoon but there is a gram more in each tea spoon this can result in a lot more of said product ending up in my tank.

does anyone use aquarium salt, if so do you have a exact measurement/ratio that is safe and works ok for you?

thanks for any help.
 
I used to use salt a lot as I was told it helped fish and made them healthier and such, I used to do what I called abouts measurements. I'd look at the tank see about how much water I changed then add about the amount needed, after I got my 220 gallon it got expensive and I stopped using it unless I have a problem with a wound or something. To me it's not worth the money unless you need it. Some swear by it I used to but now it's only when I need it


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Jag586 said:
I used to use salt a lot as I was told it helped fish and made them healthier and such, I used to do what I called abouts measurements. I'd look at the tank see about how much water I changed then add about the amount needed, after I got my 220 gallon it got expensive and I stopped using it unless I have a problem with a wound or something. To me it's not worth the money unless you need it. Some swear by it I used to but now it's only when I need it


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Click to expand...

I agree.

The best disease prevention for freshwater aquaria is consistent water changes. The more, the better.
 
I concur with not using salt as a preemptive measure but when you do need it pure solar salt is the same thing as aquarium salt and costs about $3 for a 50 pound bag.
 
Depends on species being kept...Some species can benefit. You could pick up hydrometer, they can be purchased for less than $10US.
 
+1 for solar salt, that's what we use at our sturgeon farm. And some of our systems are up to 100,000 gallons so cost is important for us.

But at home I do use aquarium salt or reef salt since it's lying around. I agree with the others that running salt full-time in a freshwater tank is a waste. You wouldn't do the same with any medication, so why salt? It's true, if nitrite is an issue then adding a small amount of salt (parts per million) will tremendously reduce its toxicity since the chloride ion competes with NO2 for uptake sites in the gills, but most of us don't deal with harmful nitrite. Perhaps a very tiny amount would reduce overall stress through the competition I described above (resulting in more efficient hemoglobin function), but the amount of salt people typically use is much greater than this. When trying to treat ich you want to raise the salt to 3-4 parts per thousand to put it in perspective.

So in summary, I wouldn't run it all the time. However, since you haven't dosed salt before (or at least not recently in the system) I see no harm in doing one preventative dosing to ensure you don't have any of the pathogens in your system that it could stand to eliminate. I'd raise it to 3-4ppt for a couple of weeks, and then naturally let it drop back down with your water changes. Often times pathogens can remain in the tank in low numbers, only multiplying and becoming a problem when a fish gets stressed and its immune system is compromised. By eliminating these potential pathogens you can not only avoid potential outbreaks, but you could reduce a stress-factor for your fish. Just because a fish doesn't show signs of illness doesn't mean they aren't carrying something. Even ich can persist without any symptoms. That's the whole idea behind quarantine!
 
keeno2086 said:
does anyone use aquarium salt, if so do you have a exact measurement/ratio that is safe and works ok for you?

thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

There is no need for exact measurement.

1) all fish species have a different reaction to salt. Some require it, some tolerate it, some are tolerant to a point after acclimation, some are fairly intolerant.
2) even at that, some species tolerance or need for salt changes as they age.
3) salt tolerance can change based upon what other conditions exist in the tank
4) therefore, using the same salt dosage that other people use can be dangerous and counterproductive for your fish

There is no need for a precise measurement unless you are conducting experiments and need to demonstrate something scientifically. In the cases of fish that do not require salt in the water (fresh water species), it's fine to dramatically reduce the amount on the side of less salt if you are concerned with it's effects.

If you really need to be precise, however, Walmart sells a nice scale for about $11. http://www.walmart.com/ip/INSTEN-2lb-Digital-Pocket-Scale-Black/29549610 With this handy tool, you should never miss your dosage targets by even a gram in any of your tanks.

Just be sure to keep your salt dry so you are measuring it's true weight.
 
A hydrometer or refractometer will work to measure the salt levels in the water as well. Hydrometers are usually less than $20 and you can get a good refractometer for $25. Just don't order it from a fish place or you'll pay much more. Then you can track the levels in your tank if you are trying to reach a certain concentration.
 
If you are using salt as a therapy, yes you want to exact. There are defined toxicity levels in regard to parasites etc. Feel free to refer to Ed Noga's book on fish disease.
 
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