Seachem American Cichlid Salt

[Sarah88]

off topic but haha yeah im taking physiology too IT SUCKS, i was thinking it was going to be based more on actual structures of the animals and its like frikin cell bio all over again but yeah it does help u to understand the science behind why certain things are good/bad for the fish

 

[Otherone]

From what I read it's buffering salt. I wouldn't use it - it's not worth the effort to try to control the PH levels in my tanks. It would probably be more harmful overtime than good given it's potential to create drastic PH swings thru improper use or accidental overdosing. As for aquarium salts - it's just not the salt additive that kills the bacteria/parasites but the fluxuation of the waters salinity that makes it unadaptible. Constant salinity is adaptable for bacteria/parasites. For the most part, increases in the waters salinity burns the scales thus stimulating slime coat regeneration. I personally don't see the need if bacterial/parasictic activity isn't present on the fish. If anything I'd be shooting myself in the foot - if the salinity of my water is already 1tsp per 5gal in order to get the benifits of salt when bacterial/parasitic activity is present I'd have to increase the dosing per gallon to unsafe levels for my freshwater fish.

 

[cchhcc]

I dont think useing it to treat illness/injury would be very wise, if you dosed your tank up your TDS would also rise along with the salinity drasticaly offsetting the osmotic pressure of the fish vs water on a cellular level. .

One of the purposes of treating sick fish with salt is to change the osmotic pressure.

 

[Err]

One of the purposes of treating sick fish with salt is to change the osmotic pressure.

Yea I get that, but changeing it by upping the NaCl content a smidge is one thing. You add several other minerals too that and the effects may not be as predictable as your regular NaCl.

 

[Adhlc]

I currently use Seachem's American Cichlid Salt in my 75G. From what I understand it is not to take the place of Aquarium Salt, but is more of a trace element additive. I truthfully can't tell if dosing it really makes a difference - but I like to simulate the natural environment of the fish I keep as much as possible, so I dose it.