When is enough enough (salt, that is)?

[cameracorpus]

Hi everybody!

I agree 100% with adding salt to fresh water, especially after reading many posts on this forum. My question is when do you know when you've added enough, and how do you guage how much to add after water changes and stuff? Measuring the specific gravity seems to be one way of course, but I've never seen any specs.

Thanks!

[myjohnson]

we talking table salt, epsom salt, or some other kind of salt?

[cichlid1409]

just talking about using salt in general and not using it to treat a disease like ich. 1 tablespoon per 5g is good and when doing water changes only replace what is lost dont dose the entire tank again. typically the benefits of using salt are more notable with livebearers, swordtails, mollies, corys etc. as far as measuring, the amount is so minuscule i think you would need a refractometer to accuratly test. brakish is a range of 1.002-1.015 sg so the concentration your looking for would be even less than that.

[cichlid1409]

we talking table salt, epsom salt, or some other kind of salt?

aquarium salt homie...

[wesleydnunder]

aquarium salt homie...

AKA "over-priced rock salt"

To the OP:
Prophylactic salting of freshwater fish is not only unnecessary, it can also be harmful to the fish.

Mark

[cameracorpus]

Yes, aquarium salt or it's close generic brethren. The main reason is that I'm gonna start using filtered vs. tap water for some of my water changes. Figured I better give something back. My fish have never seemed bothered by either lack of salt (1st year) or addition of small amounts (last 6 months). I knew the topic has been belabored already, I was mainly looking for a specific measurement salinity for fresh water.

My main issues here in Corpus have always been water quality, I've never really been bothered by any diseasees.

[PhishPhreek]

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/salt.shtml

[myjohnson]

aquarium salt homie...

Hummm, from my understanding aquarium salt (a.k.a. Sodium Chloride, rock salt, table salt, solar salt) is not really needed and I agree with what Mark is saying.

But I have also "heard" of several reasons why some hobbyists add salt to the aquarium. I've heard people say it reduces strees, medicating purposes, adding hardness, and for fish commonly found in brackish water. They also recommend to add a teaspoon of salt per 10 gallons when not medicating and more when medicating.

Personally, I've added aquarium salt to my tank a few times in the pass when I didn't know any better but I never really notice anything benefits.

Now, the only salt I use is epsom salt.

[cichlid1409]

Hummm, from my understanding aquarium salt (a.k.a. Sodium Chloride, rock salt, table salt, solar salt) is not really needed and I agree with what Mark is saying.

But I have also "heard" of several reasons why some hobbyists add salt to the aquarium. I've heard people say it reduces strees, medicating purposes, adding hardness, and for fish commonly found in brackish water. They also recommend to add a teaspoon of salt per 10 gallons when not medicating and more when medicating.

Personally, I've added aquarium salt to my tank a few times in the pass when I didn't know any better but I never really notice anything benefits.
Same here.

Now, the only salt I use is epsom salt.

only thing i add to my tank is epsom salt and baking soda. no carbon, purigen or any other media either, except bio media(bio balls).

[Darbex]

uh oh here we go again

[Brentpitt]

I guess if we are adding salt, we might as well add a little pepper, too, huh?

[cichlid1409]

uh oh here we go again

scared to say how much salt your pouring into the 'monster' darbex? )

[myjohnson]

scared to say how much salt your pouring into the 'monster' darbex? )

You add salt Brian?

[RonR.]

I add epsom salt, baking soda and Instant Ocean at each weekly 50% water change in my 180g moba tank. I follow the directions found in the library section at the cichlid-forum website.

I pre-measured it for 45g and 90g. I've been doing this for about 5 years now.

[Darbex]

Not that much really. I do it when i am treating. I have had a couple fish that looked like they were about to kick it and I put them in a QT with just salt and they made it.