a pinch of salt

[cootwarm]

For the past 30 years, I've always added a half teaspoon per gal of canning salt (non-iodide) to my aquarium water. It was recommended to me when I first began setting up aquariums. I've found that it does help prevent some disease and the fish seem to be healthier overall when I use it. One teaspoon per gal was recommened to me for use in quarunteen(sp?) tanks.

But I never hear or see it mentioned when water changes are dicussed. What are your opinions about this practice? And how do Apistos feel about this?

Michael

 

[farm41]

No salt for our soft water friends, makes the conductivity go up. There is a slight amount of sodium in most tap water, but the soft water fish will do better without the addition salt to the tank.

JMHO

 

[Neil]

I sure agree with Matt here. There is usully no reason to indiscriminantly add salt to a tank of fish that don't need it. LFSs often do this with everything that comes in. To treat all fish with the same methodologies is not looking at the specifics of what a fish truely needs. Apistos need and want CLEAN, soft water.
Neil

 

[cootwarm]

Thanks guy's. I'm glad I asked as it was something I've always done. I probably would have continued to do so.

There were times when I didn't (use salt) for periods of time, then when I used it again, the fish seemed to enjoy it. But these were generally larger cichlids, barbs and livebearers and such.

Michael

 

[Woodsy]

Glodfish will love it too. GH's of around 180ppm will usually keep them lively and free of anchor worm and other parasites. Things like Orandas, especially. It works in the same kind of way as RO dipping marine fish. Parasites can't stand the high/low osmotic pressure and they die. But the others are right- Apisto's are soft water fish.

 

[apistodave]

Now i am not a chemist and someone will probably tlell me I am full of it but salt is used in some water softeners because the Sodium ions bond with some others and therefore soften the water--someone straighten me out on this one--I have heard of using salt in some way to create Amazon water.

 

[farm41]

The way I understand it, the sodium does make the water softer, but at the expense of raising the conductivity. Not good for our softwater friends.

 

[Woodsy]

Sodium will not bind to the metal ions that 'classically' make up your water hardness (ie. Mg, Fe, Cu), as they all posess a positive charge. However, it will bind to carbonate ions under certain conditions. If you don't use CO2, there is probably some slim chance that you water will be softened to some degree, but as farm has said- at the expense of raising your conductivity. That is, the more things you have dissolved in your water, the greater (in general) your conductivity will be. Carbonates are very soluble, so in all likelyhood, sodium won't do all that much to soften your water

 

[Discus Man]

Now i am not a chemist and someone will probably tlell me I am full of it but salt is used in some water softeners because the Sodium ions bond with some others and therefore soften the water--someone straighten me out on this one--I have heard of using salt in some way to create Amazon water.

Water softeners soften water by a resin grabbing ions as they pass. The salt is used to recharge the resin. Once the water softener rinses with brine solution there should be no salt added to your tap water. (I suppose a cheap wtaer softener may... )
As for adding salt, it is a boon to certain fish species that prefer a bit of hardness in their water but Apistos are definately not one of them.