Ok I've been reading around on this forum and noticed some people including Zambize put salt in there freshwater tank.
I have a small common pleco, 3 convict cichlids, and 1 toadfish. The Toadfish (Allenbatrachus grunniens) is more of a Brackish fish but they can live in freshwater as well. Some people say don't put them in freshwater but I just recently talked to a guy on monsterfishkeepers.com that has had 1 since Nov. 2005 and is still completely healthy in freshwater. I've had mine since January in Freshwater and seems to be doing fine but has had a white lump near his ass for a couple months now.
I heard that Toadfish can fight off disease better in brackish aquariums but I don't think I will get the time or money to start a brackish tank for him. So I thought adding a little salt would help him a bit.
What kind and how much would I put in for a 29gal. tank? Is adding salt ok for my common pleco and convict cichlids?
Any comments, experiences, or info is appreciated.
Salt in Freshwater?
18 posts • Page 1 of 2
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spongebob4460 - Posts: 603
- Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:37 am
ive heard salt is no good for plecos. i read it on this forum, so do a search on it... there were good reasons behind it.
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shep1969 - Posts: 8
- Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:44 am
Yes, "Aquarium Salt" is actually very healthy for your fish in moderation. My son has a 30 Gallon of South American Cichlids. Every water Change I do use Aquarium Salt. They sell it at walmart and it is very cheap, I wanna say $1.52.......
No more that 5 table spoons per 10gal. and thats actually alot. I use that amount for my 90 gal.Malawi Cichlids.
To be safe I would go with 2 and a half table spoons per 10 Gallons. Dont worry if you go a little over, It will be fine.
The benafits are great. It will raise ur ph level, and also make the water more alkaline which is what you want for your fish. It also is great for keeping parasites away. They dont like salt in the water. Ich will be prevented too. Salt and raising the Temp to 82 to 84 will cure ich.
I have also used epsome salt, and baking soda. Neither will prevent diseases like Aquarium Salt, but they will raise the ph. Baking soda can get Cakey, so I wouldnt even mess with that.
I think you will see improvement in the way the fish act over time with Aquarium Salt. Good Luck...
No more that 5 table spoons per 10gal. and thats actually alot. I use that amount for my 90 gal.Malawi Cichlids.
To be safe I would go with 2 and a half table spoons per 10 Gallons. Dont worry if you go a little over, It will be fine.
The benafits are great. It will raise ur ph level, and also make the water more alkaline which is what you want for your fish. It also is great for keeping parasites away. They dont like salt in the water. Ich will be prevented too. Salt and raising the Temp to 82 to 84 will cure ich.
I have also used epsome salt, and baking soda. Neither will prevent diseases like Aquarium Salt, but they will raise the ph. Baking soda can get Cakey, so I wouldnt even mess with that.
I think you will see improvement in the way the fish act over time with Aquarium Salt. Good Luck...
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Serial324556 - Posts: 218
- Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2008 2:35 am
Well currently I have a ph of 8.0. So I don't want it any higher than that. I don't have ich on any of my fish however there is 1 white spot the size of a pencil eraser in diameter on my Toadfish's ass near his belly.(Don't know how to be anymore direct with that statement lol) It has been there for about 3 months now. I'm not sure if it's just part of him or if it's a sist of some sort. He eats fine and everything though.
But now I don't know about adding any salt with my pleco in there after reading that other thread. Plus if it's going to raise my PH anymore then I'm not going to do it considering it's already high.
But now I don't know about adding any salt with my pleco in there after reading that other thread. Plus if it's going to raise my PH anymore then I'm not going to do it considering it's already high.
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shep1969 - Posts: 8
- Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:44 am
You asked, and I replied..... By the way, The thread you read..... Its BS!! Now, I dont know how that pleco died, but it did NOT die form the little amount of salt he used.
Who knows?? Maybe his wife doesnt like the amount of time he spends on his hobby and killed the fish? Could be... But it wasnt salt!
Who knows?? Maybe his wife doesnt like the amount of time he spends on his hobby and killed the fish? Could be... But it wasnt salt!
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spongebob4460 - Posts: 603
- Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:37 am
from the search ive done across the web, including www.plecofanatics.com, salt seems to hurt plecos. Now i have seen more bad written about salt with regards to plecos than good, so rather than boldly tell someone that salt doesnt hurt plecos or kill plecos, i preferred to post info on the topic and let them decide. why exactly couldn't it have been salt?
Ive read that salt dehydrates and burns the gills of plecos. And if salt doesnt kill plecos, than it sure is hurting them slowly over a long period of time. If a pleco does survive, its probably out of sheer strength. Who knows, i just wouldnt take the chance myself... but, its your call, thats just my two cents.
Ive read that salt dehydrates and burns the gills of plecos. And if salt doesnt kill plecos, than it sure is hurting them slowly over a long period of time. If a pleco does survive, its probably out of sheer strength. Who knows, i just wouldnt take the chance myself... but, its your call, thats just my two cents.
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Serial324556 - Posts: 218
- Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2008 2:35 am
Alright, thanks for the info much appreciated. I've decided not to add salt in the current tank I have. Well with my pleco in it anyways maybe when I get my 55 gallon i'll turn my 29gallon into brackish for my toadfish.
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Peterkarig3210 - Posts: 1980
- Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am
Just to add my 2 cents. I have a pleco, and I also have some gars that REQUIRE some salt to ward off sudden death due to bacterial infection. I do add salt, but not the dosage recommended for aquariums. I give the tank about 2/3's what's suggested.
These gars are usually fine till they get older where for some reason they are more prone to getting a bacterial infection which is horrible to see. I've seen it in some other fish and they become paralyzed and their body dies while they're still alive and unable to do anything. Once there is noticeable paralysis it's too late.
Sorry I can't remember what the right dosage is right now. I have an indicator plant I use. It's a lilly pad plant. When the pads stop ascending, which is about the concentration commonly recommended, I remove a little with a water change. When the pads start to rise again I let it be.
These gars are usually fine till they get older where for some reason they are more prone to getting a bacterial infection which is horrible to see. I've seen it in some other fish and they become paralyzed and their body dies while they're still alive and unable to do anything. Once there is noticeable paralysis it's too late.
Sorry I can't remember what the right dosage is right now. I have an indicator plant I use. It's a lilly pad plant. When the pads stop ascending, which is about the concentration commonly recommended, I remove a little with a water change. When the pads start to rise again I let it be.
Last edited by Peterkarig3210 on Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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shep1969 - Posts: 8
- Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:44 am
spongebob,
Well for starters your two cents is worth just about that much. Since you ask, why couldnt it be salt, I will answer in a bold way, because my answer is based on fact!
The Pleco (Common) is found in the Amazon river basin. Now, that is a huge river and the salinity will differ depending on where you are. Some places in the Amazon the salinity of the water is zero. However the placo just happens to live in part of the Amazon River where the salinity is at its highest. The Peco is actually a very hardy fish, and it can live where the salinity is zero, but it is not common because of fresh water predatory fish.
The thread said, that he was using 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. There is NO WAY that would be enough salt to kill his fish!
Again, Im not sure why his fish died, but it wasnt from salt. ( I think it was his wife) lol
All kidding aside, Your fish will benafit if you add "Aquarium Salt" to your tank. Even if you only used 1 table spoon per 10gal. I would add salt every water change.
Cheers
Well for starters your two cents is worth just about that much. Since you ask, why couldnt it be salt, I will answer in a bold way, because my answer is based on fact!
The Pleco (Common) is found in the Amazon river basin. Now, that is a huge river and the salinity will differ depending on where you are. Some places in the Amazon the salinity of the water is zero. However the placo just happens to live in part of the Amazon River where the salinity is at its highest. The Peco is actually a very hardy fish, and it can live where the salinity is zero, but it is not common because of fresh water predatory fish.
The thread said, that he was using 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. There is NO WAY that would be enough salt to kill his fish!
Again, Im not sure why his fish died, but it wasnt from salt. ( I think it was his wife) lol
All kidding aside, Your fish will benafit if you add "Aquarium Salt" to your tank. Even if you only used 1 table spoon per 10gal. I would add salt every water change.
Cheers
