2fishy Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 Whats the difference between 'tonic salt' and 'coarse salt' pet shops sell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alextret Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 I wonder about it myself. And is tonic salt just sea salt? Would people with brackish tank use it, or use something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanksman Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 Thats a good question. Does it have epsom salts as well as sea salt? I was looking at a little pottle of african salt selling for $30 and I wondered what was in that. Gold flakes maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 Yeah I got some of that cichlid salt sounds pretty gimiky to me and I wont be buying any more.. It contains a whole heap of stuff thats supposed to be really good for the fish btw tankgirl can get it in alot cheaper than the pet shop or you can just find how to on the net and make the same stuff for a tiny fraction of the price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanksman Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 Where would I get the gold flakes from tho? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight Posted September 6, 2006 Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 IMO the salt that i've seen looks and tastes like rock salt that they sell in the supermarket, ok so i havent taseted it but i might :-? , I'm pretty sue that ppl with brackish tanks use marine salt and i was resecently wondering if i could use that in my fresh water beacuse of its added nutrients. Can the gold be good for fish? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishboi Posted September 6, 2006 Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 tonic salt, natural rock salt [from supermarket], coarse salt and pond salt are pretty much all the same with pond salt been the cheapest. marine salt is different as its like an concentrate of salt [man made not natural] with added nutrients and what not. don't know if its a good idea to put it in fresh water though but it does work in theory as full strength salt water is 30-50% of dissolved salts in parts per thousand, brackish is 10-30% and freshwater is only 0.5% or less. sooo....using red sea salt as an example 1kg mix 30Litre so u would be safe if u add less then 5gram per 30litres that's not including the salt already in the freshwater so to be extra safe i would just put around 1 gram per 30litre of cause that's in theory so who wants to be the first :lol: :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted September 6, 2006 Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 ........................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alextret Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 Some types of salt may have undesirable additives (form fishes point of view), such as iodine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freakyfish Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 I have reasearched this alot and its quite likely that there isnt enough Iodine in salt for it to be a problem with fish Some salts you can buy arent just salt Like for example Seachems range of cichlid salts are modified so that they have the same minerals and elements that are found in the specific lake your trying to recreate I know that water was sampled from the lakes and boiled down to find out the exact percentages that these minerals make up in the lake So theoretically with RO water and exactly the right amount of this mixture you can recreate the lake exactly Its up to you which one you use as using normal sea salt will help its not as good Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 I don't know what the agent is but most salt in the supermarket has an additive to keep the salt free running. This may or may not be bad for fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 I thought that is iodine, similar to chalk, heard once it could cause cancer, haven't heard anything since tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishboi Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 You wouldnt happen to know where to buy the pond salt would you? this is goin to sound silly but i get them from east road pets down Invercargill my partner's family lives down there so i get around 10 Kg every time i go down. around $1 a Kg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 ........................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishboi Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 its labeled Pond salt but really all the same so u can call it tonic salt which is same as rock salt really. if ur going to buy it from the supermarket just make sure its all natural with no added chemicals and ur be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Iodine is nothing like chalk and is added to prevent enlarged thyroid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Iodine is added to table salt to help prevent goitre (thyroid) problems. There isn't enough natural iodine in New Zealander's diets. As far as I know, it has nothing to do with keeping the salt flowing freely Cheers Jude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Ooops, didn't see alanmin's reply :oops: :oops: :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Iodine is not the free flowing agent added. They are separate. Did you know Roman soldiers were paid in salt? That is where we get the term "Worth his salt." The word "salary" comes from it too. Rock salt is mined from the ground, unlike our table salt (from Garssmere) which is harvested after evaporation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herefishiefishie Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Here is some reading on salts. What are they good for, http://www.aquascienceresearch.com/APInfo/Salt.htm What is in sea salt http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/aquarium_salts.php The recipe I use for my Africans, cheaper option, thats for sure http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/buffer_recipe.php Frenchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fishy Posted September 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 So in conclusion nobody really knows if there are any differences between tonic salt and coarse salt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 The tonic salt has other minerals added whereas the coarse salt doesn't (and probably sits around telling rude jokes and passing wind ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fishy Posted September 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 haha ok thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fishy Posted September 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 also if i wanted to make the water brackish for say mollies do i use tonic salt or the marine salt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Probably the cheapest and best way would be to throw a bucket in the sea. I am not sure what percentage you would require for brackish but someone will be able to advise. I found that sea water is the best for treating fish (and it will be exactly what the fish will encounter in nature.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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