Wayne Posted October 16, 2002 Report Share Posted October 16, 2002 Wondering how many of us regularly use salt during water changes... i've used salt all the time, around 1.5 - 2 g per L, n it's done wonders for me tanks. It's cheap, safe, keeps certain protozoan n bacterial numbers low, aids osmoregulation n perhaps stimulates protective mucus secretion... Although some scaless fish n catfishes r sensitive to salt, 1 g per L is generally safe for all freshwater species.. just wondering if salt at this dose affects the reproductive behaviour of certain fishes..i don't think it does, but correct me if i'm wrong. n how much salt is there in a brackish environment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 16, 2002 Report Share Posted October 16, 2002 I have never bothered with salt myself although I know it is supposed to be beneficial. Do you add more salt every water change? I thought the salt did not 'go away' (can't think of the right word at the moment) so you only added it once as the concentration of salt would rise with each addition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayhi2steve Posted October 16, 2002 Report Share Posted October 16, 2002 You don't put salt into the tank when you are replacing water from evapouration, as the salt stays in the tank. But if you dump 25 % of your water and put clean in then you put enough salt in for the 25% you replaced. Hope that makes scence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted October 16, 2002 Report Share Posted October 16, 2002 1.5-2grams per liter. Hmmm...That actually seems like a hell of a lot. The last batch of aquarium salt I bought came in about a .5 kilo bag, I think. So at 2 grams per liter that would be almost the whole bag going into a 200 liter tank. My 400 that would be a little over a bag and a half. I'd think that would be FAR too salty for anything but a brackish water fish. Although, maybe the bag I'm thinking of was a lot more than half a kilo. I think the recommended max dose for treatment purposes is about 1 tablespoon per 10-15 liters...I'd go and weigh a tablespoon of salt, but I'm out. Wait, table salt should be close enough...Ok, 20 grams of salt per tablespoon, so that'd be about 10 liters at your rate and a little less than the max I just mentioned. Never mind me, guess the bags of salt are a lot bigger than half a kilo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted October 16, 2002 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2002 yeah Ira...if u look at it that way, it seems quite a bit. It's generally safe at 0.1% = 1 g / L for all species. safe up to 0.3% for most species = 3 g / L. some authors n meself have found 0.5% = 5 g / L to b useful in some emergency situations---osmoregulatory failure. Salt baths are worse! u can go up to 30 g /L !! but for only 30 mins max. usually use 15 - 20 g / L. they r extremely good for skin diseases. much safer than formalin. Try rock salt instead of aquarium salt. it's far cheaper. can't remember the last time i got salt from the lfs.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted October 16, 2002 Report Share Posted October 16, 2002 Here, here Wayne. Rock salt from supermarket saves you huge $$$$$$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted October 16, 2002 Report Share Posted October 16, 2002 Batman said... > Rock salt from supermarket saves you huge $$$$$$ I use regular non-iodised salt both for hatching brineshrimp and as an additive for my killifish tanks. Some killies, especially Nothobranchius species are prone to getting velvet if there is no salt in their water. I add about 0.5 teaspoon per 4L, double that if I see velvet on the fish. Non-iodised salt is like a dollar a kilo or some such, from the supermarket. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted October 17, 2002 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2002 yeah, but u 've gotta b careful with supermart salts. besides iodine, a bigger worry is the anti-caking agent in some products..If it contains yellow prusside of soda--sodium ferrocyanate, it might release sufficient cyanide gas when dissolved to kill your fish. Obviously, u've got a safe product Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midas Posted October 17, 2002 Report Share Posted October 17, 2002 most of the non iodised salts I have seen for sale only contain silica and this is to act as a free flowing agent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted October 17, 2002 Report Share Posted October 17, 2002 Wayne said... > .... u 've gotta b careful with supermart salts. > besides iodine, a bigger worry is the anti-caking agent in > some products..If it contains yellow prusside of soda--sodium > ferrocyanate, it might release sufficient cyanide gas when > dissolved to kill your fish. And then Midas (so you moved to Hawera? said... > most of the non iodised salts I have seen for sale only contain > silica and this is to act as a free flowing agent. Current fishy wisdom suggests the 'silicates' may be more of a problem than the 'ferrocyanide'... Have a look at: http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/month ... 00545.html I've never seen any problem and use generic 'Skellerup' or 'Cerebos' non-iodised table salt (which are, oddly enough, made by the same company...). 2kg is under $2. Of course, YMMV. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 17, 2002 Report Share Posted October 17, 2002 What is YMMV Andrew? On the few occasions I have used salt it has been non iodised table salt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted October 18, 2002 Report Share Posted October 18, 2002 Caryl said... > What is YMMV Andrew? Your Mileage May Vary. It implies 'this works for me, try it - but don't blame me if something goes wrong...' Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted October 18, 2002 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2002 hmmmm cheers Andrew, guess u learn something new everyday i guess silicates may increase the amount of inorganic suspended solids in the water( it's usually clay n mud in aquacultures that r responsible), leading to problems like gill clogging as mentioned, n even clogging of biofilters. however, i still wonder how significant this is at the usual salt doses we use. Also, suspended solids usually have to b big enough to b grossly visible to exert a sig effect on the gills etc...anyone with more info on silicates? I won't underestimate the dangers of YPS. It's in virtually every textbook, but i must agree i havn't heard of any toxicities associated with supermart salt use. Perhaps they're just not as widespread as in the past. U also need light to release the cyanide gas....another factor to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midas Posted October 18, 2002 Report Share Posted October 18, 2002 I've never seen any problem and use generic 'Skellerup' or 'Cerebos' non-iodised table salt (which are, oddly enough, made by the same company...). 2kg is under $2. Andrew. These brands both contain "anticaking agent 551" (listed in the ingredients) otherwise known as silicon dioxide. Probably no where near enough in it to do any harm I would have thought though, but could be wrong. I've used it for hatching brine shrimp and never had any problems. PS AJ, I've been here for two months now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew 22 Posted November 1, 2002 Report Share Posted November 1, 2002 Dose anyone use pool salt in there aquariums? One of my freinds uses it to bost the dH along with a few other chemicals for his frontosa tank. It sems to work quite well although he has only been using it for about six months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew 22 Posted November 1, 2002 Report Share Posted November 1, 2002 Dose anyone use pool salt in there aquariums? One of my freinds uses it to bost the dH along with a few other chemicals for his frontosa tank. It sems to work quite well although he has only been using it for about six months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minchton Posted November 1, 2002 Report Share Posted November 1, 2002 A recent addition to my tank collection houses a variety of Cichlids including 1 frontosa male and the previous owner always used pool salt to control the Ph. It seems to be a workalble idea and rather less expensive than the normal means Hope this helps Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 1, 2002 Report Share Posted November 1, 2002 I've never heard of pool salt. What is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minchton Posted November 1, 2002 Report Share Posted November 1, 2002 What is pool salt? The container I was given is called "Calcium Hardener" for swimming and spa pools. Ingredient Calcium Chloride. Sells for about $11 for 3Kg from Para Rubber or other pool shops Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted November 1, 2002 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2002 Cheers mitch... yeah, calcium mainly increases the hardness of the water. Some cichlids do prefer hard water n may benefit from it( probably fontosas). Calcium is also important in osmoregulation across the gills. But generally speaking, adding calcium probably does more harm than good.....too much calcium = v. hard water = calcium crystals in the kidneys..how common this is i don't know, but it's well known in salmonids. tapwater usually contains enough calcium for most species. anyone heard of solar salts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted November 11, 2002 Report Share Posted November 11, 2002 Hi Regular salt addition? The only salt as such I put in, is ordinary supermarket sea salt. To make the water harder, I have extremely soft water here in Melbourne, I use saltcrystals from the LFS. Brought it from 3dGH to 23 dGH!! and a very stable pH (around the 7 mark). As far as 'calcium salt/pool salt' is concerned I don't really know if there are any additional chemicals in it. But I don't think that you can 'overcalcify' the tank water. A human should drink milk to increase the calcium in the body. Again, I don't think you can have too much calcium by drinking too much milk. The body absorbs only what is needed. The rest is expelled, the usual way. So if that poolsalt increases pH and has no ill effects on the fish regarding extra or dangerous chemicals, then go for it. I pay A$20 for 250grams!!! at the LFS. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 11, 2002 Report Share Posted November 11, 2002 Actually, you can have too much calcium. Pretty nasty problems caused by it too, if I remember, but the only real way to do it is through supplements, you can't overdose on milk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midas Posted November 13, 2002 Report Share Posted November 13, 2002 Calcium chloride should not change pH, just calcium hardness. To change pH (and carbonate hardness) you will need to use something like sodium bicarbonate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted November 14, 2002 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2002 Actually, you can have too much calcium. Yeah....that's the whole purpose of measuring GH.... hardness etc..species tolerance/preference .....some species r kinda sensitive to hard water...tetras for e.g Fish do try to regulate calcium levels( physiologically speaking)....but if levels in the water r too high---say from adding pure CaCl into the water, the gills n kidneys might not b able to handle it. trout commonly get nephrocalcinosis--calcium crystals in the kidneys when reared in high Ca diets or hard water.......so it can actually b toxic, like virtually every other substance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted November 16, 2002 Report Share Posted November 16, 2002 so rock salt or sea salt is ok? as long as it is non-iodised? Is epsom salt ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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