Dispelling Some Myths about Adding Salt to FW Aquariums

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

There is a product called Cichlid salt, and it is primarily for for Rift Lake Cichlids. The difference there, is that the fish from the East African Rift lakes are accustomed to that kind of "salt" however it is not a Sodium Chloride salt like you would typically think of.

[mermaidwannabe]

I know knowledge and techniques have progressed since I kept and maintained both freshwater and marine aquariums in the 1980s and 90s. Back then, using salt in a freshwater tank was virtually unheard of. Certain fish, like guppies (yep, the literature did state guppies) could gradually adapt to saltwater, but it was considered iffy and a gamble, and had to be done slowly and gradually, in degrees. Other than that, one simply didn't put salt into a freshwater aquarium. If you wanted salt, you kept brackish or full-out marine fish in a brackish or full saltwater aquarium.

Because of my conditioning this way, I still cringe at the idea of using salt in a freshwater tank. I was very surprised to learn that a lot of aquarists these days do that. I wouldn't do it in my tanks.

I have always heard salt touted as a disinfectant. My own dentist tells me to rinse my mouth with warm saltwater after he has filled a tooth or extracted one. Maybe it does work at disinfecting, but I feel that if a fish's system isn't designed to handle salt, it shouldn't be forced to cope with salt, and other safer methods of disinfecting should be used.

Interesting article, and it reaffirms my views on this. Thanks for the education.

mermaidwannabe

[FullMETAL]

I also enjoyed this article/forum. Almost 2 years old! I think most of the time it comes down to what people are going to want to believe... I'm pretty much a true beginner so I'm open to all opinions right now and will, with time, form my own.

It has always bothered me to think that FRESH water fish should have salt added to their tanks. Granted it's not at the concentration of a salt water aquarium, but it still made me second guess it. But being the noob at the pet stores, I bought it and gave my tank a dose.

From reading everyone's arguments, I think I'm going to lay off the salt if my tap water already has traces amounts in it. If anyone has some good links to sites that have done more research on this, that would be great! Obviously, the negative side effects of salt would be appreciated. I will try to find my own and help out being that I already was leaning towards a no salt theory.

...And obviously, if your salt treated aquarium is doing excellent, ignore them.

[peteyboyny]

What timing...I was just reading about this this morning and was considering it. Thanks for the info.

[Capt. Oblivious]

5. Another reason some people site for using salt is the addition of electrolytes to the water. While this may be true, the exact same thing is accomplished by simply doing a water change. Again, the addition of salt is a redundant and pointless act in this case. The salt concentration of fish blood is 15-17 parts per thousand. In freshwater the surrounding environment has a much lower salt concentration and therefore the tendency for equilibrium causes the water to diffuse into the bloodstream through the thin gill walls through osmosis. As you raise the salinity of the surrounding environment the rate of osmosis slows down. When you reach concentrations that are equal, osmosis completely stops because equilibrium has been reached. That cessation or slowing down of osmosis slows down the electrolyte intake as well. So, the introduction of extra electrolytes via salt simply makes up for the slower rate of osmosis caused by the salt. Again, self defeating.

Molecules move from a higher concentration to a lower concentration in osmosis to reach equilibrium not the other way around. So when you say that, the salt would diffuse out of the fishes body not in to it. Adding a little salt means the salt concentration outside the body would be higher then inside the body causing the salt and its' electrolytes to diffuse in to it.

Just correcting you because I don't want incorrect information spread to new aquarium owners.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

I never said the salt diffuses out of the fishes body, I said the water diffuses into the fish for FW fish. The chloride cells expel the salt from the body of SW fish and take it in to the fish in FW fish.

[Capt. Oblivious]

I didn't say you actually said that I said thats what would happen if what you said about osmosis was true.

[Cjjam313]

Great Post!!..i just purchased some aquarium salt and was gonna start using it in my freshwater tank..BUT now after reading this, NOT GONNA HAPPEN...very informative...you have just saved some poor fishes life

[eroc1085]

Awesome post. I've gone back and fourth on the salt issues in my own head. I don't use salt in my tanks, however, when i started the hobby i did. I wanted to keep rams and did lots of research and found out salt doesn't do a damn thing for them. In fact it will potentially foul the water parameters and harm them.

SUPER DUPER POST. VERY HELPFUL. EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS, COMPARE IT WITH OTHER RESEARCH AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELVES.

[pcappy2]

Great post,,,thank you. I"m very new with my aquarium and the LFS sold me two guppies and told me I had to put salt in the water.......Thank you for your post!