aquarium salt??

[joe kool]

And ... if you whole hearted believe that a new aquarist wouldn't read your statement "Unless you are treating for ich, there's no need to use aquarium salt." and read it as saying "don't use salt in fresh water aquariums" then I apologize for correcting you. I how ever figured a person new to the hobby might read it that way and need an alternate view of the correct “salt” or additives to use or at least be steered in the direction or researching the habitats form which they came.

JC

[harif87]

In conclusion....if you find that you do need to use salt then it is not reccommended to use the "aquarium salt" as sold in the "milk cartons" since those lack certain elements of the actual salt found in natural settings. Best bet is to go with marine salt since they contain trace elements as welll as neccessary carbonates and cations. Be aware though, that you pH will rise to about 8.0-8.5 and will be buffered in that regieon. So if you have soft-acidic water, and your fish dont really need the salt i would advise against adding marine salt.

I would say that that would be a semi-productive post, dont you think hehe.

[emc7]

I confess I base my golfish opinion of "word of mouth", I was alway told that goldfish keepers added salf to their water, even to point of buying muliple 50lb bags for ponds. I have discovered the usefulness of cichlid salts the hard way, by moving from an area of liquid limestone to rainwater tap water. My fish are much happier at the proper TDS level and my pH swings have gone away with proper buffering. Seachem has liquid products that have the proper dosage on the label and the proper propotion in the bottle. I only use aquarium salt with mollies and guppies, with (poor success) and brine shrimp eggs. I guess sea salt would be beter. I agree with you that "all fish need salt" is a myth, but I honestly remembered goldfish being an exception.