salt in freshwater?

[Hamm3592]

I've heard that mollys need salt in their tank, but im starting up a tank and i want some danios, mollys,barbs, swordtails and a ghost shrimp would puting salt in harm any of those? Or would not puttin in salt hurt the mollys?

[fishboy]

alittle salt actually helps because parasites don't like salt

[DavidDoyle]

Of the fish you listed the only ones who would benefit from salt in the tank are the mollies. The rest would be better off with no salt. Some believe in using a bit of salt with swords but I have kept them for years with no salt and would not add it for them.

[cameraman_2]

I use to put just a little pinch of salt per 10 gallons in my tanks once a month and the fish seemed to live longer. I just had all sorts of tropical fish.

[TANKER]

Some swear by salt and others don't. Personally I preffer to alternate salt levels in my non brackish water tanks on a monthly schedule. One month will have a salt content of 1 tsp per 10 gals. and the next will have no salt additions. that typically keeps the tanks mildly salty at all times with the level rising every odd month.
I find that this helps to ward off disease as most parasites don't tolerate changes in water chemistry very well. It isn't neccesarily the salt that kills the parasites but rather the fact that conditions aren't constant. A believed benifit to a mild salt content is in aiding slime coat developement as well as speeded healing in minor wounds.
Personally I can't say if this is true or not, as I don't run any but my cardinal tanks without at least some salt.