Fancy Guppies (salinity, calculations thereof) – 03/02/09
Dear Crew,
I am keeping fancy guppies. I have several ten gallon tanks for breeding them in. I am using the Jungle six in one test strips and nitrates are 0-20, nitrites are 0-20, hardness is 150+, chlorine is 0 (well water), KH is 180, and PH is between 7.8 and 8.4.
These tanks have been set up a week now. I would like to complete the set up using instant ocean. My question is: Is there a cooking spoon measure that corresponds with the proper amount of salt per gallon and if so, what is it.
Thanks for the help. Bill
<Hello Bill. There's a reason we don't recommend weight or volume measurements for adding salt: once a salt package is opened, it absorbs water from the air, so over time a given weight or volume of salt actually contains a bit less salt than you think, because some of that measurement is water, not salt. Once you've added some salt to the water, you use a hydrometer to test the salinity via a proxy measurement, density (in this case called specific gravity, or SG for short). For guppies, a low salinity is ample, around SG 1.003 being perfect, and even a bit less being more
than adequate. It isn't essential to add salt, but it does help if you live in a soft water or high nitrate area. Now, a salinity of 6 grammes per litre is roughly SG 1.003 at 25 degrees C, and very conveniently, 6 grammes of salt happens to be about the same as one level teaspoon. So if you're prepared to use the metric system, estimating the amount of salt couldn't be easier! Roughly one teaspoon of marine salt mix per litre of water will get perfect Guppy water! If you absolutely must work in US gallons and ounces, you'll find my Brack Calc tool flips between both measuring systems as well as salinity and specific gravity. It's a free application and runs on Macs and Windows PCs.
http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/Programs/brackcalc.html
Hope this helps, Neale.>

How to use Epsom salt 11/21/08
Good Morning, Thank you very much for your prompt reply. Sorry for bothering you guys again. Our goldfish is in 2.65 gallon tank with a filter, aerator, and airstones ( we got the new big tank it is cycling right now).
She is hanging near the surface nearly vertically, has completely clamped her fins to her body, not eating much like her usual self and has something not sure what on her body like a clear and in some places cloudy film, and one wispy strand on her head that has since disappeared after putting in PimaFix. After reading through your website came to the conclusion she has some kind of parasitic infection and not the fungal infection. In some places it is mentioned to use 1 table spoons of Epsom salt for 5 gallons, and in some use the 2-3 table spoons of aquarium salts. Want to know what should be used for treating her and how much. The water is in perfect condition with Ammonia = 0 ppm, Nitrites = 0 ppm, Nitrates = 5 ppm and pH = 7.5. She has always been kept with aquarium salt in her water about 1 table spoon in 5 gallons, as it was suggested by the Pet Smart where we got her. How do we go about removing that completely and putting in Epsom salt.
Your help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.
Regards,
Midhat.
<Greetings. When using Epsom salt, a good dose is 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons of water. You can use it alongside aquarium salt without problems, even though aquarium salt isn't necessary when keeping Goldfish. HOWEVER, your aquarium is ridiculously small; 2.65 gallons is NOT NEARLY enough space for a Goldfish. I would move the Goldfish to your new, big tank IMMEDIATELY.
Even if it isn't 100% cycled yet, conditions will be much better for your Goldfish. (Especially if you do regular water changes, e.g., 25% every 2 days until the tank is cycled; and then 25-50% water changes weekly.) Why do you think this fish has a parasitic infection? Epsom salt fixes very specific things; it is a muscle relaxant and helps with constipation. It also helps to reduce certain types of swelling. But it doesn't kill parasites and it doesn't fix bacterial or fungal infections. If you think your fish has a disease caused by parasites, bacteria or fungi, then Epsom salt IS NOT what you need. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: How to use Epsom salt 11/23/08
Hi Neale,
<Hello again!>
Thank you for your comprehensive and informative answer. I am sorry for bothering you again. Have moved the fish to the bigger tank as you suggested. Tried the Epsom salt, she has after several days opened up all of her fins and swimming in the bottom of the tank and if you turn off the filters then she even explores the new environment (thank you very much).
Have also removed the gravel and all the ornaments from the tank.
<Glad she's looking better.>
Our LFS people after listening to Goldie's condition said she has parasite infection and suggested the medication. She had developed tail rot in half of her tail about four weeks ago (my mistake 25% water change was made every day in her small tank and didn't do it for three consecutive days) when Melafix didn't help it was treated with Maracyn,
<Melafix tends to be useless. Best avoided, despite being cheap. Maracyn much more effective: a clinically tested version of the antibiotic Erythromycin, as opposed to so-called cures like Melafix based on tea-tree oil that haven't been tested.>
I didn't want to put in any more medications hence my question about the Epsom salt but when you said it doesn't heal any parasite infections, I had put the medication in the tank yesterday morning and removed the carbon from the filters. But now she has one long white stringy thing attached to her tail and something white and fluffy is on edges of the tail and I can see few red streaks in the tail that were not there yesterday and it looks like the edges are loosing colour becoming transparent and starting to fray.
<Almost certainly Finrot, quite likely with a bit of Fungus thrown in (the two often occur together).>
Also found one stringy wispy stuff similar to what is attached to the tail floating in the water and removed it with the net but couldn't figure out what it was. The area that was affected by the tail rot seems to be most affected now with black being covered by something white. She still seems to be covered by the film with two flecks of white on her head. All of this has developed over the night nothing was there yesterday other than the film. The water still checks out perfect with pH=7.5, Nitrates=5ppm, Nitrites=0ppm and Ammonia=0ppm.
<The water is fine; keep treating for Finrot. Do not put carbon back in the filter until you have finished all treatments. In fact, I'd recommend against carbon altogether: in the Goldfish aquarium, use all the space in the filter for biological and mechanical filtration.>
Can you please make a diagnoses as to what it is? Can those two flecks be Ick? Please need help, she had just recovered from the tail rot and was swimming again happy and healthy. When you put your finger in the water she would just come up and scratch her head against it, every one in our family loves it. She has become the baby of our house, and every one is really worried. Your help is very appreciated. Thank you.
Best Regards,
Midhat.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Salt- Koi- Goldfish... and Anchorworm evidently   8/5/08
Dear WetWeb Crew, Could someone there tell me the correct amount of salt to use for medicinal purposes-salt bathes. My Koi and Gold fish have a parasite on them. It looks like a barb or needle sticking out of the base of the dorsal fin. Also how long should I leave them in the salt solution. I would greatly appreciate your help. Thanks for your time. John.
<The following is a table modified from "The Interpet Manual of Fish Health", a useful little book:
---
0.1% (1 gramme per litre): General additive for livebearers or in tanks where fish show physical damage (i.e., lesions, fin damage). Use in the aquarium.
0.3% (3 g/l): Reduces nitrite toxicity or to treat physical damage. Use in the aquarium.
0.3-0.5% (3-5 g/l): To control Hydra. Use in the aquarium for no more than 5 to 7 days, then change water to gradually reduce salinity.
1% (10 g/l): To treat ulcer disease on coldwater fish. Acclimate fish gradually and then reduce salinity gradually once fish are cured.
2-3% (20-30 g/l): To remove leeches from pond fish. Use as a bath, with fish put into bath for 15-30 minute dips.
---
In you case, it sounds like you have leeches or anchor worm. Salt dips will certainly deal with leeches, but anchor worms will need a specific treatment of some sort. Salt won't help because the free-living stages are in the water column, so even if the adults are killed, another generation of anchor worms will find their way onto your fish. See here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/contrpdparasit.htm
Your local pond supplier may well have a variety of other treatments available.
Cheers, Neale.>

A few Kribensis questions 4/22/08
Good afternoon.
My son's Kribs have become parents, and the fry have been swimming freely now for about a week. The parents and fry are in a well planted 14 gallon tank by themselves and the parents seem to be doing a great job herding them around and leading them to food (and not eating them).
<Very good! Do check the pH though: if you have a pH above 7, you'll get mostly males; if the pH is below 7, mostly females. Tropical fish shops -- for obvious reasons -- only want equal numbers of males and females, so establish the pH and then decide whether raising the fry is worth it. Remember, surplus fry in the community tank will eventually get attacked by the parents as they prepare to breed again, and that's when things become chaotic (and bloody).>
The stand on which the 14 gal aquarium is on is rather large, and he was recently given a 30 long (with lighting, filter, heater!) that he would like to eventually set there, but I was not sure what the reaction would be of the Krib parents if they partially drained their tank to move it with the Kribs in it to a smaller surface, or netted them all to a temporary container/tank then moved the tank and put
them back if the fry might be endangered by the parents.
<Parents will likely eat the eggs/fry, and then spawn a couple of weeks later.>
If they do need to wait, what is the safest time/age of the fry to move the tank. The 30 might be their eventual home after it has been properly cycled in a month or two, which is also why they would like to be able to move it sooner than later to allow time for that.
<You can't move parents and fry, and then expect the "bond" between them to be stable. Rather, you wait until one batch of fry is mature enough to rear yourself (which you could do right now, but is easier after 2-3 weeks) and then remove all the fry. Then move the parents, and let them start over.>
Also, I have a tank with Kribs of my own and was wondering about salts.
<Kribs do not need salt. What they ideally want is soft to moderately hard water at pH 7. Anything other than that is less than ideal, and causes problems with sex ratio in the brood.>
I noticed that marine salt and cichlid salt has a lot of other trace minerals that a lot that plants actually like quite a bit compared to aquarium salt which is just sodium chloride, namely potassium, calcium and magnesium.
<No relation here: the minerals in marine salt aren't the ones plants use. So one doesn't remove the need for another. The *elements* like potassium may be the same, but the minerals (*compounds*) are completely different. Similar to the fact we need oxygen to breathe, but can't "breathe" carbon dioxide, despite the fact that gas contains oxygen.>
Are any of these salts safe using or beneficial in a community Krib tank (with barbs, glassfish) that also has an S.A.E. and Otos.
<Glassfish are quite happy with salt, but none of your other fish want/tolerate salt.>
If not, and hopefully not a dumb question, what are the non-salt tolerant fish non tolerant of specifically that are in these different types of salts? Sodium in
any form?
<It's complicated, and to do with pH, carbonate hardness, general hardness, and salinity -- all different ways of describing different aspects of the mineral composition of water. Every environment is different, and fish evolved to work in one set of conditions may not work in another. The best thing with community fish is to aim for soft to moderate hard, zero salinity, neutral pH water. Apart from livebearers, most community fish will be very happy with that. Cheers, Neale.>

To salt are not to salt? that's the question.
Adding Salt to An Oscar Tank  3/14/08
At once I want to tell you that you have a awesome website.
< Thank you for your kind words.>
I recommend to all fish Hobbyists. It seems I'm very confused about adding aquarium salt to my Oscars water. I know they don't need to be brackish. At the same time I read on your website that some aquarium salt is beneficial. I recently received a 50 Gallon Bowfront tank from my brother. It came with a huge Tiger Oscar, ( He's a good 12 inches if not larger) I named him Sampson. He has a 404 Fluval pumping 340 gallons a hour. Good water quality as well. My brother said he kept the water somewhat brackish. I really never heard of that. The equipment reflects it though. There is salt on the light hood and full glass hood, this is an all glass tank. My brother left town and the fish was supposed to be cared for by someone else. It wasn't. I went to break the tank down and it smelled like sewage. Even at that the fish was very healthy. I couldn't believe it. Now, to the water change. Naturally I went to fresh water because that's how Oscars are cared for. The only thing about Sampson that looks unhealthy is nose hole erosion. I figure water quality can do this. The water pH is good, I keep it vacuumed and do my water changes. You all hit the nail on the head when you say a canister is tough to clean! It takes a lot of pressure to close it back once your done cleaning. My questions are: Aquarium salt are not?
<The Oscar is a cichlid which is a secondary fish that evolved from salt water damsels. They can handle some salt. A teaspoon per 10 gallons increases the slim coat on the skin and gills and may prevent some parasites from penetrating the skin.>
Why the nostril erosion?
< It could be a start of Hole-In-The-Head disease. It is often associated with poor water quality and poor nutrition. That that you have improved the tanks conditions it should stop but may take awhile to heal.>
And what do I need to have in my 6 compartment Fluval to continue to maintain Sampson's tank? (I'm new to a canister).
< Go with the manufacturers' recommendations for now and see how it works.>
Will white vinegar get the salt spray or lime build up off my exterior of the tank ?
<Usually the calcium will slowly come off if you use the vinegar to soak the area over a few treatments with a saturated paper towel.>
I want the best for my Sampson! I just Love Him! And you guys keep up the great work!
< Thanks again,-Chuck>

Epsom salt vs. aquarium salt  10/2/07
I have read many articles on salt addition to the tank.
I would like to know what is the best to use and why, Epson or aquarium salt
Thank You
Karen
<Hi Karen. There are several reasons why salt is added to aquaria, but let me make this 100% clear at the outset: routinely adding aquarium "tonic" salt to your fish tank is completely unnecessary. Salt used to be added to tanks in the days before proper filtration and regular water changes because sodium chloride reduces the toxicity of nitrite and nitrate. Consequently the fish stayed healthier than otherwise. In the modern age of efficient filters and 50% weekly water changes, adding salt is redundant. People who recommend it are "stuck in the Dark Ages" in terms of aquarium care. At best, it's a waste of money. Having made this point, it is also fair to say that salt and Epsom salt do have certain therapeutic uses. Regular salt can be used (coupled with high temperature) to cure whitespot/ick on fishes that react negatively to the standard copper- and formalin-based medications. Salt can also be used to keep external wounds clean and to remove things like Fish Lice. Saltwater baths can be used to treat certain diseases including Slime Disease and Flukes. Marine salt mix (a mixture of regular salt with various other mineral salts) is used to make brackish water for things like Scats and Mollies, and obviously for making up the saltwater used in marine aquaria. Epsom salt is specifically a muscle relaxant, and gets used primarily to help with constipation, where, coupled with high-fibre foods, it will provide relief for constipated fishes. But beyond these specific treatments, there's no reason to add salt to your freshwater aquarium. Cheers, Neale.>

Aquarium Salt 10/25/07
Hi Crew,
<Hi Alan, Pufferpunk here>
Can I add aquarium salt (according to instructions) to my aging water meant for water change?
<There is no reason to add salt to a freshwater tank, unless treating for ich.>
By doing so, will it affect the beneficial bacteria that is already established in my tank?
<It would require a great deal of salt to harm your beneficial bacteria.>
Kindly advise and thanks in advance.
<See: http://www.aquariumboard.com/forums/articles/4770.htm ~PP>
Regards, Alan

Mollies & Salt 10/16/07
Hello!
I have a 29g established freshwater tank with a variety of Mollies - Balloon Belly, Sailfin, etc. I currently keep 1 tablespoon of salt per 5g in the tank. I would like to add a Bristlenose pleco to the tank but from what I've read they don't really like the salt. Would removing the salt - by not replacing during water changes - adversely affect the Mollies?
-Chip
<Hello Chip. This is a tricky question to answer. In theory, you don't need salty water to keep Mollies. So long as the carbonate hardness is high (10 degrees KH upwards); the general hardness is very high (20 degrees dH upwards); the pH is around 8.0; zero ammonia and nitrite; and nitrate less than 10 mg/l, you should have the water chemistry Mollies enjoy. An Ancistrus sp. catfish would also do well under such conditions. However, if you take you eye off the ball and any of those environmental parameters slips, for example the nitrates rise above 10 mg/l, then your Mollies will become significantly more likely to become sick. What salt does is reduce the toxicity of nitrite and nitrate, and this is one of the reasons it helps in Molly tanks. Marine salt mix also raises the carbonate hardness and general hardness providing much more stable water chemistry, which Mollies also need. Finally, marine salt mix or regular aquarium salt mix both increase salinity, and since Mollies are, at least in part, brackish water fish, this helps their overall healthfulness. The bottom line is this: Mollies are very hardy in brackish/marine aquaria, but rather delicate in freshwater aquaria. So what would I recommend? Keep the salt in the Molly aquarium. I'd actually skip the idea of Ancistrus anyway. Ancistrus eat algae, as do Mollies. Much better let the Mollies eat the algae, since it's an important part of a balanced diet. If you want a catfish, opt for one of the salt-tolerant species, such as Hoplosternum littorale. There are also some brackish water loaches, and for your tank, the Horseface Loach (Acantopsis choirorhynchos) would be an excellent choice. It's a good scavenger and basically peaceful. Both these suggestions would be very happy at SG 1.003 if acclimated carefully. Hope this helps, Neale>

Rift lake salts, GH & KH 10/3/07
Hi WWM crew,
I used to have a community setup and used KH salts to buffer the system and maintain a neutral pH. I now have a community tank with a number of cichlids (calvus, dickfeldi, Kribensis) so I am using rift lake salts. I was advised to use only the rift lake salts and not the KH salts as well. I've just had a major shift in pH (to acid) and the cichlids are all sick as a result. My question is: should I be maintaining the KH buffer salts as well as the rift salts or should the rift salts have the same effect?
Thanks in advance!!
Lachlan
<Rift Valley cichlid salts should maintain KH and pH all by themselves. Essentially, Rift Valley salts are packaged salts for raising the GH, KH, and pH of regular water so that it matches that found in either Lake Malawi or Tanganyika. That said, if you're keeping Rift Valley cichlids, you should also have some built-in carbonate hardness reserve in the aquarium. I would strongly recommend the use of either crushed coral inside a canister filter or an undergravel filter built with a coral sand/crushed coral mix. Sticking lumps of Tufa rock in the tank won't work, because for the calcium carbonate to have any value as a buffer, water must be flowing past a vast surface area of the stuff. If you have a pH crash below 7.0, then clearly you weren't adding enough Rift Valley salt given the ambient softness of your local water supply and/or the stocking level of your aquarium and/or the use of acidifying materials in the tank such as bogwood. Cheers, Neale>

Betta Popeye Not Responding to Epsom Salt  9/20/07
A week ago I noticed my male Betta, Chip had Popeye in his left eye. We have had him for 18 months. He lives in a 3 gallon Marineland Explorer tank with a filter and BioWheel. (We had gone away for a week and he got overfed - the nitrates were high, over 50.) I checked WWM and put in Epsom salt as required and I have been doing a 50% water change everyday, replacing the Epsom salt. He has been resting a lot, but comes to see me when I am near. He seems tired and the whole thing looks painful and it has not improved. When I have tried to feed him brine shrimp or bloodworms, he can't see them and they sink to the bottom. I have been giving him flake food instead and tuning off the filter so he can grab it more easily. The only things in the tank are a small decorative treasure chest, the filter tube and a silk plant for him to rest on. Any other suggestions? I am concerned about adding antibiotic to such a small tank, but I am also reluctant to let this drag on without him getting better.
Asa in DC
<Greetings. Pop-eye tends to be caused by two distinct things: mechanical damage (e.g., rough handling) or poor water quality. There are other things that can cause it, but not all that often. So, you need to zero out those two most likely issues. Is there anything in the aquarium that it could scratch itself on? Some people stick things like fake corals and plastic plants in tanks, and these can be fine, but in very small tanks it is so easy for a Betta to throw itself against one of these objects when alarmed. That's why I tend to prefer small tanks be decorated only with silk or real plants, and only very smooth rocks, such as water-worn pebbles. Second thing, check the water. A Betta needs water with moderate hardness, a pH around neutral, zero ammonia, and zero nitrite (with an "i"). The nitrate (with an "a") isn't such a big deal and I wouldn't worry about it. Temperature is a factor, but it isn't something I'd expect to cause pop-eye; pop-eye is really a reaction of the sensitive tissues of the eye to irritating water. Think of it as a bit like conjunctivitis on a human. Adding an appropriate antibacterial or antibiotic to the water may help to soothe the infection, and is certainly worth using. I hope this helps, Neale>

Grr....pet store people! ... salt use/FW... cycling prod.s... Using WWM    9/12/07
Good evening to you all! I hope this finds you well.
Thanks again for all of your help. I've searched your site for the last few days, reading everything that even remotely applied to my tank/fish in hopes that I can learn new things to watch for so I can head off any problems. I've even read things that didn't apply sometimes because it was just plain interesting.
Since our last email, I've added 1 more ADF. The original one spent a lot of time hiding and now comes out to play. I guess he/she was lonely. (I also feel like I should name them.)
<Go ahead>
I know I'm pushing the limits on what is "too much", but they all seem healthy/happy with no trouble maintaining proper levels. I have been doing a 25-30% water changes with gravel vaccuuming twice a week. I'm wondering if I'm doing too much?
<Mmm, no, not likely>
Also, PetSmart suggested that I add conditioning salt
<No...>
to my tank because their breeders us it so the fish are accustomed to it.
<...>
Well, everything I bought from them died. I've asked the nice people at SuperPet and they said that it wouldn't hurt, but they don't use salts. I also use Jungle "Start Right" when doing water changes to treat for chlorine/chloramine. It has Allantoin added to it to "promote slime coat". Isn't that a bit redundant?
<Can be>
Should I continue with the salt and find another treatment for the chlorine/chloramine?
<... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/saltusefaqs.htm>
Or stop with the salt? Can I just stop using it? Or should I slowly taper the level off? AGH! I promise you (and my fish) that I will never visit PetSmart again!
One more thing...Though my water looks clear from a distance, when you get right up on the tank, you can see a hazy kind of something floating all around in the water. I have no idea what this is and can't find any mention of it anywhere on your site. I know this is kind of vague, but any ideas?
<Likely a matter of microbial population, lack of established biofiltration... best to not feed... overfeed...>
OK, so this is the last thing...lol. Another pet store recommended using Cycle (which I can only assume is comparable to what you all call Bio-Spira
<Ah, no... this Hagen product is inferior>
(I can't find it anywhere here). It says to use when setting up new aquarium to establish beneficial bacteria, during water changes, and when introducing new fish. Is this a product that you are familiar with and is it needed since I did cycle my tank in the beginning?
<Please learn to/use the search tool on WWM: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm>
Again, thank you so much for all your time and effort. I am so thankful that I stumbled upon your site (and found it interesting enough to spend the last few days here). You all are a blessing. By the way, I referred to the nice people at SuperPet to your site when I asked them a question that they couldn't answer (but at least they TOLD me they didn't know instead of guessing!).
Brandi
<Happy to share... Bob Fenner>

Fish and salt   7/11/07
Hello,
<Ave!>
After haunting my LFS for several weeks, doing research, and asking questions I started adding fish to my tank.
<Very good. Welcome to the hobby!>
I have a 20 gallon tall with undergravel filter, a hanging filter with Bio-Wheel, and a bubble stick. The temp is 79 degrees, PH 7.5, no ammo or nitrites, correct amount of aquarium salt as per directions (I know I will get Marine Salt in the morning), and several live plants. I do 25% water changes weekly. I think I'm taking good care of them?
<Just for reference next time: a 20 gallon 'long' tank is better value -- more surface area for oxygen exchange at the top and surface area for an undergravel filter at the bottom. Otherwise all sounds fine. Salt is questionable though, and depends on the fish being kept. As you have Mollies, it makes sense, but otherwise shouldn't be used in a freshwater tank contrary to popular myth.>
In the tank are 2 Platies, 1 Molly, Molly fry, 1 Corydoras (LFS said I only needed one), 1 Kuhli Loach, and 2 Mystery Snails. According to my research and LFS a good combination.
<A fair rather than good combination. Mixing livebearers is safe, because they are all salt-tolerant. So even though Platies don't *need* salt, they will tolerate small amounts just fine. Corydoras are not especially salt-tolerant and some species are definitely soft water fish that don't like salt at all. They are also *schooling* fish, and should at least be kept in trios, and ideally sixes or more. Apple snails/Mystery snails are questionable in any aquarium. Fish peck at them, and they also get stressed by high temperatures. Then they die and pollute the tank. Few Apple snails last long in aquaria because they are subtropical animals that need a "resting period" each year. Most Apple snails seem to die within a year, whereas they last for many years kept properly.>
I was planning on adding a few more Mollies and Platies before the babies arrived. All the fish except for the Cory seem healthy and happy. The Cory mainly just sits on the bottom and now I know why. After reading through you site I realize my fish are not living as well as they could and are not a good combination. Help, who should go and who should stay? I know for the Mollies to thrive I need much more brackish water but which of the other fish can survive this change?
<I like your attitude here. You've correctly established that the combo here isn't the best, and are prepared to make changes. I wish more people thought like this. Anyway, you're probably safe with the Mollies and Platies. Adding around 4-6 grammes of marine salt mix per litre of water will give you a specific gravity of about 1.002 to 1.003, which is ideal for Mollies. The Platies will be fine here. The Corydoras and Kuhlii loaches are more tricky. Corydoras do not naturally come from brackish waters and many species do not even like hard, alkaline conditions. But noted catfish expert David Sands makes the point in his "Corydoras Catfish" book that 'small amounts of salt will not harm catfishes'. So assuming you have a hardy species (like bronze or peppered catfish) gradually raising the SG to 1.002 should do no harm at all. I'm less certain about the Kuhli loach. Adding salt doesn't kill fish and they aren't allergic to it. What salt does is alter their osmotic balance, their ability to control the amount of salt and water in their tissues. All fishes can, to some degree, adjust this. What differentiates freshwater fish from brackish water fish is that brackish water fish (like mollies) can make these adjustments quickly and across a very wide range. So go slowly, observe, and ensure that the other life signs, like activity and feeding, are normal. Apple snails, by the way, are salt-intolerant, but *may* adapt to very low levels. If you have the option, changing the catfish are loach and snail for hard water or salt-tolerant species might be a good idea. Bumblebee gobies, guppies, glassfish, halfbeaks, x-ray tetras, kribensis, etc. would all be good options.>
Also I rarely see the Kuhli Loach. He seems to live under the undergravel filter and only comes out at night. I must admit to doing no research on him and just taking the recommendation of the fish store. Is this normal behavior for this fish?
<Totally normal. They're a waste of money in most instances because they are resolutely nocturnal animals. They are also schooling fish, so when kept singly are very VERY shy anyway.>
Thanks for all of your help and the great site,
Melissa
<Hope this helps, Neale>

Salt in FW tank 7/9/07
I just had a question about salt in freshwater aquariums. I was wondering if gouramis will do ok with salt in the aquarium. I'd like to keep my fish healthy with some FW salt. Thanks for all the help.
<This is a simple one to answer. No. Do not add salt. The labyrinth fish group is a classic "primary freshwater fish" group, that is, one that has evolved in freshwater and has a low tolerance for salt. One a very few species naturally occur in brackish waters (the two I know of are Anabas testudineus and Osphronemus goramy). All the others require freshwater conditions, and mostly soft/acid conditions at that. Adding salt will be more or less stressful to the majority of gouramis. Now here's some more advice. There is no reason, none, to add salt as a matter of course to a freshwater aquarium. Tonic/aquarium salt doesn't raise the hardness or pH, so it doesn't help livebearers or African cichlids. Salt was used historically to compensate for poor water quality, because sodium chloride reduces the toxicity of nitrite and nitrate. But unless you have a really badly maintained aquarium, this shouldn't be an issue. Tonic salt is simply repackaged cooking salt sold at an inflated price to gullible and inexperienced aquarists. Even if you need salt to treat disease, as with whitespot or fungus say, you could simply use non-iodised cooking salt for the same effect. And even then, you'd be using the salt as a short term treatment, not a permanent part of your maintenance routine. Unless you are keeping brackish or marine fishes, you shouldn't need to add salt to the tank, and in those situations you'd be using marine salt mix, not tonic salt. Cheers, Neale>

Salt in FW tank 7/9/07
I just had a question about salt in freshwater aquariums. I was wondering if gouramis will do ok with salt in the aquarium. I'd like to keep my fish healthy with some FW salt. Thanks for all the help.
<This is a simple one to answer. No. Do not add salt. The labyrinth fish group is a classic "primary freshwater fish" group, that is, one that has evolved in freshwater and has a low tolerance for salt. One a very few species naturally occur in brackish waters (the two I know of are Anabas testudineus and Osphronemus goramy). All the others require freshwater conditions, and mostly soft/acid conditions at that. Adding salt will be more or less stressful to the majority of gouramis. Now here's some more advice. There is no reason, none, to add salt as a matter of course to a freshwater aquarium. Tonic/aquarium salt doesn't raise the hardness or pH, so it doesn't help livebearers or African cichlids. Salt was used historically to compensate for poor water quality, because sodium chloride reduces the toxicity of nitrite and nitrate. But unless you have a really badly maintained aquarium, this shouldn't be an issue. Tonic salt is simply repackaged cooking salt sold at an inflated price to gullible and inexperienced aquarists. Even if you need salt to treat disease, as with whitespot or fungus say, you could simply use non-iodised cooking salt for the same effect. And even then, you'd be using the salt as a short term treatment, not a permanent part of your maintenance routine. Unless you are keeping brackish or marine fishes, you shouldn't need to add salt to the tank, and in those situations you'd be using marine salt mix, not tonic salt. Cheers, Neale>

Salt in Freshwater – 06/07/07
Hey crew, thanks again for all your hard work!
<Hello, and you're welcome.>
I was in one the chain pet stores the other day and noticed they had bowls of salt in almost every tank. Just small bowls full of undissolved salt. I was told it was a preventative measure, they were not treating anything specific.
<Utterly inexplicable.>
Since I'm currently treating a small case of ich using salt and increased temps, I know the uses of salt in freshwater, how to mix, etc (plenty of great information out there on the subject).
<Much information, but little value. Salt, that is, NaCl or plain old cooking salt, has no real value in freshwater fishkeeping any more. I cannot express in words strongly enough on a family web site like this how annoyed I get by the widespread use of salt in freshwater aquaria. It's a hangover from the past, when people didn't have access to medications and didn't understand the value of water chemistry. But that time has passed... frequent water changes make the value of salt as a nitrite/nitrate de-toxifier unimportant, and as a therapy for whitespot and fungus it's less effective than proper medications and likely to stress soft water fish as well as fish adapted to Malawi/Tanganyika conditions. I shudder to think how many fish have died from whitespot and fungus because people used a "teaspoon per gallon" salt instead of proper medication of some type.>
But after hours of searching, I cannot find a reference to this practice of placing a small
container into the tank. Everything I have found is very clear that you should dissolve the salt and slowly add it to the tank over a couple of days when treating a health issue.
<Correct. Dumping salt in the tank "as is" sounds insane, to me.>
What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of simply leaving a cup of salt sitting in the corner of the tank? It just seems like a bad idea.
<There are no pros at all. Lots of cons. It's so obviously crazy I can't think why anyone would do this. For one thing, you end up with a bizarre salinity gradient from the freshwater parts of the tank to the hypersaline corner where the salt mound is. While a few brackish water fish might find this kind of funky, I dread to think what neons and angelfish would make of it. If fish eat mouthfuls of salt for some reason, they're going to go into osmotic shock. To me, this is sort of like dumping a block of uranium in the bedroom and saying its preventative chemotherapy.>
Thanks again,
Billy
<Cheers, Neale>

Salt for Livebearers  12/30/06
Hey there,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I was wondering what kind of salt I should use for a platy and guppy tank?
(1 tablespoon of table salt or kosher salt, per 5 gallons should keep them happy.  Don't forget to replace what you remove after  your weekly water change.  Place into the filter, not directly into the tank, so it doesn't land on the fish & burn them.  ~PP><<RMF suggests unwashed sea-salt... in small quantities available as "Aquarium Salt" by various companies... Aquarium Pharmaceuticals is what we used to carry>>

Epsom salt vs. rock salt - not the same thing!  11/16/06
I see. About the Epsom Salt treatment: can we use rock salt instead?  We can't find a Epsom Salt in our area.  By the way, if rock salt would do, is the ratio  just the same 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons of water? And how long will my FH be on salt treatment? Sorry for all my queries, I'm just worried about my little fellah.
Kathy
<Hi Kathy - you've got Jorie this time. Rock salt is not at all the same thing as Epsom salt - the latter is actually magnesium chloride.  Check out your local pharmacies for the Epsom salt - I'd be shocked if they don't have it.  It is used as a digestive aid in humans, as well as a soaking remedy for sprains, strains, bruises, etc.  With regard to how long to continue the Epsom salt treatment for, I can't give you an exact timeframe, start off with a goal of 3-4 days, then change the water.  See if there's improvement.  Can always repeat the treatment, but do remember that the Epsom salt won't evaporate, so you don't want to overdose.  Best of luck to you and your little fishy friend, Jorie>

Re: Epsom salt vs. rock salt - not the same thing!  – 11/19/06
Hi Jorie,
Thanks for explaining the difference.  I found Epsom Salt and would do the treatment right away.  However, I have observed that his stomach is bulging and his waste is yellowish and he is not eating anything.  What medication should I apply for this? Please help me on what more I can do to save my fish.
Kathy
<Kathy, I believe Bob originally answered this query below...the Epsom salt was his initial suggestion, combined with good husbandry and time.  To quote, "only time will tell...".  Medication cannot solve absolutely everything, and sometimes can do more damage than good.  I'd listen to Bob - he's truly the "expert"!
Jorie>

Salt As A Medication  - 10/22/06
Dear Chuck: Thank you so much for all your help with my two goldfish with Finrot and Septicemia.  They are so much better now.  The water quality is  great!  I have learned so much in the past seven months.
I love your forum and visit it frequently.  However, I have some  questions about aquarium salt and freshwater tanks.  The information I'm  getting from the forum is confusing. The standard answer for everything seems to  be "do a 50% water change and put in 5tsp of salt."
1) What diseases does aquarium salt cure?
< Salt increases the slime coat on the exterior of the fish making it more difficult for parasites to actually get to the fish itself. Too much salt impairs the fishes ability to absorb oxygen out of the water because the slime covers the gills too.>
2) Should salt be the first thing I add to my tank when my fish is sick no matter what the symptoms are?
< Adding salt may be beneficial to some fish but stressful to others. I would attempt a diagnoses instead of just adding salt.>
3) Does aquarium salt cure inner bacterial infections or  septicemia?
< Salt may be beneficial but I would not call it a cure.>
4) Does aquarium salt raise or lower the pH, or make no difference at  all?
< Salt is sodium and chloride so it does not effect the hydrogen concentration of the water.>
5) Isn't salt already an additive to most tap water?
< No. Some waters have naturally soft acidic waters that can be corrosive to pipes. Water companies add minerals to these waters like calcium to increase the pH and make the water less acidic.>
Trying to find answers to this question on the web as been fruitless. I  
would really appreciate your expert opinion. Thank so much! Sincerely, Marcella
< Go to Marineland.com and check out Dr. Tim's Library for lots of interesting articles on water chemistry.-Chuck>

Salt Treatment For Ich - 10/22/2006
Hi there. I have a few questions regarding the use of aquarium salt as treatment for Ich. My first question involves my husbands Goldfish tank. My husband has a 10 gallon tank containing 3 Fancy Tail Goldfish, 2 Royal Plecos, 1
Rubber Pleco and a yellow Apple Snail. I know the tank is overstocked, the 10 gallon was meant as only temporary quarters. The PH is 7.0, Ammonia is 0, Nitrite is 0 and Nitrate is 20. Temperature is maintained at 76F. A much larger tank is on its way. My husband just purchased the 2 Royal Plecos approx. two days ago. Both appeared fine when he got them and he did not quarantine. I just did a 25% water change on the tank and happened to notice that both Royal Plecos are now lightly dusted with white spots. Dreaded Ich! None of the other fish are showing signs at present so I'm
more than fairly certain that the Royals were already infected when they were introduced to the tank. I have successfully treated Ich, using a salt/heat combo, in two of my tanks (Severum/Channel Cat tank and a Livebearer tank) in the past and would like to use salt as my medication of choice. Can the Goldfish, Plecos and Snail all handle the level of salt and heat needed for treatment? I use normal Aquarium Salt. 2 Tablespoons per 5 gallons, raise the temperature to 80F and allow to remain for 10 days. Would this be okay for my husbands tank? I'm most worried about the
safety with the snail. Would it be best to move him/her to a covered container (my quarantine tank is occupied so I can't place it there), like an old butter dish with holes poked in the lid, while the salt/heat treatment is happening in the main tank?
<IMO salt is the way to go. But the snail gets thirty days in QT without fish, or salt. He can not be infected but he can carry it in and on his shell. A month without a fish host will starve out the parasite.>
My second question involves my Angelfish community tank. I have a False Juli Leopard Cory Cat, 3 Peppered Cory Cats, 2 Panda Cory Cats and approx. 20 pea to nickel sized Angelfish in this tank. PH is 7.0, Ammonia is 0, Nitrite is 0 and Nitrate is 25. Temperature is 78F. Yesterday, one of my husband's Goldfish uprooted a plastic plant in their tank so I removed it and placed it into my Angelfish tank. The plant was still wet when I placed it into the Angel tank. I'm afraid that I may have infected my tank via the plant. Is this possible? Nobody in the Angel tank has been acting
ill. No flashing or other signs of Ich. Would I be wise to go ahead and use salt/heat in this tank as well? I have several rare varieties of Angels in this tank and don't wish to lose any. I've heard that Corys and Angels
don't tolerate salt well but others have said they do fine. Which is true? Would my 2 Tablespoons per 5 gallon be safe and tolerable for both species? Is there a lower concentration I could use that would be just as effective against Ich? Should I wait and see if anyone develops Ich before adding salt to this tank or do you feel I'd do well to head it off before it hits by treating as I would if they were actively showing signs of infection?
Thanks for your prompt help.
Heather
<You are correct to be worried. I would salt the tank now. I salted my Corys while they were in QT without a problem. But this does go against "common knowledge". Something I seem to do a lot. If they seem stressed do a small, salt free, water change to lower the concentration. Another method would be to use heat alone. But you would need to get the temp up to about 90 and add extra airstones. Don>

Salt in FW systems, feeding FHs, worms that are larval coleopterans   9/15/06
Hi, it's me. Again.
<<Well, hello again, Cecille.>>
Thanks for the fast response. And, yeah that will surely help.
<<Glad to hear it.>>
But, I just have another question. I've been browsing quite a lot in the net about aquarium maintenance and such and some suggests to use salt. I have this 15 gallon tank. How much salt should I put in it? And, what good would that give, actually?
<<Good question, Cecille. What you've read probably suggests one tablespoon of salt per five gallons of water. In your case, I would suggest a total solution of 2 1/2 tablespoons per volume of tank water. If, for example, you remove three gallons of water for a water change, dissolve 2 1/2 tablespoons of salt in the new water to achieve the 'recommended' solution rate. Obviously, you'll have to do some calculations for subsequent water changes to maintain this ratio properly. To be safe, err on the side of adding less salt than more during your water changes. (Remember that salt will not evaporate with water, which means that any evaporation that takes place effectively increases the amount of salt per unit volume.) As to the 'good' of adding salt, you'll find this debated among reliable sources. Most freshwater pathogens don't tolerate salt well and salt helps to keep these under control. It doesn't eradicate them but provides them with less than desiraable breeding conditions which keeps them at levels that the fish's own immune system can deal with. (Costia is an example.) Salt has also been cited as increasing a fish's ability to uptake oxygen from the water. This is true, particularly in the presence of nitrites in the water. Nitrites deprive the hemoglobin in the blood of oxygen and the sodium ions in salt (NaCl) combine with nitrite to become sodium nitrite which increases blood flow and provides oxygen to the oxygen-depleted areas of the body. Finally, salt increases the specific gravity of the water. In the event of physical trauma (injury) or, the like, swelling is caused by fluid build-up in the affected area. This fluid (low specific gravity) in injured area is released, via osmosis, to the surrounding water (higher specific gravity) relieving the swelling and increasing beneficial blood flow to the injury promoting healing. Now, is all of this enough to convince you to add salt to your tank? Possibly. Live plants are adversely affected by salt but, since Cichlids typically don't have these in their tanks, you might be inclined to give it a try.>>
Okay, I have just another one more:
I've been feeding my FH pellets for a few months now and a few brine shrimps whenever I could find them. But, the shrimps are really quite rare and a bit pricey, too.
<<Your Flowerhorn definitely needs a varied diet. Good for you for adding the Brine Shrimp to its diet but I understand about price and availability. Just keep in mind that too monotonous of a diet can lead to problems no matter how high quality the food might be.>>
A few days ago, my friend gave me a couple of worms.
<<I tried that with my wife but she insisted on jewelry. :)>>
Super worms, he said. Are those good food?
<<They're beetle larvae, as you probably know. The exoskeletons of the 'Super Worm' (Zophobas morio) are reportedly more easily digested than typical mealworms and they grow larger. Beyond this, I have no specific knowledge of the food value involved.>>
I haven't tried  feeding those to my fishes. He said it will enhance the "characters" in the fish's body. Is that true?
<<I find that a debatable issue, Cecille. In my opinion, it sounds like "hype" though, again, I couldn't verify this for you, one way or the other.>>
And, what do I do with them once they turn into beetles?
<<If you plan on breeding them for more "worms", hang on to them. I've run across several sites that describe how to breed these. A simple 'Google' search will lead you in the right direction.>>
Thanks in advance again.
Cecille,
<<Any time, Cecille. Glad to help. Tom>>  

Salt In A FW Tank   9/11/06
You folks are wonderful!!!!!! I'm using ro/di water and adding aquarium salt(1 tbsp/ 5 gal of water) with each water change. My pH is so low from the lack of buffers that it won't measure(<6.0). I'm now adding Kent's' R/O right to add some buffers and  including 1 gal of tap water with 4 gals of RO water during water changes on my 55 gal. I've also added some marble chips to add some carbonate to the mix. The question is, Do I still need to add aquarium salt with to the water with the changes?
Thanks Bill
< Salt aids in building a slime coat on your fish which will inhibit some diseases. If your fish are well established and disease free then I don't think the salt is needed.-Chuck>

Unwanted Salt In a FW Tank  8/29/06
Hello there. I just started a 55 gal freshwater tank.  Before starting the cycling process, I added some aquarium salt (1 tablespoon per every 5 gal).  I just added my first 5 platies to start the cycle going.
However, I discovered that the fish I wish to add later on (zebra danios, various tetras, and Cory cats) do not do well in tanks with aquarium salt. I'm debating doing a 100% water change to get rid of the salt since the tank is not yet established hoping that the new platies would survive.
Is there a better way to remove the aquarium salt? Thanks, Aaron
< When the tank is cycled you will have already done a couple of water changes and reduced the salt content of the water. Your fish will be fine.-Chuck>

Salting a FW Tank  8/14/06
Hi Folks,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I have been reading articles and FAQ's for about 3 hrs. and am stumped. Re. 100 gal. FW aquarium and salinity levels. I have found hundreds of FAQ's on marine and reef but not much on FW. When I first set up this aquarium about 5 mos. ago, I added aquarium salt @ 1 tbls. per 5 gal. After doing many, many water changes I have lost track of salt content. I bought a salinity meter and can't find ppt for my tank. It currently houses 10 blue gouramis and 10 albino Cory cats. No live plants...yet. What would be a good target salinity? Also, regarding phosphates in a 75 gal. planted. Tap water is 1.0 ppm. Should I try to lower this before adding to tank. Thanks again for your help.....DR
<FW fish do not need any salt at all & plants even less!  
See: http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/water/salt.html
  ~PP>

Re: Goldfish salt exposure  - 06/02/2006
Hello, Tom.
<<Hi, Alfredo.>>
Sorry to bother you; just a quick question about goldfish and salinity. I added a tablespoon of Epsom to my tank about 4 days ago and I was wondering if this is too long a period to expose the fish to the salt.
<<Alfredo, Epsom salt isn't a "salt" in the conventional sense that we think of. We think of "salt", in aquaria use, as either calcium chloride (CaCl) or sodium chloride (NaCl). Actually, Epsom salt is Magnesium Sulfate (MgSO4). It's the Chloride (in this context) that's beneficial to our fish, to a limited extent. Epsom salts don't have this element. Personally, I wouldn't expose a fish to any "introduced" chemical for longer than four or five days but, not to worry.>>
Thank you for your time,
Alfredo Echeverria
<<Alfredo, we're on a "first-name only" basis. :) Tom>>

Salt tolerance of Cory Cats   5/28/06
Hello Crew!
<<Hi, Jasmine. Tom here.>>
I understand that the salt tolerance of catfish in general is very poor.
<<It's true that Catfish don't have a tolerance for salt at levels that other fish can tolerate quite well.>>
I have some Otos, Bronze Corys and Panda Corys.
<<I love these guys, Jasmine. The Pandas tend to be a little less "robust" than other Corydoras varieties but they're sure cute. :)>>
For future reference when the situation eventuates, how much aquarium salt would you recommend for these fish for a) prevention of nitrite poisoning and b) disease treatment.
<<Regarding (a), don't let this situation "eventuate". In a cycled tank, with proper maintenance, it simply shouldn't occur. As to (b), this isn't, unfortunately, an option because of the dosages necessary to be effective. The "cure" would be as bad as the disease, in a manner of speaking. Even with all of the benefits to be derived from the addition of aquarium salt, in your case, I'm reluctant to advise this. Neither of the instances you cite would lead me to recommend its use given that there are alternatives should the occasion arise. I hope it never does, though. ;)>>
Thanks for your help!
Jasmine
<<Happy to, Jasmine. Tom>>

Dropsy? Epsom salt and mystery snails?   4/9/06
Hi,
<Ki>
I have been reading your website on a fairly regular basis for about three months now (from the time we discussed purchasing an aquarium & since then--especially before purchasing any new species). Currently we have a 10 gallon tank with 4 platies, 4 Cory catfish, 3 snails (gold mystery, black mystery, and blue mystery), and 2 glass shrimp. The platies have been with us about 6 weeks. The Cory cats about 2 weeks. The golden snail-6 weeks, the black one-4 weeks, the blue one-about 2 weeks. The ph is 7, the ammonia is 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 20.
<Take care to keep those nitrates no higher>
We do not plan to increase the community, though I am aware that the platies might make that decision for us, in which case we will get another tank. First, while this did not seem overcrowded to me based upon what I have read, I am starting to have doubts. Namely, do we have too many snails?
<Not yet... and these are not "bisexual" species listed... so, easier to monitor...>
Also, until tonight we had 5 platies, but I found one of them dead this evening. She ate fine in the morning, but then died at some point in the afternoon/early evening. Her abdomen looked somewhat swollen, but not at all "pinecone-like." Her scales were still flat against the body and only the underside of the abdomen was swollen. Still, because of the swelling, I am wondering if it is some form of dropsy. If so, are the other fish in danger?
<Not likely>
I have read that many dropsy conditions are not contagious, but I am still worried. Now I am paranoid that the other platies look swollen, though my husband says I am imagining it. Also, would it be safe to do a treatment with Epsom salt to be sure? And would the Epsom salt kill the snails & shrimp?
<Too likely so>
I have seen a reference to the safety of Epsom salt with invertebrates, but the ones listed in that person's question were all saltwater creatures, not freshwater ones. I just want to be sure before I do anything. I apologize if these questions are all answered in obvious places on the website that I missed.
Thanks,
Ki
<No worries. I would be conservative here re adding anything... Likely the system, fish being "very new" and this being a "first batch" of young, some have died more easily. Bob Fenner>

FW Compatibility Dilemma... Scats    4/4/06
Hi.  I have looked all over your site, Google, etc, and haven't found the answer to my questions, so hopefully they won't be too redundant.  I have a 30 gallon Freshwater tank with 10 Corydoras catfish (5 Trilineatus, 2 Paleatus, & 3 Bronze Aeneas) and 3 Dwarf Gourami (Colisa Lalia - 1 standard, 1 blue, and 1 sunset).  In addition I have 4 other tanks.  One is a 5 gallon with a spoiled rotten Betta (Splendens).
<Heee!>
A 20 gallon long sectioned into 7 spaces, containing 4 Male Bettas, 1 female Betta (also all Splendens), 1 Dwarf Gourami (Colisa Lalia neon blue), and 1 Honey Dwarf Gourami (Colisa chuna).  A 10 gallon sectioned into 3 spaces with, you guessed it, 3 male Bettas.  Finally, a 5 gallon corner tank with 4-6 Guppies in it.  Two of the Guppies are in sick tanks right now, so 4 is definite.  The other two, if they recover, will go back in as well.  They were in the 30 gallon, but the Dwarf Gouramis kept taking chunks off of their fins.  They also seem to really need the aquarium salt, which my Corys don't do well with.
<Agreed to all>
I had been using 1 teaspoon/5 gallons, but it wasn't enough for the Guppies.  The Corys were okay with it, but I wasn't willing to risk them on a higher dose.
<You are wise here>
The 30 is now salt-free, as are all the others, except the Guppy tank.  I consider the 5 gallon tanks full (stocking capacity).  I think 6 Guppies are max for the capacity of the BioWheel in the corner 5.
<Agreed>
The Betta in the other 5 gallon will not take any tankmates.  The last time I tried, he sulked himself into a lovely case of Velvet.  Long story short, he lives alone now.  The 20 long is full as well.  By water surface to air ratio I have space left, as well as by the inch/gallon rule.  However, with the extra filtration and dividers taking up space, I'm not comfortable with adding more fish into it.  The 10 is also considered full by both stocking ratios.  All the tanks are cycled.  I maintain the Bettas only tanks at 76/77 degrees.  The 20L and 30 are kept at 77/78 degrees.  My numbers are Nitrites 0ppm and Nitrates 0ppm (except the 5 gallon with the single Betta, which is 0 - 5ppm).  All the tanks are at 8.0 for Ph (stable), GH is 3 max, and KH is 9-11.  Ammonia is 0 in all but the 10 and 30 gallon tanks.  The 10 and 30 sometimes get a .25ppm reading, usually coinciding with my over feeding the little beggars (I'm working on that).
<Ah yes>
Water changes are 25 percent weekly in all but the 5 gallon tanks.  The 5 gallons get 50 percent changes weekly.  If I get an ammonia reading, I do an extra change and clean up the extra food.  Okay, by now I'm sure that you're wondering where-in lies the questions.  So here goes.....I wanted to get a couple fish to replace the Guppies in the 30 gallon, so I now have 2 Scat in quarantine.
<Mmm, no... too aggressive, gets too large... needs brackish to full marine conditions>
I made the HUGE mistake of not researching prior to buying, followed by the 'fish guy answered all the trick questions, so lets trust him' MAJOR screw-up.  Since bringing the Scat home, I have discovered that they are brackish fish, and I have no idea where to put them!
<Another tank... or... back to the shop?>
I think they are Scatophagus Multifasciatus.  They are silver with black vertical strips that run into/become spots on their sides.  They also have a bit of tannish color on the sides of their heads above and around the gills.  Their dorsal fins are similar to the Dwarf Gouramis, in that they (the fins) lay down and stand up depending on the situation.  Their dorsal fins are also black trimmed and pointed.   There were no Latin names on the tank they came from, just "Scat".  I'm praying I have the 5 inch fish and not the 15-18 inch fish.  Is there any way to tell for sure what they are?  
<Mmm, are easily discerned... see WWM: http://wetwebmedia.com/Scatart.htm
or fishbase.org>
Is it true that they have venomous dorsal fins?
<Yes>
If so, is it enough to kill a Guppy, etc?
<Mmm, yes>
  My husband wants me to put them with the Guppies (...already a brackish tank, problem solved.....).  Can I do that?  
<No... too different temperaments>
They're less than 2 inches right now.  They're smaller than my littlest C. Lalia, but bigger than the C. Chuna.  How fast do they grow?
<Slow if not fed well...>
We're talking about setting up a 55 gallon tank, but not for at least a year.  Can they be kept in a smaller tank that long?
<No... will suffer, likely die from renal problems...>
Are they even safe to have with our other fish?
<See WWM re... yes, with other brackish to marine animals of similar temperament...>
My quarantine/sick tanks are only 2 to 2.25 gallons each, so I need to figure out what to do with them when their 2 weeks are up.  Returning them is not a possibility.  They were purchased out of town (mistake #3).  I like them and would like to keep them.  They are quite personable already, and it doesn't take me long to get attached.  Any thoughts, words of wisdom, suggestions, or ideas would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you, in advance, for any help you can send my way!
<Great family of fishes... good with Monos, Datnoides, brackish to marine puffers, much more... all covered on... WWM. Bob Fenner>

Salt, Creep in a FW Tank - 3/5/2006
Hi,
<<Hi John>>
I have a 29-gallon freshwater tank and I have always kept a light concentration of salt (about a teaspoon of aquarium rock salt when I do a 1/4 tank change).
<<Why, do your fish require this? Be careful not to add salt unless it benefits the species you keep.>>
I always get a crusty formation of salt on the aquarium (filter cover, tank lid, etc.) Is there any way to remove and/or prevent this formation? The formation has proven nearly impossible to strip.
<<There are commercially available products available for this. "Salt Creep Eliminator" by Coralife is a popular one.>>
Thanks!
John
<<Glad to help. Lisa.>>

Adding Salt To A FW Tank  - 02/20/06
Hello Folks. Its been a while. How've ya been? I recently switched from a salt reef to a 60 gallon fresh water aquarium, with a decent amount of real plants.  I have been reading conflicting reports on whether to add, or not add aquarium salt (not sea salt).   The plant varieties are: Anubias, Cabomba, Java Ferns, Fox Tails,
Cardamine, Dwarf Sagittaria, and a few other plant names that elude me right now,  (one is a short grass, one is red, and 1 has pink under the
leaves). The tank is on its way to being an "aqua garden with a few fish in it". The Bio load is relatively light, with 8 or 9 Gourami's...Yes. They
nibble on everything. I know aquarium salt is good for the fish, but I hear conflicting stories on how well/if at all; the plants tolerate it.  Also, I've read
everything from 1 teaspoon, to 1 ounce of salt per gallon.  1 ounce seems like brackish to me. Any Experience or advice on whether to add salt for the fish benefit? Thanks John M.
< When you add salt it usually increases the slime coat on a fish. Plants simply utilize the sodium and chloride ions as nutrients. Salt is not needed in a FW tank.-Chuck>

Epsom Salt Use ... on Plecos, Goldfish - 02/16/2006
I have an 3 year old Redcap Oranda who has been having difficulty staying right side up.  For the last week, he has begun to spend all time floating upside
down at the top of the tank, except for eating time.   He will right himself to swim around to eat, but then will resume floating.  I have changed the
water and the airstone.  I tried not feeding for two days.  Then, I fed frozen, defrosted peas.  He is in a 40 gallon tank with another Gold Oranda and a
Plecos.  They have been together for two years without any problems.  Now this!  I want to try the Epsom salt, but I don't know if this is okay for the Plecos in
the tank.  Will Epsom salt hurt him?  Thank you for any help.
<Is okay with this group of fishes (South American, though some are Central, Sucker-mouth catfishes) up to an extent (still useful). You can search this under Loricariid Systems on WWM... About a level teaspoon per ten gallons should suit all here. Replace with water changes correspondingly. Bob Fenner>

Table salt is bad for the fish, right? I have a friend who puts it in his 10 gallon tank.  Should he use a different salt?  - 2/15/2006
He has tropical fish, but I’m not sure what they are.
<<Please read on WWM, and use proper English/grammar when writing.>>
Steve
<<Lisa.>>

Question Regarding Epsom Salt  1/16/06
Hi WWM,
   <Robert>
  I recently added about a 1/4 tsp of Epsom salt to my Betta's (Fernando) 1 gallon tank to relieve what appeared to be constipation.  Within a day or two, the Epsom salt worked its wonders, and now the swelling in Fernando's belly has almost completely disappeared.  My question is: Should I change the water now [My last water change was about 2 days before the swelling occurred (in total about 4 days ago)], or is it ok to keep him in there with the Epsom salt for a few weeks, until it's time to change his water according to my regular water changing schedule?  
   <Is okay to leave in... though not continuously... that is, a week or so is all-right, but not adding every time>
  I hope this question has not already been addressed on the site.  I looked around for a while and although I found a great deal regarding Epsom salts, and Epsom salt baths, I was under the impression that this small amount of salt did not constitute a bath; so I decided I better be safe, and ask.  Thank you for your time and help with this matter.  Take care.   
  Sincerely,
  Robbie Ellis
<Am sure others will benefit from your asking re. Bob Fenner>

Will the Epsom salt treatment mean we have to remove our Pleco?    - 1/6/06
<No.>
We have a severely swollen Oscar and assume it is a blockage of sorts.  We thought the swelling was eggs, but are following your suggestions for others who have Oscars with what appears to be the same problem.   Thanks!!  Sharon
<The plec can remain in the tank during treatment with Epsom salt.  All the best to you,  -Sabrina>

Adding Salt To a FW Tank  12/24/05
Hi, I would like to add some salt to my tank water to help my gravid female guppy, but I don't know if my other fish can tolerate the salt.  I have 4 zebra danios and 1 mini Pleco (about 2 inches long) besides 3 guppies.  Will the danios and Pleco be harmed by the salt? Thank you, and great site!
< The Pleco will not like the salt but it can probably tolerate a little. The others should be fine.-Chuck>

Salt... and older goldfish
When you refer to salt as in " Bacterial and fungal infections of goldfish
are almost always indirect or secondarily caused by other factors, principally
environmental or subsequent to parasitic attack. These are best "treated" with
use of regular salt at the one teaspoon per five gallon rate and careful
attention to aspects of husbandry (e.g. water quality). "...you are still referring
to non-iodized, correct? Always?
Judith
<Best if this is synthetic salt mix, as in artificial marine aquarium mixes, not just sodium chloride... with iodide or no. Bob Fenner>

Older Goldfish, salt, blindness  12/20/2005
Thank you for the info on the salt. I bought some aquarium salt from the fish
store and the salesman told me it was the same as the non iodized from the
grocery store.
<Some are, yes>
I put it in the tank. Now I wonder if I shouldn't have.
I am starting to think the fish with the tumor is blind. He doesn't seem to
see food, nor my hand. I wanted to hand feed him. Usually he'd dart away. Is
there something I could give him in a hospital tank for his eyes?
Judith
<Not as far as I'm aware. Blindness in fishes has several etiologies... pathogenic, nutritional, water quality... Bob Fenner>

Will my live plant die? <Salt, Betta Treatment> 9/8/05
Hi Bob (or whoever),
<Jeff>
I have a 3 gallon freshwater tank setup with one red male betta that I just
bought about two weeks ago. It's equipped with a 25-watt Visi-therm heater
and a 15-watt incandescent light bulb (no filter).
<Does need one>
Inside is a substrate of 1/2" to 1" in depth (it varies), one plastic plant and one potted live
plant. There's also a thermometer hanging in the tank.  Just a few days ago,
I noticed that my betta was acting rather odd, swimming erratically and
scratching himself against the plants, the in-tank thermometer, and the
marbles.  Then about 3 days ago, I saw small white dots all over his fins.
<Oh oh>
I researched this in your website and concluded that he was infected with
ich, and that a simply treatment is to add some (uniodized) salt and raise
the temperature to mid-eighties.
<One approach... I would remove the live plant...>
So after I did my regular 50% water
change, I added 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt (the carton recommended 1
tablespoon per 5 gallons) and then over the course of about 12 hours raised
the temperature from 79 F to 86 F.  I read some more articles and FAQ's to
learn more, and to my horror I discovered that salt treatments are
deleterious to live plants. NO!  I don't want to lose my beautiful live
plant.  It's been in the salt treatment for about 20 hours now, as I write
this e-mail.  Can I still save it by changing the water to reduce the salt
concentration? Or will it die?
<I would place this plant in a "jar", container large enough... outside the tank during treatment>
(I don't know the plant's name, sorry, so let me just describe it to you the
best I can.  It's a rooted plant about 8 inches tall; its leaves are each
about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide (at its widest part) and have an
interesting pattern: in the middle of the leaves right from the root to the
tip runs a wide, bright green stripe, which is about 1/3 of the width of the
leaf. There are sharp dividing lines between the outer, darker green edges
and inner, brighter green stripe, so that there is NO gradual transition
from bright green to dark green edges.  Do you have any idea what plant this is?)
<Perhaps a type of Echinodorus... swordplant>
Thank you for your help.
T. J. Rexton
<Please do add a purposeful filter... and read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bettasysart.htm
Bob Fenner>

How Often to Salt FW Fish 8/4/05
Hi Chuck, Question about salt dips? How many times can I salt dip a sick swollen fish and what kind of frequency ..... daily, every other day, weekly.......... thanks again for your reply to my looong email on Popeye and dropsy and silver dollars. I love your web site.
Thanks, Janet
< Only when needed. Salt stresses many fish, so while it does have some medicinal properties, it does affect the fish too.-Chuck>

Residual salt in FW 7/28/05
Using advice from various sources I added salt, 1 level tsp per 5 gal,
to my 29 gal FW aquarium. My question is after 6 months how do I check the level and do I ever add more?
<Mmm, can use a hydrometer... there are other methods... Please see here: http://wetwebmedia.com/spg_salinity.htm>
I do 10-15% water changes twice a month but after reading some of the data in your FAQ's I intend to try
using the nitrate level as an indicator of when it should be done.
Forgot: Tank contains only livebearers.
Thank You
Clark
<I would not (necessarily) add more salt/s purposely to an otherwise healthy freshwater system. I would routinely change, vacuum out part of the water and replace it. Please read here re: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwh2ochgs.htm
Bob Fenner>

Quick question on salt in mixed fish tank??
Hi Mr. Fenner
<Oz>
Thank you for taking time to read this and other questions sent before.
<Welcome>
I was just wondering if it was safe to add salt to a tank with 4 white mountain minnows, two sucking loaches and a couple of light glow tetra in?
<Not the last>
I have in the same tank (2 ft long x 1 and half ft deep x 1 ft wide ) 6 guppies and a female black molly, hence the salt question. Also I have a small fry trap with 3 molly fry and 5 guppy fry in (not staying in the tank once large enough to move, would the tank overload if I kept a couple??..)
<Likely not>
Also if it is safe how much salt do I add?
<Not with South American Tetras, Characoids>
I have another tank so I could move the minnows and light glow to that.
<I would>
It's a 1 and half ft long tank x half foot deep x half foot wide, Containing a lion head Ranchu, Betta, small algae eating cat fish (very cute little fella!) and two small zebra, I do feel there is enough in that tank  though. I do not want to cause any ill health by keeping to many in too small a tank.
<... the Goldfish should not be kept with these tropicals>
I also have a spare 6 litre tank with filter for the loach if needs be. Obviously both tanks are well planted with good filtration, large tank has undergravel. The smaller has a good internal filter. Both have aeration blocks  also.
Many many thanks Mr. Fenner
Take care
Oz
<Time for another tank... Bob Fenner> 

Frogs with Salt
Hello, you're website has been a great help to me in many regards. I have one question that I haven't found an answer for yet. I have 2 African dwarf frogs in a 29 gallon tank along with some mollies, guppies, platies and some neon tetras. My water levels are all good. I have read that ADF's can handle some aquarium salt in the water but not much, but can't seem to find any specifics on exactly how much salt per gallon they can tolerate. Would you happen to know how much salt per gallon is acceptable for ADF's? Thanks.
<Frogs really don't like any salt at all in their water. Frogs breath through their skin. There is a point in which salt will actually outright kill your frog and then there is a little amount that will weaken your frog and he will die from a disease before the salt actually kills him. I would try to limit the salt. I know your livebearers love it but the neons and frog really doesn't. Start at a teaspoon per 10 gallons and what the reaction from your fish and frog. While the livebearers may thrive the others may come down with other problems down the road.-Chuck>

Ragged Goldfish
Would that be just ordinary salt that we have in the kitchen for cooking or do we need sea salt?
Thanks
Karen
<Always use salt sold for freshwater aquariums. Don>

Fresh Water Salt 3.16.05
Would that be just ordinary salt that we have in the kitchen for cooking or do we need sea salt?
Thanks
Karen
<Hi Karen, non-iodized salt is what you will want to use, if you have kosher/cooking salt that is the stuff. I usually use "Aquarium Salt" from the local fish store, so far the goldfish have not noticed the difference. The salt will stimulate your fish's natural slime coat and help heal the damaged fins. Best Regards -Gage> 

Salted Fish
Hi, First of all, I wanted to let you know that your website has been very helpful in learning how to care for, and diagnosing problems with my fish. About a week ago I bought an Oranda, who resides by himself in a 10 gallon aquarium. Before purchasing him, I had the tank set up with the filter running for about 3 weeks. My fish seemed fine for the first few days in the aquarium (I did partial water changes almost daily to make sure that toxic levels would be low using Nutrafin Aqua Plus and having the water sit overnight, and I've been using Nutrafin Cycle), but then I found him sitting at the bottom of the tank, not moving, with his fins clamped. He would start swimming around feeding time, still having his usual appetite, but would flash and try to scratch his sides along the bottom of the tank when not resting. I did a water change, and tested the tank water, and everything seemed fine. Finally, a few days later, I managed to spot the Ich (he's a calico so it was hard to see at first against the white of his tail). I immediately started salting the tank at 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon every 12 hours (3 doses). The last dose was yesterday, and he has been swimming around the tank looking much happier than he's been over the past few days, though still has a lot of Ich, especially on his tail, and the dorsal fin is still down. Is there anything else I should be doing? Also, this morning I noticed a red mark/hole on the top of his head (it looks like blood), possibly from him trying to scratch at the Ich (there was some on his head). Should I be putting something on it? Do you know what it could be? As of this morning, the ammonia measured just under 1.0 mg with PH being 7.7, and Nitrites about  0.15mg. I will have to do a water change soon, and when I do, should I put 3 teaspoons of salt into the aquarium right away (per gallon of water I remove during the water change), or do I do it in 12 hour installments again? How long should I keep the salt in the tank for? Thank you for your time, any help is appreciated!
Lisa
<Hi Lisa, Don here. You are on the right course using salt to kill the Ich. But I'm not a big fan of dosing at these high levels when measuring by volume. You really should weigh it or use a refractor. The size of the salt crystals make a big difference in how much salt you are really adding when you measure this way. The proper amount of salt for a 10 gallon tank is 76 grams. With fine grain salt this is around a 1/8 of a cup. With course aquarium salt it is over a quarter cup. Big difference. Please read the two links below. The first is a great article on Ich. Please take note of the lifecycle and continue treatment for at least 2 weeks after the last spot drops. Always do water changes from the bottom using a gravel vac. Mix the same concentration of salt into the replacement water before adding it to the tank. You want the salt high, but steady. If during treatment the fish suddenly looses a large number of spots do a water change. The Ich is not dead. It has dropped off and is alive in the gravel preparing to reproduce. The second link is on freshwater cycling. It was great to allow the tank to run for three weeks before stocking, and even greater that you are testing. But unless you added an ammonia source to feed the bacteria a cycle did not start. Even if you did establish the bacteria the salt will stress or kill them. But the solution for all your problems, even the scrape on his head, is the same. Water changes with salt for the Ich. Do as many water changes as it takes to keep both ammonia and nitrite near zero. 50% daily is not out of line, even twice a day is OK if you see the spots drop. Good luck.>  http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=32  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm