Who Gives A Fish Forums

Adding salt to an aquarium is pretty standard practice, we all know that.
My question is, can I use Sifto pool salt, is it basically the same as food grade salt?
Stu

Re: Salt Question

Stu,

Honestly, I'm curious, what's the reasoning behind adding salt to your aquarium in the first place?

As for that Sifto pool salt, I'm not familiar with it, and I'm guessing it's probably not the same as food-grade salt. To be on the safe side, I'd stick with standard epsom salt - it's dirt cheap, so it's not worth risking potential issues by substituting.

Re: Salt Question

Originally posted by Danca89

As everyone knows you must add salt to an aquarium every now and then.
Stu

Why are you so sure salt is a must in aquariums? I've been keeping fish for decades and only add it when my fish are sick.

Re: Salt Question
Thanks for asking, I don't do it often but every now and then, about once a year, I notice the fish getting a bit stressed, shaking their fins and rubbing on stuff. A small dose of aquarium salt usually sorts it out. I'm pretty on top of water changes, keep the nitrates in check, that helps too.

Re: Salt Question

I've been told by many to add salt to boost GH in my aquarium, and it's become a habit for some reason. When I first started with discus, I used rocksalt to get my GH to 2-3 since Melbourne's water has zero GH/KH. But as I read more threads, experienced members kept saying not to use salt regularly. Now I've moved on to other options like Calcium Chloride, Epsom salt, bicarb soda, crush coral, and even Calcium carbonate. I'm still experimenting to find the best one.

@larry, I'm still unsure what to do with zero KH/GH - which of these chemicals would you recommend using?

Re: Salt Question


When you say 'food grade salt', are you referring to the regular table salt we use for cooking?

Re: Salt Question

Harry, I'm using crush coral in a sock in the canister filter to prevent pH crashes. Rock salt doesn't increase GH, and messing with bicarb soda and calcium carbonate can destabilize your water chemistry if you don't know what you're doing. I'd advise against experimenting with your water unless necessary. Melbourne water is fine, no need to add salt unless it's for a specific reason like using epsom for intestinal issues in fish.

Re: Salt Question











I run a simple setup, just crush coral in a canister filter sock to prevent pH crashes. Rock salt doesn't raise GH, and messing with bicarb soda or calcium carbonate can destabilize your water chemistry if you're not careful. Melbourne water is fine as it is - no need to add salt unless it's for a specific reason, like using Epsom for fish intestinal health. Just my two cents.

Re: Salt Question

Luckily I only mess with the smaller tank, but rock salt does bump up the GH in that one.
I've been adding a bit of bicarb to my aging barrel and found a sweet spot - 3 drops gets me to 7.2 pH and decent GH/KH.
My fish seem to have adjusted, if GH drops back to zero they start shaking fins and stuff. Am I on the right track?

Re: Salt Question

GH's often about calcium and magnesium, but there are other minerals that can boost it - like potassium and sodium chloride. I've found that GH and KH tend to go hand in hand, and both get a lift from calcium and bicarbonates. When I was keeping Malawi cichlids, I used to make my own buffer by mixing the KH components - calcium and baking soda - to get the pH just right, then I'd top off the GH with salt, magnesium, a bit of potassium, and some other micro nutrients.