Aquarium salt: all the questions got answered!
- Dec 14, 2020
- Anshika Mishra
- 910 0 0
Do you really need aquarium salts? Is it something that every fishkeeper should keep around in their fish room? Is it as good as medication as people say it is?
These are some of the most basic questions that most beginner fishkeepers have about aquarium salts, so let's answer them:
Aquarium Salt
Aquarium salt is something that creates huge confusion because most people are not even sure what they are used for? So, why should you put salt in your freshwater aquarium?
Aquarium salt is Sodium Chloride, yes the same formula that your table salt is made up of and yes you can use table salts but there are a couple of things to look for.
A lot of people suggest keeping distance from salts that have anti-caking agents in them and only use non-iodized salts. But at the end of the day, it should not matter, but if it is a general belief then there is no harm in staying away from such salts.
There are plenty of salts that you can buy at grocery stores, like aquarium salts which are not ionized and do not contain the baking agent.
What is aquarium salt used for?
You might be thinking that if we put aquarium salt in our freshwater aquarium wouldn't it make the aquarium saltwater?
No, you just need to put enough to reach the same salinity level required for your freshwater fishes but not like saltwater tanks, and also you need to add very little quantity. Adding salt to your freshwater aquarium is important for various reasons: Salt helps aquarium fishes with things like
- external parasites
- bacterial infections
- And helps them to recover from the wounds of fighting with other fishes or get hurt by something else.
Human beings and fish need salt to survive. Salts help to keep the body hydrates along with killing bacterias which help in fast recovery. Fishes constantly discharge and absorb salts from water, in a situation where the fish is under a lot of stress and needs a lot of electrolytes, where are they gonna get it from if it's not from the water?
Nowhere, and here lies the problem!
Fishes can go into shock if they have under stress for some time, and when they are in shock they become more susceptible to diseases and parasites. This is why it is so common for fish to get Ich right after you get them from the fish store. Transporting is really stressful for them.
So, the bottom line is, salts help to replenish fish's electrolytes and it also buffers the water a bit, so if you are one of those people who appreciate fishes in hard water, then you will always have to keep salt around.
What is salt?
Aquarium salt comes from evaporating seawater, this is important to know because it will help you to deal with it. So, once the salt is in your aquarium, it's never gonna get anywhere unless you remove it. If you use salt to treat fishes with infection you will have to flush it out after the treatment is over. You can flush it out by doing water changes.
The next thing to know is that not all salts are the same. Aquarium salt is pure salt with no additive as in our table salt. So, try not to use regular table salt in your aquarium.
How much salt to use?
Follow the directions that are on the container of salt that you buy. The reason is that every manufacturer is different, some have small granules like the table salt while some are crystalized and look like sugar and the directions are different based on that.
The package will also give your dosage directions for things like Ich, so just pay attention to everything that the direction says.
Another thing is salt is super cheap so it doesn't matter if you buy it from you can always have some in reserve because you don't know when you might need it. It's better to have it when not needs than to need it and not have it.
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