Any of you use NACL in your freshwater tanks?

Granted my tank is not an aquarium as it's a stock tank RAS at 400 gallons including the clarifier drum, and it's for grow out of bluegills during the winter, but I am slowly adding salt at about 0.3 to 0.5 percent to keep stress down and possibly keep any parasites at bay.

Do any of you that have aquariums without plants use salt? If so how much?

As I indicated in another post I will set up an in the wall aquarium for natives but this project comes first. I'm going about this bassackwards as far as aquariums go.

My understanding is that the common practice of adding salt to freshwater aquariums is not helpful. Granted, some freshwater fish are more salt tolerant than others, but I think the salt might actually stress your fish in the long run. I remember reading somewhere that salt is recommended because its presence can make nitrite and nitrate less toxic to your fish. But, I would think a properly maintained tank would be a better way to manage nitrite and nitrate. As far as disease prevention goes, I don’t think low concentrations of salt does a whole lot. Yet, high concentrations will most certainly stress your fish. But, high concentrations of salt in a brief salt bath can kill external parasites. So, if it was me, I would forgo the use of the salt for anything other than a salt bath to kill external parasites.

I use salt in my aquariums at the rate of 1 tablespoon salt per 5 gallons of water. I use it in planted aquariums, too. It doesn't harm the plants and I have fish reproducing, including corydoras which are supposed to be intolerant of salt. I can't point to any fish and say, "That fish didn't get sick because I used salt" so I won't try to argue my way is best, but that's what I do.

My understanding is that the common practice of adding salt to freshwater aquariums is not helpful. Granted, some freshwater fish are more salt tolerant than others, but I think the salt might actually stress your fish in the long run.

I'm not really sure why you think this. The amount of salt that folks typically add to their aquarium is negligible relative to what most freshwater fish can actually tolerate, thus you aren't stressing the fish relative to their actual tolerance. A teaspoon/tablespoon or so per gallon is essentially nothing. For many fishes, adding salt when you catch and transport fish is highly beneficial as it makes life a little bit easier osmotically for them (which is what I have been told, don't know for sure that that is really correct though). I don't usually add salt to my aquarium, but I often do when transporting them.

Cheers
Peter

I'm not really sure why you think this. The amount of salt that folks typically add to their aquarium is negligible relative to what most freshwater fish can actually tolerate, thus you aren't stressing the fish relative to their actual tolerance. A teaspoon/tablespoon or so per gallon is essentially nothing. For many fishes, adding salt when you catch and transport fish is highly beneficial as it makes life a little bit easier osmotically for them (which is what I have been told, don't know for sure that that is really correct though). I don't usually add salt to my aquarium, but I often do when transporting them.

Cheers
Peter

Peter,

Agreed. In my case the tank will be more of an aquaculture situation and with several thousand fry I want to keep stress levels down. I'm also bringing them in from winter ice conditions once my nitrites zero out (they are in a floating cage), so they may they be stressed from the get go. I feel a 2 ppt (0.2 percent or 2000 ppm) will alleviate some of the osmotic stress.

Here's an interesting link about salt and fish, although it's geared for Aquaculture:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm007

az9- Thanks for the article; it helped clear some things up for me. I had been a long time tropical fish enthusiast before recently making the switch to natives. And, in the article, it stated that low levels of salt were not good for tetras. Given that I would have been keeping tetras in the past, this is probably where I got the idea that even low levels of salt were not good for freshwater fish. So, after reading the article, I can see the merits of adding a small amount of salt to a stock tank such as yours. But, this raises a question for me. Why would a fish that has evolved to live in fresh water be osmotically relieved to find salt in its water? If this was the case, wouldn’t we find more of our freshwater fish in brackish waters?

schambers- There are so many different species of corydoras catfish that I would not be suprised if whoever made the statement that corydoras are salt intolerant made the same sort of over generalization as I did regarding tetras and all freshwater fish. Perhaps you have a salt tolerant cory, while others had non-salt tolerant ones.

az9- Thanks for the article; it helped clear some things up for me. I had been a long time tropical fish enthusiast before recently making the switch to natives. And, in the article, it stated that low levels of salt were not good for tetras. Given that I would have been keeping tetras in the past, this is probably where I got the idea that even low levels of salt were not good for freshwater fish. So, after reading the article, I can see the merits of adding a small amount of salt to a stock tank such as yours. But, this raises a question for me. Why would a fish that has evolved to live in fresh water be osmotically relieved to find salt in its water? If this was the case, wouldn’t we find more of our freshwater fish in brackish waters?

Mudminnow,

I think we need to keep in mind here we are taking fish out of a relatively stress free natural environment and putting them in an unnatural environment with stress. Therefore they are challenged more than normal which would tend to disrupt their osmotic balance and immune system. Hence the salt would help keep their osmotic balance in equilibrium which tends to get out of whack in stressed fish. This would allow more energy to be channeled to the immune system. Additonally as we all know there are facultative pathogens around fish at all times with exceptions, and a fish doesn't usually come down with a facultative pathogen unless his immune system is compromised by stress.

Also the salt challenges parasites that may be more problematic in a closed system vs. their natural environment. At least that's my take on it.

Edited by az9, 24 January 2010 - 01:59 PM.

Mudminnow,

I think we need to keep in mind here we are taking fish out of a relatively stress free natural environment and putting them in an unnatural environment with stress. ...

Also the salt challenges parasites that may be more problematic in a closed system vs. their natural environment. At least that's my take on it.

The natural environment is anything but stress free. The threat of death is imminent most of the time, especially if you are a smaller fish. You also have to go out and hunt for food etc etc. Captivity is a very tame environment in comparison. If one only considered water chemistry / bacterial load then yes, the wild is a better place typically.

The amount of salt being add is irrelevant to parasites. To kill things like white spot and anchor worm you need around 10 grams of salt per liter. That would be about an ounce and a half per gallon.

Cheers
Peter

The natural environment is anything but stress free. The threat of death is imminent most of the time, especially if you are a smaller fish. You also have to go out and hunt for food etc etc. Captivity is a very tame environment in comparison. If one only considered water chemistry / bacterial load then yes, the wild is a better place typically.

I respectfully disagree. There may be a threat of death in the natural environment but the fish have adapted to the environment having lived there all their lives vs. being dumped into a totally alien environment. And you assume they are always thinking about the danger which I doubt they do. I think predation avoidance is more of an instinct response vs. a thinking response therefore it's not that stressful. If captivity was so tame (at least before adaptation) why do so many fish get stressed about it? Why do some wild fish never adapt or reproduce in captivity?

The amount of salt being add is irrelevant to parasites. To kill things like white spot and anchor worm you need around 10 grams of salt per liter. That would be about an ounce and a half per gallon.

Cheers
Peter

Not according to the above link as far as protozoans are concerned:

Finally, a light solution of 0.01 to 0.2 percent salt may be used as a permanent treatment in recirculating systems. Such levels are quite effective in eliminating single-cell protozoans.

I've heard of using iodized table salt to provide iodine supplementation, but I can't say I actually use it in my tanks.

I pretty much just change water periodically and that's about it.

I've heard of using iodized table salt to provide iodine supplementation, but I can't say I actually use it in my tanks.

I pretty much just change water periodically and that's about it.

If you ever do use salt in your tanks don't use Iodized Salt. It's a big no no with fish.

I use salt in all of my non-planted aquariums (which is almost all of them) and have done so for years. I also use increased amounts to treat fungal and or bacterial infections. I actually prefer using salt and or peroxide for treating fish and avoid using any of the commercial medications that are available. I have never exactly measured the amount of salt I put in my aquariums, I use softener pellets because it is cheep and easy to toss a handful in the tanks. However, I recently acquired a small hand held meter that tests salinity, pH and provides temperature. If nothing else it seems I'm consistent, all of my tanks read between 1.4 and 1.8 ppt salinity. In contrast my planted tanks are at about 0.18 ppt. This works for me but like I said I have never measured this until recently.

If you ever do use salt in your tanks don't use Iodized Salt. It's a big no no with fish.

No it isn't. At best it is mildly-debatable. I've used the stuff for years and remember reading a TFH article in 98 or 99 which indicated that the fear of iodized salt is largely a myth. The fear of other constituents in certain salts is probably justified.

A quick search on this exact subject:

http://badmanstropic...s/article5.html

http://aquasciencere...APInfo/Salt.htm

http://www.skeptical...alth/salt.shtml

http://www.cichlid-f...arium_salts.php

Edited by Gene2308, 26 January 2010 - 08:02 AM.

No it isn't. At best it is mildly-debatable. I've used the stuff for years and remember reading a TFH article in 98 or 99 which indicated that the fear of iodized salt is largely a myth. The fear of other constituents in certain salts is probably justified.

A quick search on this exact subject:

http://badmanstropic...s/article5.html

http://aquasciencere...APInfo/Salt.htm

http://www.skeptical...alth/salt.shtml

http://www.cichlid-f...arium_salts.php

Gene,

I stand corrected. Thanks for the links!

Yeah man, no problem. I guess the worry would be some of the other ingredients with different salts.

I've always used the "morton" stuff I think..? It comes in a blue can with the lady and the umbrella on it with the metal pour spout. Never had issues with it.