Do Gouramis Require Salt?

[Kombat]

I was at PetSmart the other day picking up some meds and was browsing the fish. I don't buy fish their, was just browsing. On all of the gourami placards it said "requires aquarium salt". I've heard this about mollies, but never gouramis.

Thanks,
Karl

 

[nmonks]

Absolutely NOT. Gouramis -- and indeed all labyrinth fish -- are "primary freshwater fish", which means they evolved in freshwater, not salt or brackish. As such, they have little tolerance for brackish water. A few species, like the climbing perch, do occur in brackish water but most do not.

Aquarium salt -- as opposed to proper marine mix -- is the fishkeeping equivalent of snake oil. If you're keeping fish properly, you don't need it, and in a situation where a fish needs salt, then you should use marine salt, not aquarium salt.

I would humbly suggest the manager of that store has shares in an aquarium salt mine, and is merely trying to shift a few boxes...

Cheers,

Neale

I was at PetSmart the other day picking up some meds and was browsing the fish. I don't buy fish their, was just browsing. On all of the gourami placards it said "requires aquarium salt". I've heard this about mollies, but never gouramis.

Thanks,
Karl