How Many Of You Use Salt?

[Iron Man]

Who of you have had good luck with your livebearers (happy, thriving, and longlived) and are they in freshwater or brackish?

Not talking about regular freshwater aquarium salt, but marine or livebearer salt...and not as much talking about mollies as they pretty much require brackish water. But....any opinions/experiences on them would be interesting as well.

Thanks!!

 

[guppymommy]

Well, I haven't had my guppies that long, and I use aquarium salt, so I'm not qualified to answer your question, but I'm curious about the livebearer salt. I've never heard of it. What is it? Where do you purchase it? What makes it different from aquarium salt?

Sorry, you asked a question and instead of answering, I ask more!

 

[dwarfgourami]

Nope, no salt. We have hard alkaline water here, and my platies and guppies seem fine (is that grumpy old wrinklie in the bedroom EVER going to die?). The deaths I've had have been clearly accounted for: one infection brought straight from the shop, one accident with filter current, several fry being eaten. The batches reared in my tanks look fine. Nothing to suggest they're not happy with the water.

 

[Iron Man]

Well, I haven't had my guppies that long, and I use aquarium salt, so I'm not qualified to answer your question, but I'm curious about the livebearer salt. I've never heard of it. What is it? Where do you purchase it? What makes it different from aquarium salt?

Sorry, you asked a question and instead of answering, I ask more!

I can't remember where I've seen it suggested but its supposed to be good stuff and safe for plants too. Basically its not just "table salt" which is so bad for plants but is more like seawater salt, but unlike seawater salt doesn't raise the ph which the livebearers besides mollies can't tolerate.

And....since I have read pro guppy breeders, etc....swear by using salt with livebearers...it might be a viable alternative to sea salt.

Looks like good stuff.


And.....asking....is how we learn!

 

[dwarfgourami]

Most livebearers can cope with fairly high ph (mine is 8.4); it's the salt in itself that their organs are not used to (always excepting mollies).

Livebearer breeders use salt for the same reason that intensive chicken breeders dose their stock with antibiotics; it keeps down the diseases that would otherwise spread through keeping the chicks in less than ideal surroundings. Doesn't mean this is something we have to emulate as hobbyists, any more than you would keep your pet budgie on chicken farm antibiotics. As hobbyists who don't have to make a living out of our gups, we are in a position where we can provide a better environment instead. I swear by low stocking levels, plenty of swimming space, good sex ratios, interesting tanks with lots of plants and other things to move around, frequent water changes and a nutritious varied diet (including vegetables). And I rear my own fry in a goodsized tank with plenty of water current, to develop their physical strength.

 

[jarmado]

my platies and mollies breed without salt or any effort on my part...
even my corys...

 

[guppymommy]

So I don't have to use aquarium salt in my tank? I hate being sold things that I really don't need! See if I ever listen to the pet people again!

On the other hand, they use salt in their tanks in the store and maybe that's why they told me to use it. My fish don't seem to mind, but if I don't have to keep buying it . . . .

 

[Spader]

i swear by salt. when my bettas were sick nand i ran out of options cause the medicine didnt work, i used salt and that worked. also my palties love my salt and i have no more disease!

 

[Iron Man]

Yea I'm seeing more and more that salt with livebearers is gonna be like anything else. I've researched back to the guppy breeders, etc....and they are advocating the "aquarium salt" stuff...for the reasons you mentioned.

Just feeling things out....as I like livebearers and am maybe gonna change my 55 gallon to a livebearer tank.

Maybe I'll just stay away from mollies, and keep it all freshwater then.

 

[dwarfgourami]

i swear by salt. when my bettas were sick nand i ran out of options cause the medicine didnt work, i used salt and that worked. also my palties love my salt and i have no more disease!

Yes, I too find it an excellent medicine when fish are sick, like antibiotics to humans. My point is that medicine should be reserved for the sick, and that first you should try to avoid the causes of sickness inasfar as you can by living healthily. For one thing, salt puts a strain on the organs of fish that are not adapted to it (note: I am NOT talking about mollies). Platies, I believe, can cope with low quantities of salt without damage, but it is perfectly possible to avoid sickness by keeping them in good conditions instead, and there are lots of community fish that will definitely suffer by regular (as opposed to occasional, medicinal) addition of salt.

Even a cory (scaleless= sensitive) can cope with occasional adding of salt if they need it for a serious illness- like a human would have to cope with chemotherapy if they had cancer, because the alternative is worse- but this is no argument for keeping healthy fish in salt, any more than doctors routinely dole out cancer treatments to healthy patients on the off chance. If you have fish that are always falling ill, you should be looking at the general conditions of your tanks.

But obviously, brackish fish need brackish water.

 

[fuman_chica]

I know I'm probably going to get shot for saying this, but you know what, oh well.

I had mollies for about a year and a half. I NEVER kept salt in with them. No salt of any kind. They were always really healthy. Swam around normally. Never acted weird or shook or anything like that. I'm sure I would have had them for alot longer, but when I got married and moved in with my husband, he didn't have AC in is place and I couldn't keep the water tempature down, and they ended up dying.

I don't think that mollies REQUIRE salt like some people say. I'm not saying that having salt in with them, or any other fish that are tolorent to it, doesn't make them healthier or anything. I'm just saying that my mollies were perfectly healthy without it. And not having salt was not why they didn't live for very long, but over a year was a long time concidering that one of those mollies was my first fish ever, and didn't die in the new tank syndrom.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I know I'm probably going to get shot for saying this, but you know what, oh well.

I had mollies for about a year and a half. I NEVER kept salt in with them. No salt of any kind. They were always really healthy. Swam around normally. Never acted weird or shook or anything like that. I'm sure I would have had them for alot longer, but when I got married and moved in with my husband, he didn't have AC in is place and I couldn't keep the water tempature down, and they ended up dying.

I don't think that mollies REQUIRE salt like some people say. I'm not saying that having salt in with them, or any other fish that are tolorent to it, doesn't make them healthier or anything. I'm just saying that my mollies were perfectly healthy without it. And not having salt was not why they didn't live for very long, but over a year was a long time concidering that one of those mollies was my first fish ever, and didn't die in the new tank syndrom.

I for one wouldn't dispute this. I think part of the problem is there are brackish and non-brackish populations. Also, some types of mollies are more sensitive than others. Also, the general quality of your water is going to make a difference. I tried keeping black mollies in the soft acid waters of the Scandinavian woods- bad idea But my platies and guppies coped better.

 

[Spader]

i swear by salt. when my bettas were sick nand i ran out of options cause the medicine didnt work, i used salt and that worked. also my palties love my salt and i have no more disease!

If you have fish that are always falling ill, you should be looking at the general conditions of your tanks.

Well they arent "always falling sick" it was only once and as i stated no more disease since has followed. Just saying that im not a bad fish carer and it's only been once and so i trust the salt. thats all. for each his own.

 

[guppymommy]

Well, since my fish are used to it, and seem to be doing fine, I'll probably continue to use the aquarium salt. I even put salt in my fry tank so I'll probably continue to raise them in salt, too.

 

[Iron Man]

I've also treated fish with salt more than once (over the years) and just recently. It IS almost where you could say its miraculous as parasites and bacteria just can't live in the stuff....but the fish are fine for a while.

Considering the fact that we put these fish in an unnatural environment to start with (a box of water that gets only 20% turn over once a week for the typical enthusiast), I don't blame some for using a little dose with the water changes to help keep stress down.

Fish don't need constant "hospital treatment" as they're not always sick....that's true.....but what does a little salt hurt if it relieves a little osmo reg stress?

If you were locked up in a closet for the rest of your life....I'm sure you'd appreciate a little "air conditioning".

I may still add just a smidget of "aquarium salt" with water changes if I make the tank a livebearer tank....the jury is still out....and will be out for a while.

Keep the opinions/experiences coming!!!