Salt Additions

[jayjay]

How old is this book? Check the publication date, old books can give bad advice.

Also 3 days isn't long, if you keep it in there though the cory won't live a full life.

 

[tetraman]

1998. I almost want the giant corys to die anyway, since they take up a ton of space. By the way, how do I change my birthday on this? I was born in 1993, not 1998.

 

[confusion]

To answer the original question, I added my salt 20% at a time, spaced about 6 hours apart. I do the same when I'm adding meds to the tank. It might be overly cautious, but fish seem to be easily stressed.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

1998. I almost want the giant corys to die anyway, since they take up a ton of space. By the way, how do I change my birthday on this? I was born in 1993, not 1998.

Never want a fish to die, its you who put them in there in the first place, so you must take responsability for them and take care of them to the best of your abilities.
There are far less harmful meds for cories than salt out there, what exactly are you treating them for?

 

[three-fingers]

1998. I almost want the giant corys to die anyway, since they take up a ton of space.

I would take a couple off of you if you lived anywhere near, but the temptation to punch you in the face would be too great.

By the way, how do I change my birthday on this? I was born in 1993, not 1998.

You sure? Learn some responsibility, i was more responsible then you when i was 8 in regards to fish.

Anyway, now that i've cooled off, i used the correct dose of aquarium salt when i had corys to try and make the water better for guppies. A week later when i was doing a water change i noticed the corydoras had a some fluffy patches on them. At this time the tank was understocked none of the tankmates were fluffy. Did a 50% water change to try remove some salt and they got better in a few days.

Possibly just a coincidence, but i thought it was worth noting .

 

[tetraman]

Just so you know, I have almost non-existing levels of salt in my tank. Only 1/4 tablespoon per gallon. The only reason I put salt in my tank is that my book said that no freshwater fish would be hurt by salt. And the only reason I don't care if my giant corys die is that my friend gave them to me and I hate them. I guess I'll gradually cycle out the water. By the way, no one answered my question about changing my birthday.

 

[demonmagus]

give the cories away you idiot

 

[three-fingers]

Just so you know, I have almost non-existing levels of salt in my tank. Only 1/4 tablespoon per gallon. The only reason I put salt in my tank is that my book said that no freshwater fish would be hurt by salt.

Never believe everything you read in books. The first fish book i got when i was like seven says "goldfish can live their whole lives happily in a regular bowl" "but an aquarium can hold more goldfish". Even at that age it disgusted me.

And the only reason I don't care if my giant corys die is that my friend gave them to me and I hate them.

That's NOT a good reason, nor is it a responsible attitude Give them to someone who likes the fish and isn't as insensitive .

I guess I'll gradually cycle out the water.

Yes, gradually changing the water out would be an excellent idea

By the way, no one answered my question about changing my birthday.

I don't know the answer to the question, maybe its better this way anyway .


P.S. How big are the corys? And can you post a pic of them? They could possibly be something else.....

 

[tetraman]

Hey, three-fingers, who do you think you are to talk to me like that?!

I would take a couple off of you if you lived anywhere near, but the temptation to punch you in the face would be too great.

If I lived near you, I would have the temptation to make you two-fingers!

P.S. How big are the corys? And can you post a pic of them? They could possibly be something else.....

Their huge, over 3 inches and chubby. I can't post any pics since I don't have a digital camera I can use.

The giant green corys are going to die soon salt or no salt. They are very old and they lived in crappy conditions their entire lives!

 

[three-fingers]

Corys can live for ages, as can brohis which there is a chance you might have, take a look here.

If I lived near you, I would have the temptation to make you two-fingers!

Does the fact that i love and care for my fish threaten you? j/k.

Lets calm down, theres no need for violence lol: ) its just your attitude towards your fish could be better. I would seriously suggest you find those corys(or brochis) new homes(maybe all your fish too?) if you dont like them, they can live much longer with love . How old exatly are they?

 

[nmonks]

This has been a fun thread to read through!

As others have said, you don't need to add salt. Swordtails don't need it. Mollies do, but not swordtails.

The effect of salt on freshwater fish is extremely complex. It isn't as simple as "catfish don't like salt" because individual species have very different tolerances. There are, for example, plecs and tetras that naturally inhabit slightly brackish water, though most species of both don't. Salt is not a toxin, it doesn't suddenly kill fish. The issue is concentration, and how the external salinity effects the fish's osmoregulation (internal balance of salt and water).

Corydoras do not (as far as I know) ever occur in brackish waters. But catfish experts David Sands has written that they will tolerate a small amount of salt. Without knowing the details, I'd assume an SG of up to 1.003, which is 10% seawater and comparable to the salt tolerance of other many catfish and cyprinids like carp, roach, and dace. Still, I wouldn't recommend putting this to the test. For one thing, it's suboptimal, and your job as an aquarist is to provide the best conditions for a fish, not the worst that it will put up with short of dying.

Cheers,

Neale

I am adding some aquarium salt to my tank to make my swordtails healthier and more comfortable. How quickly should I add it?

 

[Bignose]

tetraman,

This seems like a good opportunity for you to learn some critical evaluation skills of your own. You have to learn to look at the facts yourself and decide which evidence is more credible. You also have to argue facts, not ad hominum attacks (attacking the person not the evidence) and not just stubbornly sticking with the first thing you read. Ad hominum arguments are just one of several examples of logical fallacies (http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_fallacy)

Can you cite for the people reading this thread any other evidence that salt is OK for cory catfish? Any other evidence than one book's author whose main evidence is "I did it for 40 years"? Does he cite any research papers or other books, for example?

"I did it for 40 years" is a related logical fallacy, anecdotal evidence. What works, or does not appear to cause harm, for one person does not mean it is true for everyone. This is why scientific studies involve hundreds or thousands of subjects. For example, if I said I put marinara sauce in my tanks and the fish didn't get sick, would that mean that you would too?

The people who have posted on here have cited several different sources refuting your information. Can you bring back any more information supporting your side? Frankly, if you can't, you need to at the very least agree-to-disagree.

 

[confusion]

When first started, I bought into the idea of adding salt. It was supposed to keep freshwater fish healthier, etc, etc. When my fish were getting sick and dying, I realized I was blasting through a pretty incredible amount of salt with water changes and decided to stop. Things have been stable, save my current angel situation, for a long time now and I only add salt when treating ich. Water changes, maintaining proper bio load, and understanding disease symptoms are much more effective than keeping the water salty, IMO. I'll probably b flamed for it, but I even keep my mollies in salt-less water.


I love that the internet lets me get on and

 

[nmonks]

Bignose,

Since we're talking about references...

The quote on Corydoras tolerance of salt that I have is in David Sands (1986) "Keeping Aquarium Fishes: Corydoras Catfish" published by Dee Bee Books. He says:

Mollies and other brackish water [fish] ... can be kept with catfish even though many books suggest Corydoras cannot tolerate salt in their water. Small amounts will not harm catfishes.

David Sands is a catfish expert, he's written about them for decades and has collected and described many new species. I'm perfectly willing to accept his comment here on face value. As I said before, I still don't think tetraman needs to add salt to his tank, but on the other hand, the idea catfish are intrisically poisoned by salt is oversimplifying some quite complex biology.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Bignose]

That is good, that adds some more credence to the salty position. But, does it address the issue that it is currently believed cory catfish are primary freshwater fish? At no time whatsoever during their evolutionary history did they ever inhabit water with anything other than a trace amount of minerals. Thus, they do not possess the osmoregulatory processes to handle salt entering their kidneys for example.

I'd also like to throw out the possibility that the farm-rasied species of common cory have probably adapted to be much more tolerant than they used to be. While neons are in a different genus and certainly comparisons will be imperfect, if neons have adapted and can be bred in the alkaline waters of Florida, it is not impossibe that the common corys are hardier than they used to as well. That still leaves open a question of the wild-caught or newly farmed.

I do not have Sands' book, so you'll have to answer this question for me. It looks like the quote is little more than anecdote, though in this case it is anecdote supported by experience and expertise. Does Sands address any issue of their osmoregulatory processes or the fact that they are primary freshwater fish? Thanks.