Salt

[leggsbrazos]

I was told to add 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon. I have silver $'s,Gouramis and clown loaches. Could you tell me why I need to add salt?

 

[WILDER]

Don't add salt with the clown loaches they can't tolerate it as they are a scaless fish.
If you don't have scaless fish it meant to help with the cycling.

http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...?article_id=335

 

[Fish Buddy]

Adding salt (adding electrolights) to the aquarium water aids in the fish's muscle movement and 'brain' function. There is an old debate weather adding salt is doing more harm than benifit to the aquarium but personally, I do not add it for the sake of adding salt- only during treatment of sick fish.
Beware that adding too much salt will burn the fish's skin!

 

[Nina]

Salt baths can be useful in treating some ailments. The general adding of salt harks back to previous years of fishkeeping when it was considered a tonic to aid the health of the fish.

A large number of the fish we actually keep have no detectable levels of salt in their native environment and do not handle the salt in the water very well.

 

[fi$hys]

it treats dieseases and i think it is used toreduce stress

 

[dwarfgourami]

Like everybody says, it was traditionally used in fishkeeping to reduce stress, and ward off stress related disease. A bit like feeding antiobiotics to chicken in intensive farming. Much better obviously if one can produce a stress-free environment without tonics- by frequent water changes, a varied diet and good stocking plan.
Plus now it is understood that many fish will suffer longterm health damage if living in salt. (Like it is now understood that a high salt diet is not good for humans in the longterm: nobody mentioned that when I was a child.) Particularly vulnerable are scaleless fish and fish like tetras that come from acid softwater areas. Livebearers can often cope well with semi-brackish conditions, but most do not require them.