Let’s talk tank salts (NaCl) not epsom

[shern]

Have you tested your water?

Yes

If I did not test my water...

1. ...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.

Do you do water changes?

Yes

If I do not change my water...

1. ...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.

greetings keepers, i’ve been running short on my salt recently and was in search of a restock, the usual brand i get at HD is gone so im looking for alternatives.

what salt brands or types do general monster aquarist use nowadays for parasiticides properties and osmoregulatory increases?

i have more vulnerable scaleless fish like my tiger morays eels so im wondering if some salts are a bit more abrasive or harmful towards them.

if you’ve got experience especially with salt and vulnerable fish please let me know

i personally would love to keep using salt in my tank to ward off parasites instead of medicines

 

[shern]

also wanted to say that lupin has an amazing sticky regarding the actual properties of salt and it’s uses if any of you wanted to read

 

[justintheodd]

greetings keepers, i’ve been running short on my salt recently and was in search of a restock, the usual brand i get at HD is gone so im looking for alternatives.

what salt brands or types do general monster aquarist use nowadays for parasiticides properties and osmoregulatory increases?

i have more vulnerable scaleless fish like my tiger morays eels so im wondering if some salts are a bit more abrasive or harmful towards them.

if you’ve got experience especially with salt and vulnerable fish please let me know

i personally would love to keep using salt in my tank to ward off parasites instead of medicines

personally I just buy the mortons kosher un iodized salt at home depot. at a mollecular level, as long as it is uniodized it is all the same, so I don't think it particularly matters.

 

[jjohnwm]

I normally choose plain ordinary pickling salt, which is non-iodized....but if truth be told, I have in a pinch used normal iodized table salt on numerous occasions over the years without a hint of a problem.

I don't keep salt in the water all the time as a precaution against...well, against anything, really. I use it in conjunction with heat as an ich treatment, and occasionally as a "tonic" to help prevent fungus infections on fish that have come out on the losing end of an in-tank disagreement. It's allegedly supposed to stimulate mucus/slime production which helps prevent infections, and I have no reason to disbelieve that. I also use it at higher concentrations as a dip or bath, most typically for Axolotls if they happen to show signs of gill fungus.

Most of the fish that I keep are strictly fresh-water species; to me it makes no sense to maintain such fish in even a low-salinity environment for anything other than a short time. Most of the time, the best prevention for anything is clean, fresh water and healthy conditions, rather than taking something that is typically considered a medicine and making it an ongoing and continuous treatment.

 

[shern]

I normally choose plain ordinary pickling salt, which is non-iodized....but if truth be told, I have in a pinch used normal iodized table salt on numerous occasions over the years without a hint of a problem.

I don't keep salt in the water all the time as a precaution against...well, against anything, really. I use it in conjunction with heat as an ich treatment, and occasionally as a "tonic" to help prevent fungus infections on fish that have come out on the losing end of an in-tank disagreement. It's allegedly supposed to stimulate mucus/slime production which helps prevent infections, and I have no reason to disbelieve that. I also use it at higher concentrations as a dip or bath, most typically for Axolotls if they happen to show signs of gill fungus.

Most of the fish that I keep are strictly fresh-water species; to me it makes no sense to maintain such fish in even a low-salinity environment for anything other than a short time. Most of the time, the best prevention for anything is clean, fresh water and healthy conditions, rather than taking something that is typically considered a medicine and making it an ongoing and continuous treatment.

the main inspiration behind this thread was when I stumbled across the effects of salt in curing cloudy eye amongst fish. it was an extremely old thread where multiple members claimed and had proven that salt in their FW tanks had cleared the cloudy eye of their fish. I've run into cloudy eye on two separate occasions with the same NTT in my tank, which was extremely odd since my water parameters rarely falter. it seems plausible to some extent but I'm really just trying to min max what I can do to keep my fish safe and healthy

 

[danotaylor]

I use this water softener crystal from HD. It’s 99.8% pure sodium chloride, and costs $9/40#’s;

 

[shern]

anyone know if salt actually had an effect against cloudy eye? i prefer not to use meds if i can

 

[justintheodd]

anyone know if salt actually had an effect against cloudy eye? i prefer not to use meds if i can

I dosed my water with salt and it seemed to work. BTW I wouldn't worry about the tiger moray eel as they are known to naturally inhabit various degrees of brackish water.

 

[shern]

I dosed my water with salt and it seemed to work. BTW I wouldn't worry about the tiger moray eel as they are known to naturally inhabit various degrees of brackish water.

thanks for the input, i was wondering if “marine salt” and just normal unionized salt had any differences but hopefully it won’t affect my fish negatively.

i think if i don’t notice the fish getting better in 3 ish days from cloudy eye i’ll throw him in the QT

 

[justintheodd]

thanks for the input, i was wondering if “marine salt” and just normal unionized salt had any differences but hopefully it won’t affect my fish negatively.

i think if i don’t notice the fish getting better in 3 ish days from cloudy eye i’ll throw him in the QT

No problem. BTW, marine salt and uniodized salt are the same except marine salt is twice as much. just look on the back to make sure it doesn't have any additives, as some will use an anti caking agent, and you should be right as rain.