QQ - Which Salt?

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Aqualoon

Aqualoon

Piranha
MFK Member
Jul 8, 2009
1,787
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Minnesota
Quick Question here - what salt is safe to use from the grocery store? Is it solar salt?

I'm sorry, I know there was a huge thread on here a bit ago but I can't find it now via search (who knew that the term "salt", "aquarium salt" would pull up so many results!). I'm one of those people who over pays and gets the API aquarium salt stuff and last week I used up the last of what I had.
 
An additive free salt I've found in grocery stores is rock salt (morton? Red box), used mainly for making ice cream. Gotta go to a hardware store for solar salt here.
 
I've used regular Morton's Iodized table salt with no ill effects and in fact am using it right now. Calcium or sodium silicate, the anti-caking agents in Morton's, are fine for fish.

As a word of caution they do have types of salt that have other anti-caking agents which can be toxic for fish.
 
I use Solar Salt in the blue bag from Lowes. It's 99.9% pure.
 
I use salt that's meant for saltwater aquariums for my freshwater fishes that prefer a higher pH (plus there's plenty of beneficial trace elements), and I use regular old iodized salt for any other freshwater applications. The iodine in the salt is not enough to hurt the fishes and may actually be beneficial rather than harmful.
 
If you use the Morton salt you can also buy it without the iodize in it. But that does not hurt the fish at all. Just some people probably without any good reason do not want the iodize.
 
I am using Kosher Salt right now. Available at food stores.

First I've heard of Solar Salt, will look for that next trip to the box store.
 
Racersk said:
I am using Kosher Salt right now. Available at food stores.

First I've heard of Solar Salt, will look for that next trip to the box store.
Click to expand...

I actually discovered Morton kosher salt has sodium ferrocyanide in it, AKA yellow prussiate of soda in it. Read the back. I didn't know either until I read it one day.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_ferrocyanide
"Sodium ferrocyanide, also known as tetrasodium hexacyanoferrate or sodium hexacyanoferrate(II), is a coordination compound of formula Na4Fe(CN)6 that forms semitransparent yellow crystals at room temperature and decomposes at its boiling point. It is soluble in water and insoluble in alcohol. Despite the presence of the cyanide ligands, sodium ferrocyanide is not especially toxic (acceptable daily intake 0–0.025 mg/(kg body weight)[2]) because the cyanides are tightly bound to the metal. However, as with all ferrocyanides, it can react with acid or photodecompose to release hydrogen cyanide gas.

In its hydrous form, Na4Fe(CN)6·10H2O (sodium ferrocyanide decahydrate), it is sometimes known as yellow prussiate of soda (YP Soda). The yellow color is the color of ferrocyanide anion.
[edit] Uses

Sodium ferrocyanide is a chemical additive known as E 535. It is added to road and food grade salt as an anticaking agent.[2] When combined with iron, it converts to a deep blue pigment, which is the main component of Prussian blue.[3] In photography, it is used for bleaching, toning, and fixing. It is used as a stabilizer for the coating on welding rods. In the petroleum industry, it is used for removal of mercaptans."

Probably not a compound you want in your aquarium...
 
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