aquarium salt with discus?

[ren]

ok i feel really stupid now - in the month and a bit that ive had my discus ive always been using aquarium salt with water changes - today when i got my water tested at the lfs they it came up in our conversation and they said to NEVER use salt with discus -...... !*?????? ive only been doing what ive been told from the start and everyone is giving me hugely conflicting advice - the only people i seem to be able to trust is people on this board - so what do you guys do? use salt or is it a big no no ??


if NO, will it be bad for my other fish in the tank not to have the salt? (bristlenose, blue rams, angelfish, bettas)

thanks in advance!

ren <- confused but battling new aquarist :p

[samir]

you can add it if your discus have a mild case of flukes. it also keeps a lot of parasites under control. i don't think its taboo for discus. i use it occasionally. i don't think salt / other additives buffers etc are important. the two most important things are water changes and lots of different types of food. if you concentrate on that you wont have a problem and will rarely need to add anything else.

[marg]

Hi ren,

I have used salt in the past when I have had a Discus that seemed a bit off colour after travelling - 1 tablespoon to 40 Litres - but make sure you dissolve it in warm water before you add it to the tank otherwise it just goes to the bottom of the tank and sits there.


What Samir said is good advice - plenty of water changes and good quality food - that's the secret for sure. Normally if your Fish seem a bit off it is usually a water problem. The less additives you add to the tank the better, and don't treat with any medications unless you are really sure what is wrong. If something seems wrong don't hesitate to ask the Forum as this Forum has heaps of dedicated and helpful members.

Happy Discus Keeping :D :D ,


marg.

[Phlipper]

I notice my discus do not like it at all, so I dont add it unless illness is a problem, and then only the 1 teaspoon for 40 litres. To be honest I'm not 100% convinced salt in such small concentrations as 1 to 40 litres is of any benefit anyway, certainly not for flukes. Bristlenoses and other catfish species dont tolerate it at all well either.

So my advice is dont use it at all unless needed, the fish that may benefit from salt are the livebearer species, it hardens the water, not what Discus prefer.

[ren]

well thanks for clearing that up for me

i had no idea

i was sold aquarium salt and told to add teaspoon every bucket (10L) with every water change

so i guess ive got quite a bit of salt in there at a teaspoon per 10L......

wonder how long it wil ltake to get it all out with changes

thanks for the info though

slowly learning...

[Merrilyn]

The Aquarium Salts that they sell in fish shops is ideal for goldfish, guppies, and quite a number of cichlid species. It makes the water harder and increases the pH.

Your discus, rams and angels and even your betta like to have the water soft, and slightly acid, so no salts are necessary.

Your regular water changes will gradually remove the salts from your tank, and give your fish time to slowly adjust to the tap water, which is what you want.

Aquarium salts are different to the rock salt, or coking salt that several of the members are talking about. That can be used as a mild medication for a variety of ailments.

HTH

[marg]

Thanks Ladyred for clearing that up - I meant that I have used Rock Salt :D ,

marg.

[Hearthemchainsdiscus]

Wow, very informative guys. Thanks, I have been using 1 tbls for every 10 gallons of water on my changes every week. I had no idea I wasnt' supposed to be using the aquarium salts. Could I have damaged my fish? :oops: I have more questions on water changes and will post in the forum as a main subject. Any insight on my future post will be greatly appreciated.

[Phlipper]

I too a long time ago used to add some salt at every water change with all kinds of fish as I was led to believe it was a good idea. Haven't done so now for ages unles for medication purposes, and I think the fish and plants especially are better off for it.

[StonX]

the aquarium salt you are talking about are the blue stuff right? Rock salt is ok to use?

[Peaches]

Aquarium Salt is a brand of salt sold at LFSs. It's not horrible to use, I"ve used it a few times when doing water changes and the dosing certain meds. It helped me use less medication and for a shorter time.

Now there's also Epsom Salt and Rock Salt...all different kinds of salts:)

[jang]

I too was told by my LFS to add salt at each water change to keep my discus healthy. But my tank is a planted tank first and foremost, and a discus tank second. I have been told in another forum not to add any salt because plants hate salt. So I have not add any salt ever.

I do not know what is the chemical composition of the salt given to me by my LFS but its granule size is similar to gravel (2 to 3 mm), clear crystalline in looks and does not seem to absorb moisture.

[ILLUSN]

I add salt to most changes because the tds of my processed water is practicly non existant (i use 1 tbl spoon/ 500l)

aquarium salt is a waste of time and money, go to coles and get yourself 4kg of rock salt for $2.

as a disease treatment the minimum dosage is 1tsp/40L, i usually build up to 2 or 3 tps/40L.

my plants HATE a salt treatment so dont use it in a planted tank.

[Jules]

Thanks for this question i was going to ask about the salt myself i have noticed that some of my fish are doing the shaking thing and rubbing their gills against the tubes and plants. i read somewhere that the salt is good for treating this is this correct? I did not want to use any other meds as i don't have the charcol to remove it and also read at some temps meds can be toxic. I still do not have all my test kits and such to make sure my water is stable but do not want their condition to get any worse. should i try the salt treatment or should i wait until i know exactly is going on with my water? i'm still doing 25% water changes everyday to try and get pH down is seems to be down to 7.6 now