Topic: Aquarium Salts

[Vern]

I've just had an sudden and unexpected raise in nitrite levels in my S Amercian tank.

This is usually a combination of too many fish, over feeding or both. As such I've removed some cats to my SE Asian tank and cut back on feeding.  I've also added a few more cory's to aid with the general substrate turnover and to consume any left over food in the caves and hollows my common pleco can't quite reach.  However the nitrite levels are staying constant at a worrying level.

I've read that the addition of aquarium salts combined with more frequent water changes can remedy this however I've also heard that such salts should not be added to aquariums containing corydoras and plecos as this will burn them.

Does anyone have any information to confirm or deny this?  If salts cannot be used in my tank does anyone have any tips on reducing the nitrite level other than those I've already tried as set out above?

Cheers
Vern

[Vern]

Correct!  My usual maintenance routine is a fortnightly treated water change (20-25%).  This is now a twice weekly change due to the nitrite issues.  I have 2 internal Fluval 4 filters one with a polyester insert, one with a carbon insert.  I have actually removed fish (3 cats 3 loach) from this tank since the initial spike.  I wouldn't think the cory replacements for these would affect the bio load due to their size in comparison with those I've recently rehoused.  Basically this is home for a pair of chocolate and a pair of rainbow cichlids.  The cory's, plec and geos help shift the subsrate.  The geos are still small and I'm willing to rehouse these as and when needed should their size become a problem. The chocs and rainbows appear happy together even during spawning.  If you think otherwise, please let me know. 

[Vern]

Thanks Gerry,

In this tank I've created a naturally low Ph (approx 6.4) through decaying bog wood and plant matter. My tap water is 7.2 so I've always avoided such a big water change in case I subject my fish to a huge change in water quality or, worse still, a new cycle. I have found a 25% sufficient to avoid any major Ph issues however the recent spike has made me wonder whether I have a cycling issue to contend with.

Regarding the 2 filters they circulate 1000 litres per hour and are regularly checked for blockage, etc.  For a 200 ltr tank I find this adequate and, with both functioning correctly, I wouldn't have thought this had led to my nitrite issues.  I am however cutting back on feeding for the time being.

This however strays slightly from my initial question, in that are aquarium salts suitable for corydoras and plecos? I'm a big believer in adding salts to aid gill function and improve water however if this is likely to damage the above fish I'll look for an alternative.

Cheers
Vern

[tracey]

Catfish and loaches in general are not tolerant of salt in their environment.  I have been slammed a couple of times for the use of salt in one of my tanks by certain "experts" on another site.

Tha being said, I know of several ppl, including myself, who have used a therapeutic dosage of salts, 1TBS per 10 gallons, in their tanks with loaches and catfish, including Pleco's, without any ill effects.  It's not something I woudl try with some of the "exotic" Pleco's out there, but my Commons have never seemed to have a problem with it.  I started off with a very small dose, 1 TBS per 20 gallons, and raised the level over several weeks.  It takes a little working out to keep the levels correct, but I found that increasing the level over a month had no effect of the catfish in the tank at all.

[Vern]

interesting, thanks.  I'm going to keep a close eye on my cory's for any ill effects.  In the past salt has worked well in clearing up the initial signs of white spot on my clown loach without the need to revert to medication and also in perking submissive fish up, or those recovering from illness or who've maybe taken a hit.  I'd also heard they helped minimise nitrite breakouts but this doesn't seem to be the case?

[Stormbringer]

if its any help i know the gold spot plec isnt affected by the 1 tablespoon per 10 gallons of salt
that was added over 3 days
about the nitrate spike you could use cycle it can help reduce it in meantime as well as feeding your filter

[Adam]

You can use salt to prevent some of the symptoms of nitrite poisoning but it does nothing for the actual nitrite levels in the tank.  It simply decreases the effect on the fish.  If you are going to the trouble of dosing the tank with salt, save yourself the effort and just do a water change, it will be more effective in the long run.  BTW in order to achieve this level of salt you have to add a tablespoon to a 1/4 cup of salt per gallon of water, which is 10-20 times more concentrated then the standard 1 tablespoon per 10 gallons.  So in that case you couldnt dose it with any kind of sensitive species.

I think your water change schedule is to light.  If you feel like 30-40% is too much at one time(even though it isnt really) then you may feel more comfortable with doing 2-3 25% changes a week.  You will have to determine whether or not to do 3 based on your tank parameters.  25% weekly is obviously not enough.  You should be adjusting the Ph and temperature of the top off water before it ever gets to the tank, you may need to invest in a reverse osmosis system in order to produce enough water at the right ph.

That being said, Nitrite really has nothing to do with water changes.  Water changes are designed to remove waste and Nitrate from the water.  If you are having Ammonia or Nitrite spikes then you are over stocked, or over feeding, or both.  The only real cure for this is to cut back feeding, add additional filtration, or circulation to assist your existing filtration, and remove some of the live stock.  A rough general rule of thumb for larger cichlids is 1 inch of adult fish per 5-8 gallons of tank water.

[mrbigfish]

as a general rule do any of you add salt to your american/sa cichlid tanks?You know Brutis recently died and I changed 30-40% of the water and added some carbon (just because I had new filter pads) and am ready to ad another fish. The silver dollar in the tank seems fine, just lonely.

[Ezekial]

I seldom use it.  In the past i've used it when treating for illness/stress but have even stopped doing that.  I'm just not sure how effective it is at relieving stress.  Otherwise never use it. 

[mrbigfish]

I haven't either Joe, but I was thinking if Brutis did have some kind of parasite the salt would help clean it up. BUt as I said the silver dollar is healthy.

[altaaffe]

I only use it when I hospitalise a fish and never use it in the main tanks and I use rock salt - cheaper than aquarium salt.

Although on that note has anybody used 'sea salt' designed for cooking uses as this is even cheaper still.

I do add a very small quantity of salt to my Malawi tank but that is for hardness purposes.

[moneygetter1]

  It's been quite a while, but I do recall occassions of adding salt to my sick tank while treating for ich in conjuction w/ raising the temp & multi w/c's. I've known some to add it to their main tank depending on the fish species. Mollies & the like are said to benifit but I have no personal hands-on w/ those.  Good luck.  "T"

[moneygetter1]

  Agree in general w/ most of the above. Increased w/c schedule combined w/ reduced feeding & fishload should get you back on track. You also might also want to think about beefing up your filtration. As far as the carbon inserts, I would remove them. I personally only used carbon for med or tannin removal. Most of those inserts have a very short usable life (approx. 2/3wks. tops). After reaching max saturation if not removed they eventually break down & begin to realease the pollutants back into the water column. Better off filling that space w/ additional bio if possible. Haven't known salt to aid in NO2/NO3 reduction. Some FW scalelesss fish & plants have a difficult time w/ salt so I would be very cautious. I have at one time or another used salt in my sick tank in conjunction w/ multi w/c's & increased temps to help treat ich but not w/ 'cats'. Good luck,  "T"

[mrbigfish]

thanks all.

[Vern]

Thanks for all the replies guys.  Good news is that, following a number of water changes and cutting back on feeding a little, I managed to get my nitrites back to normal.  Still unsure how the spike came about (I can only assume a change in type of flake/pellet used) but by using salt I seem to have prevented a disaster from occurring.

It's just a pity that many stockists will tell you anything to get you to make a purchase! 

Vern