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Does Aquarium Salt have any effect on plants

BarryH

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25 Feb 2017
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Location
Derbyshire
I look after my granddaughter's Juwel Rio tank which has two fancy goldfish. Some time ago I read it was good practice to use a small amount of Aquarium Salt in the tank, this for the benefit of the fish.

Will the salt have any effect on the plants I have in the tank?
 
Depends how much you add, but it is bad for most plants.

Although recommended in every goldfish book I own, it's not even great for goldfish, it only has very specific uses (such as salt baths for parasites, stress temporarily when transporting fish and lessening the effects of toxic nitrite), and nowadays there are much better alternatives for those too.

In most cases it's just pure sodium chloride AKA table salt, except much more expensive.

In the doses recommended, it will do negligible harm to goldfish, but it has no real benefit for any true freshwater fish, and negatively effects the vast majority of aquarium plants (those that don't naturally occur in at least mildly brackish water).
 
With all the products currently available adding salt should be burned at the stake. I think the only real use for it these days would be for sterilising nets and equipment at high concentrations.
 
If you must add salt, then add GH booster. That's ok for plants.
 
Hi all,
Although recommended in every goldfish book I own, it's not even great for goldfish, it only has very specific uses (such as salt baths for parasites, stress temporarily when transporting fish and lessening the effects of toxic nitrite), and nowadays there are much better alternatives for those too.
I think the only real use for it these days would be for sterilising nets and equipment at high concentrations.
I'm not a salt fan either.

This links to a very good water quality article <"Water Chemistry: Osmoregulation, Ionic Imbalance & pH"> by Joe Gargas.

cheers Darrel
 
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