Is it ok to add aquarium salt to my cichlid tank?
by Aquaboy on Friday, April 2nd, 2010 | 4 Comments
I have a flowerhorn, a jack dempsey, and a jaguar cichlid. and i was thinking about adding aquarium salt, but i am also using a algae control thing, so would it be ok to add salt?
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why do you need salt in the tank. if you dont need it then dont put it in. if you do need it for some reason then just make sure that the ph and stuff stays in the safe level for the fish. most fish are ok with a little salt in their tank.
Yes, they will enjoy them. Aquarium salt help treat disease, while making the fish more healthy and active. In fact, most freshwater fish rely on them, for killing bacteria. They will also help kill algae, lower ammonia, and reduse ph temperatures. Be careful though, not to use too much.
Hope this helped.
Don’t. None of those fish have salt in their natural habitats, nor do they need it in captivity. If your tank is a proper size (150 gallon+ range) and you maintain your regular weekly water changes, you should have no need for salt.
Almost all cichlids evolved in at least partially brackish water. There is very little “fresh” water in nature, almost all of it contains salt from rain runoff.
In fact, cichlids will thrive in water up to .005 parts per million salt, typical “brackish” water in which you’d keep a puffer or molly.
The salt prevents many diseases, because the micro-organisms are much less tolerant of its effect on their cellular osmosis.
So between one teaspoon and one tablespoon of salt, per gallon, in your tank.
I strongly suggest, on the other hand, that you stop using algae control chemicals. I have nothing against using chemicals, but if you have an algae problem, killing it off only leaves an opening for a bacterial bloom in your tank, and that may kill off your fish.
What you need to do is determine the source of your algae overgrowth in the first place. Algae does not thrive in a normal tank, but only in one where there is too much food available. Try reducing the amount and frequency of your feedings. Only feed your fish as much as they can will eat in a few minutes, and only feed it to them a little at a time, so they don’t miss any. And if you are, say, feeding them twice per day now, reduce it to once per day.
It is ALWAYS safer to underfeed than overfeed.
If you were keeping community fish, you could cut the feedings to only twice per week, and they would actually live longer than with daily feedings. Since cichlids have a higher metabolism, about once per day is a safe amount.