Why not use salt all the time?

[markwill]

I'm have seen plenty of suggestions to add salt to "reduce stress". With that in mind, why don't people just add it on a regular basis (or DO they)? Do fish become acclimatized to it?

Also, given my fun nitrite readings (!) someone suggested I add "add much salt as my fish can reasonably take". I have not the faintest idea what thay limit is :-) Is this gopod advice and, if so, what CAN they take (how much and how often)? I have added salt once so far (on Tuesday) using the recommended dosage.

Thanks.

Mark

[funkyfish]

don't know about everyone else but i use it only when it is needed.
from what i have heard salt detoxifies nitrite don't know if it is true
but that is what they say. i'm sure everyone has there opion on the subject
but i find it handy for some probs jmo

[ValorG]

no i dont use it all the time for the fact that healthy discus dont need anything to help them out. their immune system is good enough to fight off anything that could be in the water except for a few parasites. also bacteria and viruses mutate easily and strains which are more resistant to the "cure all" salt could live in your tank after awhile.

[john2gs]

I'm have seen plenty of suggestions to add salt to "reduce stress". With that in mind, why don't people just add it on a regular basis (or DO they)? Do fish become acclimatized to it?

Also, given my fun nitrite readings (!) someone suggested I add "add much salt as my fish can reasonably take". I have not the faintest idea what thay limit is :-) Is this gopod advice and, if so, what CAN they take (how much and how often)? I have added salt once so far (on Tuesday) using the recommended dosage.

Thanks.

Mark

I add aquarium salt, during water change......for osmotic reasons, thus not to stress out fish...

[tcfish]

No salt is not good to use all the time on a continual basis and as nitrites go something is not working right in your bio-filtration has this tank properly cycled or was something put in that killed off your bio.nitrite is a big problem if your tank ph is under 7ph over 7 and the higher it wont hurt your fish keep your water changes up and get a grasp on whats wrong with your bio filtration

[raglanroad]

First, I think salt keeps the fish from taking in the nitrites. There are calculator tables for how much salt it takes to do the job.
The use of salt to keep the nitrite out is for "temporary" biofilter problems.
Salt will do nothing overall, in the bigger picture, to ease stress from water changes. In fact by varying the osmotic "density" of the water, more stress is produced. If the de-stressing is to be by compensating for fluctuation from the lowering of TDS due to removal of waste buildup, (which is removed by water change), then to add more salt just raises the TDS for next WC! A vicious cycle. No way out, unless you add salt to replace the junk, then subtract salt by small increments during the buildup of waste, keeping TDS even. Not likely. If slowly subracting salt during waste buildup, why not just change the water to remove the waste? therefore, salt is useless as a stress modifier for WC.
I like it for other reasons though.

[Cosmo]

Salt is fine for use on a temporary basis during times of stress or illness. But Discus are soft water fish, and salt definately adds significantly to your TDS readings. A good, consistent WC regimen is far more beneficial than constantly adding salt to the water. If you're having nitrite problems, this could be an indication your bio filter doesn't have sufficient capacity to handle the bio load... WC's will reduce the nitrites temprorarily, but for the long term you need to fix your filtration issues. Using salt to counteract nitrites is like treating a sympton rather than curing the disease

Jim

[Carol_Roberts]

Use 2 tablespoons salt per 10 gallons if problem with nitrItes. As I recall . . . .NitrItes interferes with bloods absorption of oxygen. Salt binds to the receptor and blocks the nitrIte

[Carol_Roberts]

. . . and best not to keep them in salt all the time. Over time they adjust to changes in water composition and I imagine it would lessen the desired affect.

[raglanroad]

Chloride alters the transfer of nitrite across the gills I believe. But one thing you should definitely be very aware of: if you add salt on a regular basis, there is the eventual and certain PICKLING of you fish. Evaporation is the reason. No matter how regular the WC, some water always evaporates, leading to higher and higher salt levels. The only way out of this is about 100% water changes periodically, during which time you will have deadly TDS fall, unless you add back in ALL THE SALT !!!.

[blaze]

plus they aren't saltwater fish

[ShinShin]

Salt ought to be used as a short term bath or dip only. Salt has become the most overused and misused chemical on the discus forums since potassium permanganate back in the late 90's early 2000's.

JMO
Well, not just mine, but...

[markwill]

Thanks for all the responses. What I should have clarified up front was that I actually have no intention of adding salt on an ongoing basis - but I just didn't know the reasons why it was a bad thing. Now I do :-)

Thanks again.

Mark