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Aquarium salt2007-11-24 23:10:00

Too much salt coming in direct contact with a fish will give them a chemical burn, so when adding salt into a fish tank you should dissolve the salt completely in water first (about 1 tablespoon per gallon maximum for medicating fish or 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons for standard use) and then add it into the tank when you perform a water change. Don't add a full dose of salt with every water change as salt will not evaporate out with the water and the concentration will build up over time. Just add in enough for the water you are replacing.

Salt in the water is not recommended for aquariums that contain snails, scaleless fish, or heavily planted tanks. Plants do not appreciate high levels of salt and as snails are basically slugs with shells, salt can kill them. Contrary to what many people believe, corydoras are armored catfish and can tolerate salt, but many other species of catfish are scaleless fish and cannot.

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Hi Hopeless Romantic, there are two schools of thought regarding the use of salt in aquariums, one favours using it as as a tonic in small amounts & the other favours not using it at all unless you have a specific situation to treat. Personally I favour the 'less-is-best' idea because the least additives you have in your tank the less that can go wrong. Also there is the possibility that anything harmful will build up a resistance to salt & when you need to treat something nasty with a higher concentration of salt it may prove difficult.