Introduction
We all love our fish and wish them long, healthy lives. A common way to accomplish is this is through using aquarium salt products and adding them to the water they swim in. As you have probably already discovered by now, choosing a quality aquarium salt is no easy task. There is a plethora of products available on the market, and it can be daunting or even overwhelming to make your pick.
Considering how salt treatment itself needs a little tinkering in order to be effective, as it can be toxic and dangerous in large doses, you are probably at a loss by now. Luckily for you, this article will give you all you need to know. First, we will explain whether you should or shouldn’t add salt to your aquarium. Second, we will outline some principles for proper salt use. Third, we will showcase our favorite aquarium salt products. We have personally tried all these and cannot recommend them enough. But first:
Should you Add Aquarium Salt?
The only true answer is that it depends. Generally, adding a bit of salt to a freshwater aquarium aids fish and increases their well being and health. For some fish, however, salt can be toxic. Moreover, any salt treatment should be accompanied by regular water changes to keep salt levels from rising to dangerous levels.
Depending on what fish you have in your aquarium, what you are trying to accomplish – prevention or treatment – as well as depending on where you live – water “softness” differs in different locations – you should calibrate the amount of salt you add to your aquarium accordingly.
We therefore encourage you to perform your own, individual treatment to gauge the salt levels suitable for your specific goals and fish. Giving you exact guidelines would be irresponsible, or even dangerous to your fish.
Principles of Effective Salt Treatment
What we can do, however, is to give you some general principles you can apply in your salt treatment, that you are likely to find useful, no matter your situation.
- Salt Treatment & Parasites: Regular use of salt as a preventative, can end up making parasites resistant to salt treatment. You might then have to resort to medications, instead. Thus, use salt no more than necessary.
- Salt & Aquatic Plants: Many aquatic plants cannot really handle large amounts of salt. That being said, most should be fine with a little aquarium salt.
- General rule of thumb: Like we mentioned, the exact amount of salt you should use depends on factors specific to your own situation. If we were to give a general rule of thumb, we could recommend you start with 1 tablespoon per 7 gallons of water – this is generally considered a safe dose for most fish and aquatic plants.
- Always follow the product’s guidelines: While salt treatment can be a highly beneficial and inexpensive preventative method, we cannot stress enough the importance of following a salt product’s guidelines. Do not exceed the recommended doses, as doing so will result in many negative consequences you would do best without.
Top Aquarium Salt Products:
Instant Ocean: Sea Salt
A great brand to introduce yourself to aquarium salt products, Instant Ocean is renowned for their extremely affordable prices. Do not let the price fool you, however, we have made sure this product passes our high standards of quality with flying colors. We present to you to their long time best seller, a product widely used by hobbyists as well as public aquariums and scientific research facilities – talk about a great bio!
The salt is really fast dissolving, and the product is completely nitrate and phosphate free. It has been refined and tested by professional scientists and aquarists time and time again in order to ensure it delivers all the major and minor elements necessary for maximising your fish’s health.
The product comes in many packages, from 10 gallons all the way to 200 gallons. What is really surprising, is how affordable it is. At just $10.78, this is really a bargain and we encourage you to give it a try.
API: Aquarium Salt, Freshwater, 50-Pound Box
Another excellent choice to consider, API’s freshwater aquarium salt comes to supply your fish with all the electrolytes they need to quickly recover from disease and improve their health and respiration systems. This salt is made from evaporated sea water, and thus includes all natural ingredients.
The package contains 50 pounds worth of salt – the salt is contain inside a thick, plastic bag inside the box. You can freely use it as needed from there. Now, do not get excited and remember what we said earlier: Use extra care when using salt and don’t exceed the recommended dosage to avoid any complications.
API has been creating massively successful and innovative aquarium products for more than 50 years. If the thought of stress free, vibrant and energy booming fish is to your liking, make sure you give this product a try.
Crystal Clear: Parasalt, 10 lbs
The final product on our list, CrystalClear’s ParaSalt, has been formulated specifically for goldfish and koi fish. It will increase their electrolyte intake significantly, which is an essential factor in fish health, disease and injury recovery. To give you an example, potassium, aids fish recover from wounds as well as reduces their stress.
The company’s ParaSalt blend can be used routinely as a preventive supplement as well as for salt baths. A salt bath is chiefly used to treat particularly nasty infections and deteriorating slime coats – as well as a bulk of other problems.
Our proposed package contains 10 lbs worth of salt – but there is also the option of settling for 2 lbs, or going big with 20. To give you an estimate, 10 lbs of ParaSalt are enough to treat approximately 2.000 gallons of water. Not too shabby for a product that costs merely $17.49.
If you do not want to go with one of the bigger brands, this is an excellent, top quality alternative for you to take a look at.
