So my mom comes over, and somewhere around the conversations fish comes in. Says this lady at work was talking about how nice her fish are. She got curious and asked more questions about them. My mother was shocked to hear the answers. Lady says she has had them for 8 years. Has a 55 gallon tank with 12 fishes in it. Little chunks of rock here and there with some fake plants but no coral. She uses a double bio-wheel filter. Mom asked for name, but lady knew it as that. No skimmer at all, infact she didn't even know what it was. For salt she uses regular kitchen salt. Says she buys water from the store in a container,(Possibly RO water) takes it home mixes the salt with it. Grabs a plastic thing(Guessing it a hydrometer) and keeps adding salt/mixing it until the needle hits the red numbers. Leaves the water out for 7 seven days, and then does a water change with the water in the tank. Weird story huh? I think this is the first careless owner I've seen that has fish for that long.
Can regular kitchen salt be used for SW tanks???
- Thread starter joeyjoeq
- Start date
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Yes it does. It simply means that she might have stumbled upon something we are unaware of. It doesn't jeopardize the health of the fish, I say we all need to know the real secret. As everyone forgot the penicillin, which was accidental discovery, and not we simply cannot survive without it.
If this really works, we all need to learn her secret?
Rohn
If this really works, we all need to learn her secret?
Rohn
It is possible to run 55 gal SW tank without a protein skimmer provide the tank can no corals and the bioload is low and frequent water changes are done. The protein skimmer allows us only to extend the frequency of the water change. Is the same can be accomplished by frequent water change, then great.
If the tank has only 12 small (maybe 1 inch long) fishes, then the bioload produce by them is small and water changes can easily remove the organic waste.
Rohn
If the tank has only 12 small (maybe 1 inch long) fishes, then the bioload produce by them is small and water changes can easily remove the organic waste.
Rohn
My concern is the use of common salt. Edible salt contain high amount sodium chloride compared to salt mix. Edible salt also contain Anticaking agents. These include, tricalcium phosphate, calcium or magnesium carbonates, fatty acid salts (acid salts), magnesium oxide, silicon dioxide, sodium alumino-silicate, and alumino-calcium silicate.
My question or concern is, what is the effect of some of these elements on these fishes?
Excess of silicate and phosphate should definitely result is diatoms. Fatty acid would break down and create more NH3 and eventually NO3.
This would still not be a problem if the tank is small or the amount of water change is large and frequent.
Rohn
My question or concern is, what is the effect of some of these elements on these fishes?
Excess of silicate and phosphate should definitely result is diatoms. Fatty acid would break down and create more NH3 and eventually NO3.
This would still not be a problem if the tank is small or the amount of water change is large and frequent.
Rohn