common guppies gone

Jul 19, 2003
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Grants Pass, Oregon
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#1
Today I got rid of the common guppies and bought a trio of fan tail guppies one of the females is preggy no prob there.. I bought some Dr. Wells aquarium salt and read the directions 1 rounded tablespoon to every 5 gals of water, 3 Questions

1. will there be a problem for the guppies, mollies and shrimp and pleco if i add it?

2. do I mix the salt with some of the tank water and add it all at once?

3. will it harm the baby mollies?

searched the forums and didnt find the answers or maybe I did and just didnt understand
thanks for the feedback
 

Jul 15, 2003
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Kentucky
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#2
The salt will be fine for your guppies & mollies, not sure about the shrimp, but I think definately no for your pl*co. Catfish do not have scales like other fish so it is absorbed more easily/rapidly and disrupts their electrolyte balance. Basically, it dehydrates them. They can also get open sores from just a small amount of salt. I have never read anything that specifically mentions pl*cos, but I think the rule applies to them as well. Maybe someone else can verify/dispute this?

I have (in my earlier fishkeeping days) just dumped the salt into the tank, you can see it for awhile but then in dissolves. Later on I started adding it to the replacement water for water changes. I had no problems either way I did it.

I think that the babies would benefit from the addition of salt.
 

FroggyFox

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May 16, 2003
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#6
I think I would add some salt....but not the amount reccomended, cut it down some because I dont think your pleco or the shrimp will like the salt. Add a tiny bit at a time (say a teaspoon every other day?) I also read somewhere (sorry dont remember where) that if a grain of salt lands on a fish it actually burns them...so I usually dissolve the salt before I put it in.