can I add salt to tanks with clown loach, ram ?

[dx]

Anyone heard of this: "when keeping loaches (clown loach / kuhli loach) or Ram, don't add salt"?
what is the reason and what happen if added salt ?

I have clown loach and Ram in my planted tank and I intend to dose fertilizer in my planted tank, target would be 20~40 ppm Calcium and 10~15 ppm Magnesium by adding salts (calcim carbonate or calcium sulphate and magnesium sulfate). If the target is achieved, I think the water would be moderately hard.

Can I do this ?

[budak]

i think what you read refers to sodium chloride salt, not the water hardening salts you wish to use. Some people use some salt to reduce nitrite toxicity (but if your tank is not overcrowded, has a good filter and is well-planted, nitrite shouldn't be a problem). Others recommed it as a treatment for white-spot. But otherwise, it serves little purpose in freshwater tanks.

Why do you need so much Ca/Mg?? Are you trying raise GH or KH or these two nutrients per se??

[dx]

Yes I am trying to raise GH. I know people have been dosing K (potassium), nitrate and others to planted tank. Mg is 5~10ppm, or 10~15ppm, recommended from different sources. As for Ca, so far I know people using coral chips as contribution. But I do read from a book that recommended Ca is 20~40ppm.
And also I read that (from a book again )that it actually mentioned not to add Ca and Mg salt to clown loach tank.

Anyway, regardless of what literature is, I wonder keepers of clown cloach and Ram in planted tank, how do you bother about Ca and Mg amount ?

[dx]

got no answer for me so far.......gonna try in planted section []

[Metallic Sardine]

Hi there,

I have 5 clown loaches and used salt when i first started rearing them. I think it is quite effective tho I have stopped using it. Clownies get ICK quite easily and I think it helps to prevent that.

I remember the Salty Rule to be a tablespoon per 10 gallons and will use it again if any of my clownies fall sick. But as clownies have microscales, I would also advise to be light handed with the salt.

I now keep my tank temp steady at about 29-30c with a heater and they have not been sick since. If it is ICK you do not want, maybe you can look into a heater as well? But planted tank.....I guess cannot lah.

Cheers,

MetaSard