Salt

[bushboy]

I have been searching on the forum for salt info (and thought a specific thread might be in order to help others
later with salt related questions)

My specific question are :

1 is it worth adding salt prophylactically to a system?
2 if so -how much - ie rate in gm/litre?

thanks for any input

finally moving into the fish stage with my system tomorrow with some silvers - thanks Murray -
and want to add some salt if necessary before they are "installed" in the new home

Tom

[Hamish]

I wouldnt bother with salt unless you have a health problem with your fish.

[Jonathan Dyer]

At times Salt can be a wonderful product. But it all depends on a case by case basis and not every variety of fish has the same tolerances. Most people would not use it unless they had a need for it such as bacteria or disease problems, however, in certain species such as barramundi or black bream where there natural habitat ranges from inland freshwater to brackish mangroves to fullstrength seawater it can be beneficial for there growth and development as not all seawater is pure sodium chloride (off memory sodium chloride content is about 75%/vol but don’t quote me on that I would need to double check) it has many other trace elements that are able to be absorbed by the fish as essential nutrients for proper growth and development; it is always best to try and mimic conditions of what a fish would be found in nature.

Salt has the ability to reduce the effects of nitrate buildup in the blood of fish this alone is a very important quick step process to ease the presence of high peaks of nitrates even though a water change should be done, it is the chloride ion that enable this to occur something to do with the carrying of the blood across the gill plates I would have to check that one up, it works just as effectually with potassium chloride, calcium chloride and a few others both having the added benefit of adding potassium/calcium to you plants and fish.

Salt also reduces the onset of bacteria and disease problems if kept in a system as maintenance levels. Common dosages ranges from 0.2g/L to 2g/L but other tolerant fish will handle much higher, but excessive salt will have adverse affects to any ‘freshwater’ plants in an Aquaponic system. Additionally, it is common commercial practice to ‘bath’ new fish stock or infected stock with parasites such as gill fluke in full strength seawater (35ppt) for no more than half an hour to rid any potential or visible parasites from fish, although some sensitive species must not be treated at full strength.

[djs-sa]

well salt water is 35ppt (parts per thousand) and when my barra need salt i dose upto about 6-8 ppt and that is plenty to cure and fungal or bacteria outbreaks, otherwise ur grow beds will suffer from high salt levels.
U will find people only add it when u have issues.

[djs-sa]

1 ppt = 1000grams per 1000lts of water