Do Discus Fish Need Salt in Their Aquarium
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*I’m often asked, if there are benefits to adding salt in a freshwater Discus fish aquarium. There are two salts I will discuss in this article, Rock salt, and Epson salt.
Aquarium salt or rock salt are both the same and can be purchased inexpensively at a grocery store, feed store, or the local aquarium fish store, and has been used in tropical fish keeping for decades. It is believed to help the slime coat of fish, acting as prophylactic protection against external protozoan parasites and bacterial infections. Dosage can range from 1 tablespoon for every gallon, to 1 tablespoon per 10 gallons. Standard dose is between 1 tablespoon for 5 to 10 gallons. I have used rock salt on and off for many years. I have now stopped using it completely as I never saw any concrete proof that the Discus fish benefited in any way, and it was messy. As water evaporated, salt would build up on the back of the aquarium, and eventually the clump of salt would get so big it would fall on the floor and make a mess to clean up, not to mention it is very corrosive and would damage metal aquarium stands. So, I quit using it and the fish did not miss it at all.
Now for a positive advantage in using salt, I did observe that when Discus fish parents had a large brood of fry feeding on their slime, the addition of rock salt at a dose of one tablespoon per 5 gallons did seem to help the slime secretion which gave the fry more to feed on. This would be the only reason to use rock salt in a Discus fish aquarium, and only when parents have fry feeding on their side.
Epson salt, which can be purchase from a local drug store is said to help treat internal ailments, such as bloat or swim bladder problems. Dosage can be the same as the above rock salt dosage. I have tried this several times over the years and have never seen it help in any way. So, I do not recommend using Epson salt for your Discus fish at all.
Also, please note: “DO NOT USE TABLE SALT OR IODIZED TABLE SALT IN YOUR AQUARIUM”.
Learn More: How to Treat White Spots on Discus Fish
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