Posted by breezin on February 24, 2003 at 20:52:43:
In Reply to: Sea salt for molly tank? posted by jerryepple on February 24, 2003 at 01:24:59:
Dear Jerry,
Yes, the sea salt for oceanic aquariums is what you would use for mollies. I use the artificial salt (Instant Ocean) because it's all I can find around here. Yes, it IS very expensive. However, I have to admit that my mollies have never been healthier and happier. (and they're breeding like mad!)
Before you add any salt to the tank, please read the following:
1.) Buy a hygrometer. It will probably set you back $11 or $12, but it's the tool you'll need in order to determine the salinity level in your tank. (Mine's a Seatest, and it has held up great so far.)
2.) Check the specific gravity of your tank water with the hygrometer before adding salt. Some areas have naturally occuring salt in the water. Additionally, if you have a water softener, you'll find a higher than 1.000 sg reading.
3.) When you do add salt for the first time, only add a small amount that has been well-dissolved in water first. You only want to raise the salinity level in the tank by very little. For instance: if your tank water had a specific gravity of 1.004 before adding salt solution, only raise it to a specific gravity of 1.006. After a few days, go ahead and add a little more dissolved salt to bring the specific gravity up another 2 thousandths of a point.
You don't need a whole lot of salt in the tank. Neither do you need to be a fanatic about keeping the level stable. Salinity of about 12, or a specific gravity of 1.008 or so should be fine. The mollies won't mind gradual changes in the salinity of the water. Furthermore, parasitic organisms do not adjust well to fluctuating salt levels... a bonus!
I hope I have answered your questions satisfactorily. There are other, more experienced people on this board who may want to weigh in with their opinions born of experience.
~Patricia
:I am at an advanced age and like many old persons I have trouble with itching and scaling legs in the winter. I read somewhere that people who swim regularly in the ocean seem to have fewer skin problems. I bought some fake sea salt used for oceanic aquariums, and made a saline solution with it for soaking my feet, and laving my legs. I used the fake type, believing it to be less septic than salt rendered from actual seawater. Yes, the saltwater has improved my skin condition wonderfully. Now I have most of the salt left, and want to know if it is going to be alright to use it as the salt for my molly tank. Can anyone offer me advice on this? As an aside, that salt was really expensive. It amounts to nearly a dollar's worth for a gallon of seawater. With the usual water changes it seems to me that keeping an oceanic aquarium would be prohibitively expensive. Am I going wrong in my thinking? Thanks for any replies...Jerry Epple
