The Puffer Forum

What exactly is the difference between Aquarium Salt (ex. API Aquarium Salt) and Marine Salt? Livebearer Salt? Brackish Tank Salt? Which one is used for what purpose. I have both types of salt and I wanna make sure Iam using the correct salt for figure eight puffers. I have the opportunity to get a large quantity of API salt free from a friend and I just want to make sure I can use that in a tank for F8s

"Aquarium Salt" is a product with no definition. The tem is completely and totally meaningless. There is no specific labeling requirement with regulatory control in this country. It can be anything the company wishes to sell the unsuspecting.

Quite a long time ago, in web terms, several of us lab types bought multiple varieties of Aquarium Salt. The analyses were a hoot - they ranged from unpurified mined salt (essentially and likely exactly "road salt" for snow and ice use) through several just plain salt (relatively purified but not food grade salt) to at least one product which was definitely Morton's table salt. A couple were "sea salt" from evaporation of marine water in ponds. We did not have any that were marine mix, but I have seen reports of such (from lobster salt for grocery and fish-market use - really basic marine mix unsuited to long-term use - to other basic and undesirable simple marine mixes). In other words, it is a toss-up. None had any sort of decent label analyses. Avoid such meaningless products - you cannot know what they are without an expensive analysis.

Marine mix is a variety of highly complex formulations which when reconstituted by label directions will produce a reasonable liquid which is capable of supporting vertebrate or invertebrate (likely somewhat different formulations - the invert formulas are more complex) marine life long-term.

There are also Rift Lake salts - to emulate the waters of Lake Malawi and or LakeTanganyika - separate formulations would be better there - the two are quite different. I have not analyzed those, but would not buy them if they did not have analysis on the label. They could be similar to "Aquarium Salt" and meaningless.

Table salt is quite safe and proper for disease treatment of FW fish sort-term, such a Ich. Rumors to the contrary - common to near-universal on the web - are mytholgy, to be kind. Or lies, to be blunt.

"Sea salt" for table use is not really suitable for tank use. It is safe (in this country anyway), but it is not purified sodium chloride (as "Table salt" is), but a mixture of the dried chemicals resulting when seawater is dried in ponds. As the brine concentrates, there are many irreversible reactions between the components, which means that if sea salt is dissolved in water, it will not resemble the original seawater. For disease treatment, you generally want the sodium ion (Na+) or the chloride ion (Cl-), or both. You get those in predictable quantity or strength if you use table salt,not sea salt,or marine mix. For the marine mix, you could compute it, but why bother? Marine mix is much more expensive and dissolves less readily.

Brackish water (BW) is any mixture of seawater and fresh water. If you want BW, use marine mix to whatever specific gravity or salinity is desired, there is no need or reason for any special mix.

I cannot see why anyone would need "Aquarium salt" at all. You might need table salt at times, short term. Or you might need marine mix. But what use is an undefined product?

I use aquarium salt to treat mild bacterial infections (like fin rot), aid in treatment of more severe infections, prevent infection in open wounds, and to treat ich in puffers (haven't had to do that yet, but I do keep it around). I use the API brand.

I thought that the iodine in table salt could be quite dangerous - not true?

so marine salt for figure eight puffer?

erik7281 wrote:so marine salt for figure eight puffer?

Yes. I use Instant Ocean brand.

erik7281 wrote:so marine salt for figure eight puffer?

LilGreenPuffer wrote:I thought that the iodine in table salt could be quite dangerous - not true?

Not true. Go hunt down RTR's article on salt.

The iodide (a salt containing the ionic form of the element iodine, not elemental iodine) is harmless at many time the concentration in iodized salt. Just as with chlorine - the element form, CL2, is toxic to man and beast and fish, but a decent if unstable disinfectant, the ionic form is common and harmless chloride ion. dechlorinators convert Cl2 to 2 each CL-. The former is toxic, the latter common and relatively harmless Think NaCl, which is in water Na+ and Cl- ions. Iodine is similar chemistry.

Oh, no. Are we talking about ionized things again?

Should I continue to use my API aquarium salt? I always thought it was reliable, and it was extraordinarily helpful in healing the wounds and infections that my rescued bettas all had.

LilGreenPuffer wrote:Oh, no. Are we talking about ionized things again?

Should I continue to use my API aquarium salt? I always thought it was reliable, and it was extraordinarily helpful in healing the wounds and infections that my rescued bettas all had.

No need to bin it, if it's worked in the past then it'll work again in the future

It has been at least 30 and maybe more years since i have had any "aquarium salt" in the house, but I do agree with Iliveinazoo (and BTW, I love the alias), it is not necessary to toss it. Just don't waste your money in the future, unless there is good analysis on the bottle.

I did warn you, life is ionic.

That's a good one - pretty ionic

I do not know if this has already been done, but the information in this post...especially the information posted by RTR...should be but somewhere more permanent.

When I first started my puffer journey...it was only by luck that before I went to the pet store to buy supplies someone told me to get marine salt and not aquarium salt. I can almost guarantee that there are people who come to this forum for help and miss the fact that they need marine salt instead of aquarium salt...because in all honesty..people like me do not know there is a difference

Just a thought!

We're working on that. As of right now, all of RTR's articles are linked in the "Links" forum.

The road salt is used to melt salt from the roads as well as from the walk sides of the street. It has many benefits like it is not so expensive compound to use for melting ice. There are high quantities of minerals in it.