The Puffer Forum

i have read the article in the library about freshwater ick and i was unsure which sort of salt to use . Is it marine salt or just ordinary aquarium salt ?

"Aquarium salt" is a meaningless term. There is no standard "aquarium salt".

FW Ich needs sodium chloridfe, NaCl, plain ordinary table salt. Morton's or any other standard grocery story brand is economical and also suitable. Iodide at the levels present in table salt for human consumption is perfectly safe for fish - who also have an iodide requirement, just as humans do.

Don't get confused by the many old wives tales put forth by LFS and others without any real knowledge or information. This hobby is packed with misinformation and mythology, unfortunately.

thankyou for the info i had no idea it was normal table salt, i suppose the lfs are to blame again for the misinformation, there are so many contradictions in the hobby that it is hard to know what is right and wrong and i think it all comes down to experience which is why it is so grate to have this forum where i know i can count on someone having the correct answers to our problems

Of course--they want you do buy THEIR salt!

the lfs really make me mad

I cannot really fault a LFS for trying to make a sale -they are a business and if they do not make money, they go away. But operating your own tanks wisely and at the same time practically means not accepting the LFS staff's word on much. Just as with any purchase, it is up to the buyer to make the wise choice. That is one of the great benefits of the web, but also one of its weaknesses - there is just as much bad info on the web as there is good - telling the two apart is not easy for anyone. This hobby is loaded with myths and outright lies; the LFS cannot shoulder all the blame for that.