So, i talked to this guy i met at the fishstore a while ago and he had told me he adds salt to his fresh water fish. He said that his fish grow a lot healthier and with brighter colors. i didnt believe him, i was like why would you add salt to fresh water fish, but he said he has been doing it for over 7 years and he has like 4 or 5 tanks in his house, so i was like ok and we left it at that.
so i just got some aquarium salt for my betta because he was showing stress signs and i read that a little salt would help. so i figured salt reduces stress, makes sense what the guy had told me. then i further read that the salt adds electrolytes to the water which the fish need. so its starting to make sense what the guy told me. so i added some salt to my fish tank.

Hey guys, I am pretty new here and joined up a couple of months ago. Anyways I have had experience with FW and much success with it. However curiosity and the want to do SW has overtaken me. I have read many many threads and topics here and have gotten some great info from all around the web. Right now I just have the 75g and its stand sitting here empty as I begin to plan out the tank. At first I was going to start out with a small 10 or 20g setup but I realized that any error on my part will be better sorted with a larger tank and I knew that I would just want to upgrade anyways. I don't care how much planning or time it takes to get this thing going I want to do it right the first time. I must say I feel a bit overwhelmed with everything I am reading. Its so much more involved then FW but I am up to the challenge. Unfortunately money is not in tight supply but its not like I have thousands to spend right now on this so its going to be a slow moving process and will take some time to get all my ducks lined up. I have so many questions that I literally cannot think of where to start.

If you have a question about your tank, someone here probably has an answer for you. But there are a few things you can do to help eliminate the guesswork involved in order to find a resolution fast.

First off, many of the problems that plague aquaria are due to poor water quality. For this reason, this is generally the first thing that you will be asked about.

Getting Results

Since we cannot always see your tank and the conditions you describe we must rely on information to help us determine what the underlying issue is. Testing your tanks parameters and knowing what the current levels are is a crucial part of accurately diagnosing and treating your tank.

Statements such as "I have algae in my tank" and "My water is cloudy" are not really enough to go on.

Here are a few of the questions you will likely encounter whenever asking for help with your tank.

Freshwater

What size is the tank?
How long has the tank been set up and running for?
How many fish do you have, and what are they?
What is your Ammonia level?
What is your Nitrite level?
What is your Nitrate level?
What is your pH?
What is your KH?
What is your GH?
What is the temperature?
What type of filtration do you use?
How often do you change the filtration media?
How often do you perform water changes?
How often and how much do you feed your tank?
What chemicals do you dose in your tank?
Where do you gather your water from, and what conditioners do you use on it?

If the tank is Planted, then add the following:

What is your Phosphate level?
What is your Iron level?
What is your CO2 level?
What Type of lighting do you use?
How long are the lights on each day?

Saltwater

What size is the tank?
How long has the tank been set up and running for?
How many fish do you have, and what are they?
Do you house Corals or sensitive invertebrates in the tank?
What Salt mix do you use?
Where do you mix your saltwater at and how long before you use it?
What is your Ammonia level?
What is your Nitrite level?
What is your Nitrate level?
What is your pH?
What is your KH?
What is your salinity (ppt) or specific gravity (ppm)?
What is the temperature?
What type or combination of filtration do you use?
How often do you change the filtration media?
What type of lighting do you have?
How often do you perform water changes?
How often and how much do you feed your tank?
What chemicals do you dose in your tank?
Where do you gather your water from, and what conditioners do you use on it?
If you keep carnivorous fish do you feed them live foods?

If you have a Reef tank then add the following:

What is your Phosphate level at?
What is your Calcium level at?
What is your Strontium level?
What is your Magnesium level?
How much current do you have in the tank?
How much live rock is present?
How many total watts of lighting are you providing the tank with?

Answer as many of these questions as you possibly can in your first post. The answers to these questions can tell whether your tank is cycled, biologically stable, overburdened, properly configured for the species you house, has compatibility issues that need to be addressed, and will give clues as to what is causing your problems, how to deal with them, and how best you can go about resolving the issue so that it does not return.

Help others help you by coming prepared with some base statistics. Otherwise there will be a lot of back and forth, what is this, how about that, check this and report back...

Thanks!

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Stress.

We all know that eating right, exercising and getting the proper amount of sleep is a formula for a long and healthy life. We also know that smoking, drinking and partying all night surely affects that.

But what about our fish? They don’t smoke or drink and their partying is pretty much limited to “hide and seek” and “hopscotch” among the rocks and caves.

Increased stress reduces a fish’s ability to ward off diseases. It reduces its ability to breed successfully and shortens its natural lifespan. Stress also affects deterioration of the slime coat which protects the fish. This slime coat is a fish’s main defense system of infections. Thus, it is important that we as fish keepers eliminate sources of stress whenever possible. As with everything in life, removing stress does not totally guarantee a healthy tank, but it does significantly increase the odds.

So what causes stress?

Physical Space. Most fish are territorial and need room to chase intruders from their claimed space. Keeping a fish in a tank that is too small for it will increase the level of stress not only for that fish but the entire tank as aggression issues become likely.

Tank Buddies. Not all fish species mix well with others. Size and compatibility are the key issues here. Most Cichlids will eat any fish that fits in their mouth. Even if a fish is too big to be eaten, it will be chased endlessly causing stress. Some fish are by nature a “schooling” fish and do not fair well when kept individually.

Temperature. Fluctuations of temperature should be kept to a moderate level. Bear in mind also that as water temperature increases, the amount of dissolved oxygen decreases. Aeration here is important.

Water Conditions. Perhaps the most significant cause for stress comes from poor water quality. It’s important to note that our aquarium is an enclosed ecosystem, and fish are dependant upon us to keep it optimal. Sudden changes in water chemistry causes severe stress. Adjustments need to be made gradually. Ammonia and Nitrite are extremely stressful and high levels are lethal.

Acclimation. Fish do not travel very well. The trip from their natural habitat to the LFS and then in a little clear bag to our homes is quite traumatic. Usually the very first aquarium phrase a novice learns the hard way is “Osmotic Shock.” It is very important that fish be acclimated into our tanks properly.

Other Factors. There are many additional factors which cause stress, such as, adding untreated water, poor nutrition, addition of medications to “treat” illnesses, and more.

Signs of Stress. Fish stays or hovers at the surface (not to be confused with “top swimmers.” Fish remains motionless at the bottom. Fish does not eat or eats less than normal. Wounds do not heal. Fish stays hidden.

Hints and Tips to minimize stress.
Acclimate new “finned friends” properly.
Get to know you fish by watching them the first few weeks to get to know what their “normal” behavior is.
Place your aquarium in a “not heavily traveled” location in your home.
Although extremely important, water changes do stress fish. Consider changing less water more frequently.
Test your water parameters often to get a “heads up” on any trends happening.
Insure that your tank contains enough “hiding places” and/or “safe havens” for each fish to reduce aggression.

Eliminating some causes of stress will increase your fish’s resistance to other stress factors.

I hope you have found this helpful in achieving a healthy and less stressful environment for your “finned friends.”
Please feel free to add to this.

Now, if we could just come up with a formula to assist us when we are filling out that Form 1040 at 11PM on April 15th!!!

The newest in our series of informative videos is ready for viewing. The video will be posted in our Video Tutorial Thread as soon as we can resolve a technical issue. In the mean time, you can follow this link to access the "Common Fish Ailments" instructional video.

http://www.youtube.com/user/fishtankforums

Ok folks, I finally finished (thanks to those who kept pushing..I needed a nudge lol).Please remember this is not an exhaustive list, but I have tried to cover a variety of models and brands. I do hope this helps. If this does not cover some specific model/brand and you cannot find what you are looking for, feel free to pm me and I'll see hat I can come up with. Thanks, Judge.





A Filter Comparison

Types include Underground (UGF) Hang ob Back (HOB) Canister. These are the most commonly used, and this is why I narrowed my research to these three types of filtration systems. The research consists of a comparison of initial price, cost of media, effectiveness and noise level. If any pertinent information about a particular model was a key factor in whether to buy of not buy, this too was included. I picked three of each type and included the upper end, middle range and lower end models. I rated each from 1-5 stars based on the elements previously mentioned. So without any further delay, and since I have had many requests for this information, this is what I found.
*** Please remember that this list is not exhaustive, nor is it an endorsement by myself or Fishtank Forums. This is just what has been compiled by myself in order to help members have one place to look at a glance in order to make a more informed decision.***
UNDER GRAVEL FILTER (UGF)
After much research I could only find one model/brand that was readily available. The PerfectA-Flo came in various sizes per gallons. The wide range included a 10 gallon PerfectA-Flo for $12.99 up to 125-135 gallon for $58.99. Most come with all the stones, tubing, etc. needed to run. Media replacement/carbon cartridges were not expensive, noise was not a factor, and initial cost was very reasonable, however there is much controversy over the overall effectiveness and maintenance. So I gave this style of filtration a rating of 2 Stars.

HANG ON BACK (HOB)
Marineland Penguin Bio-Wheel prices/gallons ranged from $21.99 -$41.99 for a 75 Gallon. Most feel like the bio-wheel is a bit gadgety. The most complaints I read from other owners were; it is noisy, good for small tanks, but they do not last long. The media was not as reasonable as some others. I gave this style/model of filtration a rating of 2 stars.
Hagen Aqua Clear prices/gallons ranged from $26.99-$89.99 up to 110 gallons. I had a hard time finding anything about media; most users cited lots of various problems and issues that included being noisy. Price was the only thing reasonable but when all the other elements were factored in I gave this style/model of filtration a rating of 1 star.
Rena Smart Filters prices/gallons ranged from $31.49-$57.49 for a 55 gallon. Media was not real expensive. They are reportedly quiet, effective and I could find not major issues. Initial cost was not too expensive so based on all elements I gave this style/model of filtration a rating of 4 stars.
Emperor prices/gallons ranged from $49.99 for a 50 gallon up to $62.99 for an 80 gallon. The Emperor boasts of a dual/2 pump filtration that sends the water flow in two directions claiming it balances filtration this way. It has two bio-wheels and refillable filter cartridges so media is not expensive. Initial cost is reasonable; most users reported it was effective and relatively quiet. I gave this style/model a rating of 3 stars.
CANISTER
**Most, if not all canisters have refillable pouches that use carbon so cost for media is a minimal consideration.

**Most of the canister filters offer the same basic features so I found that it is a matter of quality and $$ versus need, or size of aquarium.
Eheim price/gallons ranged from $99.99 to $349.00. It is a quality product that was reportedly quiet and very efficient. One main benefit noted was that is you decided to upgrade/downgrade the pumps on most models are removable so you can continue to use them. Based on $$ if you are looking for quality then this is a good model, but because it is a little pricey I gave this style/model a ranking of 3 stars.
Rena Filstar XP price/gallons range from $119.99 to $242.99 for up to a 265 gallon. Most notable here was a 2 year warranty. Price is a little on the high side but could find no reports by owners of any problems with any of their models. They also have easy priming. Based on $, owner testimonials and ease of use I gave this style/model a ranking of 4 stars.
Cascade price/gallons $109.99 @265 gph for up to 100 gallons. 3 stage like most, extremely quiet, easy media changing/operation. No owner issues noted so pretty good bang for your buck. I gave this style/model a ranking of 4 stars.
Fluval/Fluval FX5 price/gallons $114.99-$339.99. This brand has just about any type/size filter for what ever your situation or need. It has a no prime feature on selected models, and while the company boasts a whopping 925 gph, that is without any media in it. With media it is 607 gph. One added feature that I can find no feedback on is the micro chip that shuts the system down once every 24 hours for approximately 2 minutes to allow for built up gases to rise up and be dispelled. The top end $$ is for up to a 400 gallon tank so cost is certainly reasonable for what you are getting. They are quiet, very effective and are long lived so I gave this style/model a ranking of 5.
Magnum 350 Pro price/gallons $139.00 and up. Very quiet and effective but have numerous moving parts/pieces and is not that user friendly as far as changing media. Easy priming and solid built, especially for the price. Only complaints were difficulties in changing media so I gave this style/model a ranking of 2 stars.

This concludes the research that I compiled on filters for our aquariums. I hope this helps those that have requested the information. Again, there is no endorsement of any one kind over another by myself or Fishtank Forums. This is only for information purposes.

I'm curious what the commonly accepted "ideal specific gravity" is for salt water? I've got a 20 gallon LRWF tank, kept at roughly 78 degrees Farenheit. My hydrometer seems to indicate that the ideal range is between 1.020 and 1.023 (which is roughly what I've heard from some other sources. However I recently figured out that the fish store where I tend to get my Salt Water keeps their water at 1.026. My tank has been high for a while now and I've been doing a mix of Salt and RO water to try and bring it down - anywhere from 1/2 and 1/2 for small water changes, and 2/3 salt 1/3 RO for larger water changes (I've been trying not to kill anything by dumping water too close to freshwater.
Right now it's a live rock tank with 2 fish, a starfish, cleaner shrimp, and a couple of crabs and snails. I've been thinking about changing my light from it's current 50/50, to something more condusive to corals, and getting an Anemone for the clown fish. But first I'd like to make sure I have my specific gravity right. All my other chemical levels are doing pretty good.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.