Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

Hey everybody this is my first time posting, figured I'd start out with a question.

Anyone have any experience using this natural sea salt in shrimp tanks? I've read 1 tsp per 5g is good because it contains calcium and other minerals/trace elements that benefit inverts.

sorry if this has been discussed before.

I would not do that unless there was some problem in the tank that salt, and not calcium would help with. There are plenty of inexpensive methods of putting clacium in water that don't involve salt. Just a little coral in the filter will give you plenty.

The benefits of calcium in the water is more good pH control rather than something for the shrimp. Assure that they have plenty of calcium in their diet and theywill have what they need in this department. Just be sure not to overfeed.

What is your make-up water like? If you need a water softener, then your water has more than enough calcium.

Caridina sp. wrote:Hey everybody this is my first time posting, figured I'd start out with a question.

Not a bad idea.

I've read 1 tsp per 5g is good because it contains calcium and other minerals/trace elements that benefit inverts.

Where exactly did you read this? Different shrimp species have different requirements so making such a blanket statement about "shrimp" in general is just plain wrong. There are some species (i.e. red cherry, green shrimp etc.) that won't get affected by salinity and others might just die from it. But none of them *need* sea salt additions really as their natural waters do not contain any sea salt unless they are living in estuarine environments (which some shrimp do).

So, bottom line, no, don't add any salt.

I read that shrimp like salt in a cherry shrimp article on plantgeek so I should have been more specific.

Badflash: My water specs are ph 6.8 kh 5.5 c02 injected planted 55g. I've accually been using this salt for about 1 month now with red cherries, bumblebee's, and wood shrimp. The cherries molt like crazy and all but one of my 7 females are carrying eggs. The other shrimp do the same, so I guess these specific shrimp don't mind a tiny bit of salt.

Caridina sp. wrote:I read that shrimp like salt in a cherry shrimp article on plantgeek so I should have been more specific.

Badflash: My water specs are ph 6.8 kh 5.5 c02 injected planted 55g. I've accually been using this salt for about 1 month now with red cherries, bumblebee's, and wood shrimp. The cherries molt like crazy and all but one of my 7 females are carrying eggs. The other shrimp do the same, so I guess these specific shrimp don't mind a tiny bit of salt.

1. molting and salt addition don't need to be interdependent. Plus, molting is not always a good sign despite what you read out there.

2. If you add tiny amounts of anything it won't affect water quality all that much. You can also sprinkle a little bit of sugar or pepper into your water and then come back and say: "My shrimp are doing great because I add sugar to my tanks." The is a causality issue. Even if one thing does not have necessarily anything to do with another people tend to still make the connection. This is the same issue as with the iodine addition myth.

The question that you should ask yourself is: "Would my shrimp still be doing well without me adding salt to my tank?" I can tell you the answer: Yes. I have thousands of shrimp here as proof and so do others not only in the US but in many other countries.

I just don't subscribe to the theory that "if it does not hurt the shrimp, it must be good." When keeping shrimp it's always good to have or develop a scientific and inquiring mind. Keep in mind that many articles out there are obsolete and inaccurate. The existence of this website is a direct reaction to those articles and myths still in circulation.

I'll take your advice and kick the salt treatments. At least the bag was cheap.. thanks for the advice.

You're welcome. Anything to help eradicate myths in the hobby.