Do Platies need salt?

marie · 06-30-2007, 09:14 AM

What is the difference in what guppies need and Platties? Every few days there is another dead platy but the guppies are all doing just fine. The platies are getting pale and lethargic. After a few weeks they die.

I have lived in different areas of the country and in some places been told that the fw fish need a little salt. Is this true? Could my platies be dying because there is not enough salt in the water?

I have learned so much here but can't remember seeing this.

DirtyDawg10 · 06-30-2007, 09:31 AM

In my experience platys do not require salt to stay healthy although I know some people that add some to their tanks. It probably has more to do with the way the fish you are buying are bred or it could be another water parameter. Have you tested your water?

Platys do like hard water but that doesn't mean salt.

PufferMom · 06-30-2007, 09:43 AM

There's a very big debate as to whether livebearers need salt or not. Some swear by it, some say its not needed. IME, they tend to do better with some salt, particularly marine salt. No idea why, but mine just always live longer and are healthier with the addition of salt.

RTR · 06-30-2007, 02:47 PM

Many livebearers - but not all - are from hard, alkaline water originally, and historically have been best in such water. But, as already said, that does not mean they need added salt, sodium chloride. Salt does not affect the GH or KH, the things we measure as "hard" (GH, calcium and magnesium ions) and "alkalinity" (KH, carbonate and bicarbonate ions). Salt increases the TDS/osmolarity of the water, but has no effect on GH or KH. Also, the liverbearers for sale today are so far removed from the wild and have been bred so many generations in local rather than in water matching their wild sources that they have effectively no relationship in water requirements to those wild ancestors. The current LFS stocks tend to be seriously over-bred and substantially lacking in vigor and hardiness.

marie · 06-30-2007, 03:55 PM

Thanks for the responses. The water tests good except for Nitrates are 40.
The water has not been changed for 6 days so I guess it is time for another one.

06-30-2007, 09:14 AM	#1 (permalink)
marie Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 5	Do Platies need salt? What is the difference in what guppies need and Platties? Every few days there is another dead platy but the guppies are all doing just fine. The platies are getting pale and lethargic. After a few weeks they die. I have lived in different areas of the country and in some places been told that the fw fish need a little salt. Is this true? Could my platies be dying because there is not enough salt in the water? I have learned so much here but can't remember seeing this.

06-30-2007, 09:31 AM	#2 (permalink)
DirtyDawg10 Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: Connecticut Posts: 2,229	In my experience platys do not require salt to stay healthy although I know some people that add some to their tanks. It probably has more to do with the way the fish you are buying are bred or it could be another water parameter. Have you tested your water? Platys do like hard water but that doesn't mean salt. __________________ Derek Self-Proclaimed FUTURE Fish Master IN TRAINING Last edited by DirtyDawg10 : 06-30-2007 at 09:37 AM.

06-30-2007, 09:43 AM	#3 (permalink)
PufferMom Puffer Keeper Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southeast Wisconsin Posts: 249	There's a very big debate as to whether livebearers need salt or not. Some swear by it, some say its not needed. IME, they tend to do better with some salt, particularly marine salt. No idea why, but mine just always live longer and are healthier with the addition of salt. __________________ Puffers: Auriglobus silus x2, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1

06-30-2007, 02:47 PM	#4 (permalink)
RTR RTR Join Date: May 2006 Location: Exurban MD, USA Posts: 837	Many livebearers - but not all - are from hard, alkaline water originally, and historically have been best in such water. But, as already said, that does not mean they need added salt, sodium chloride. Salt does not affect the GH or KH, the things we measure as "hard" (GH, calcium and magnesium ions) and "alkalinity" (KH, carbonate and bicarbonate ions). Salt increases the TDS/osmolarity of the water, but has no effect on GH or KH. Also, the liverbearers for sale today are so far removed from the wild and have been bred so many generations in local rather than in water matching their wild sources that they have effectively no relationship in water requirements to those wild ancestors. The current LFS stocks tend to be seriously over-bred and substantially lacking in vigor and hardiness. __________________ Where's the fish? - Neptune

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06-30-2007, 03:55 PM	#5 (permalink)
marie Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 5	Thanks for the responses. The water tests good except for Nitrates are 40. The water has not been changed for 6 days so I guess it is time for another one.

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