# Salt and cichlids?



## joker1535 (May 23, 2010)

Ive got a 150 frontosa tank with some smaller Africans. I keep hearing they would thrive better with some salt in the tank. 
Do i need salt? and if so, how much?


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## fan4guppy (Jan 31, 2011)

joker1535

What Is the Chemical Composition of Lake Malawi Water?

The above link is the chemical analysis of the three major lakes in the rift valley that includes Lake Tanganika

Compare hardness and Sodium Cloride to the water of your area...

the ph of the lake is around 9 in comparison to 7 that is around Vancouvers water supply not only will you need some sort of Sodium but other minerals as well...

Here is the actual paper too http://malawicichlids.com/talling_talling_1965_chemical_composition_african_lake_waters.pdf


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Better to forget just salt but to actually do some proper buffering. There's many posts in this forum regarding that topic. Vancouver's water is great for marine fish as our TDS is almost zero. It does need some work for fish like Tangs. They might be able to survive our water but won't likely be at their best.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

not just salt, get the proper buffers
these are formulated specifically for tangs
Seachem. Cichlid Lake Salt
Seachem. Tanganyika Buffer
i use both they work awesome and last quite a while


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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

i asked the same question to a lady on another site she has been doing cichlids of all sorts for 35 years . and does not add salt or anything . and her fish is doing grat she has over 120 tanks . soi think she knows what she is doing .


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

big_bubba_B said:


> i asked the same question to a lady on another site she has been doing cichlids of all sorts for 35 years . and does not add salt or anything . and her fish is doing grat she has over 120 tanks . soi think she knows what she is doing .


depends where you come from, in calgary and other parts of alberta you could totally do that, our water is really soft here in the lower mainland, 0kh/0gh/ ph 7
theyd have problems with discus and other soft water fish in their tapwater tho :/
(many ppl in calgary have water softeners cuz their water is so freakin hard)

that link fan4guppy shows how close calgary water is to the rift lakes for example, ours is nowhere near


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## taureandragon76 (Apr 21, 2010)

big_bubba_B said:


> i asked the same question to a lady on another site she has been doing cichlids of all sorts for 35 years . and does not add salt or anything . and her fish is doing grat she has over 120 tanks . soi think she knows what she is doing .


I have made this argument before too. IMO if they are tank raised then really the key is stabilty. You don't really need to go out and purchase buffers for a cichlid tank when you can just as easily make your own 
Rift Lake Buffer Recipe - Cichlid Salt It is pretty much next to impossible to replicate the rift lakes in the aquarium.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

taureandragon76 said:


> I have made this argument before too. IMO if they are tank raised then really the key is stabilty. You don't really need to go out and purchase buffers for a cichlid tank when you can just as easily make your own
> Rift Lake Buffer Recipe - Cichlid Salt It is pretty much next to impossible to replicate the rift lakes in the aquarium.


ya u can also make your own, (my tanks small so its not a bank breaker for me) just salt isnt enough tho it just raises GH your KH would still be rly low


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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

Mferko said:


> depends where you come from, in calgary and other parts of alberta you could totally do that, our water is really soft here in the lower mainland, 0kh/0gh/ ph 7
> theyd have problems with discus and other soft water fish in their tapwater tho :/
> (many ppl in calgary have water softeners cuz their water is so freakin hard)
> 
> that link fan4guppy shows how close calgary water is to the rift lakes for example, ours is nowhere near


she lives in california near sacromento


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

no clue what their water is like
i know ours is extremely soft due to the granitic reservoirs here they dont leach anything into the water


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## fan4guppy (Jan 31, 2011)

taureandragon76 said:


> I have made this argument before too. IMO if they are tank raised then really the key is stabilty. You don't really need to go out and purchase buffers for a cichlid tank when you can just as easily make your own
> Rift Lake Buffer Recipe - Cichlid Salt It is pretty much next to impossible to replicate the rift lakes in the aquarium.


Thumbs UP!

It is pretty much impossible to replicate a lot of waterways in the world, Discus were very hard to even keep in Alberta in the 60s and 70s due to the acidic properties or their ecosystem .. Many aquarists adapted the water chemistry for acidic properties by using Peat Moss, Rain Water, Distilled water and many other types of tannins to even keep Discus Some were even able to spawn them in those water conditions but still very difficult to get Discus adapted to Calgarys Natural hard water. Many aquarists there now use Reverse Osmosis Water which was not available in the 60s and 70s. So more people are keeping discus in water that closely represents the natural habitat of Black Water Acidic residents. (Tetras, Killis etc.)

I will agree with the statement that domesticated fish can be more adaptable to surroundings because of being bred in Captivity. South American Cichlids are a good example when you realize that many of the species have been kept in a wide range of water parametres over the years. However in some cases although they can spawn etc. Many spawns can be affected in certain species to the ratio of males to females in some species while in others if the parametres of water is not exact it can cause the eggs not to hatch and in many cases these eggs develop fungus.

Malawaiins Cichlids are beginning to show a great range of adaptability in various water conditions but how are the spawns being affected? Ratio Males to females? and other specific issues in breeding of species and this is not only in the family Cichlidae but in regards to many species.


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