rip_van_winkle

I have heard many differant opinions about it - use it for stress, no don't use it....

I have used it in my betta's tank, but now the salt is getting on the filter, heater, and sides of the tank and is a pain to get off. Do I really need it?
thanks
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Butterfly

No you don't eally need it. If you decide to stop using it do it gradually. for instance when you do a water change don't add any salt to the replacement water. It will take awhile bit you will be able to dilute it and eventually it will be gone.
Salt doesn't evaporate with your water so it's really easy for the concentration to get to be too strong.
Carol

0morrokh

Salt is good used as a medication, but shouldn't be used on a regular basis for freshwater fish.

rip_van_winkle

Ok, thanks

ya, i had stopped useing it a long while ago - maybe 2 or 3 months ago because i was afraid of a salt overload - and I got corries (Who supposedly hate salt with a passion) But there is still a bit of salt still in the tank in the filter and stuff.
Thanks
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Butterfly

f you quit using it that long ago maybe what your seeing is minerals from your water instead of salt.
Carol

COBettaCouple

Yea, we bought aquarium salt when we first started and have hardly used it after reading that it's better to not use it unless medicating. I'd agree that the salt is probably gone or mostly gone after 2-3 months of regular water changes and that's minerals you're seeing - it's a white that's kind of chalky looking? What are you treating your tap water with?

Butterfly

I get that on my glass tops because I run several bubble walls and it splashes.
Carol

0morrokh

We have super hard water here so I get a lot of build up of that, on the filters especially. I would guess what you're seeing is lime from the tap water, not salt. I have never known salt to leave a residue like that, although I suppose it's quite possible it could.

COBettaCouple

We also have hard water & get the lime buildup in spots.

rip_van_winkle

Yes there is stuff on sides of my filter where it splashes and the walls of the tank that looks like chalk, but it doesn't really come off. I also don't treat my tap water because we have a well and i guess almost everything gets filtered out.
Thanks guys for your input.
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COBettaCouple

Yea, sounds like lime, tough to get off for us too. I'm not sure if you don't need to treat well water or not, have you ever tested the well water for the metals? I probably would treat it with a top product like Prime to be safe as it not only removes the hard metals, but also helps your water conditions and a small bottle treats something like 1000 gallons.. it only needs 1/10 of a mL per gallon i believe. Although as long as nothing is getting into the well water, I don't think it's a necessity, more of an 'extra'.