guppies Guppies, Salt and the Planted Tank?

[Cyndi]

HI All,

I am gifting a friend a complete 30 gallon set-up - homebred guppies included! This tank has plants so has never been exposed to salt. I put the guppies I am going to keep in a QT tank with 1 TBSP salt per 4 gallons (needed to treat other fish I'm keeping, so all keepers went into QT).

I've noticed that the guppies in the salt are MUCH more active and happy than they were previously - almost immediately. So I'm wondering if a planted tank with cabomba, ludwigia, and pogostemon 'Octopus' could handle a very low dose of salt. Conversely, my friend is a good fishie friend and suggested that she could give them a salt swim occasionally.

Just wondering what you all think? Should we salt the tank, or give them occasional spa days in a low salt solution, or should we just leave the salt thing alone?

[Yanni]

I think that the salt in the tank would possibly damage the plants. I don't think the salt would kill them but the plants wouldn't be able to grow very well in salt. The occasional salt bath would work but it would put some stress on the fish if you had to take them out of their tank, then put them into a container with salt, then back into the tank. I think that the guppies would be just fine with out the salt. If you wanted to try salt, try some plants that are brackish water safe like sword plants or crypts.  

[lefty o]

quite a few plants handle low doses of salt very well. a couple tablespoons in a 30g will likely have no affect.

[CT_]

5 hours ago, Yanni said:

I think that the salt in the tank would possibly damage the plants. I don't think the salt would kill them but the plants wouldn't be able to grow very well in salt. The occasional salt bath would work but it would put some stress on the fish if you had to take them out of their tank, then put them into a container with salt, then back into the tank. I think that the guppies would be just fine with out the salt. If you wanted to try salt, try some plants that are brackish water safe like sword plants or crypts.  

I hear jungle val tolerates salt well too.