Question: Aquarium salt in tank?

[jikaru]

Hi axiebeans... I know when saltwater evaporates the salinity increases and so does the buoyancy. I don't know about keeping the tank cooler.
It sounds like your water supply is much like ours which is some what on the hard side containing calcium and magnesium, which is why I chose not to add salt.

Below is part of an article extracted from "Axolotl.org"

Water Hardness & Dissolved Salts
Axolotls prefer somewhat hard water, and those that live in
soft water will often suffer from temporary anaemia -
the animal becomes pale and its gills lose their colouration
for a few minutes or hours. This is not a dangerous condition
but it can be prevented by supplementing the hardness of the
water with added salts.
Currently, I live in an area in which the water is a little
on the soft side. I regularly supplement it with added salts.
Laboratories use one of two types of salt mixture
(each is known as a medium) in their water: Holtfreter's solution
and Steinberg's solution.

I hope this helps :happy:

 

[Marek1950]

see here
Guide to Axolotl Husbandry
"The salts restore hardness after water treatment and help us maintain the animals' health by discouraging parasites and fungus. Extra salts are not essential, however, if you are attentive to good husbandry practices and the water is hard and free of chemicals and heavy metals."




I, for 5 years Axy keep in tap water with the solution Holtfreter 40%.
I have no problems with diseases. They reproduce without problems.

 

[Creepella]

Aquarium salt is useful when doing an "axie in" cycle. It buffers the effects of ammonia and nitrites. It does not remove these substances, but it does reduce the effects on your axies. It also helps reduce the chance of fungal or bacterial infections caused by damage from toxins. For this usage the dose is 1 tablespoon per 10 gallons of water. Dose frequency depends on how frequently you do water changes, and at what percentage. In my cycling tank I'm adding the salt once per week. I'm doing daily 30-50% water changes.

Maintenance dose of salt is the same, but less frequent - once per month if doing weekly partial water changes.

Even in a cycled tank, I will add an extra dose of salt if there has been an infection. I recently had an axie with gill fungus. I did three days of salt/tap water dips, and then on the fourth day I added the teaspoon per 10 gallon dose to the main tank. This will help prevent the infection from returning or spreading to other animals.

I'm not an axie expert (yet) though I've had some months experience. However, I've used this regimen successfully in freshwater aquaria for more than 20 years.

 

[Marek1950]

I used in the aquarium Holtfreters solution of 40% (better than pure salt). i.e. up to 5 liters of tap water, I add 8.02 gram (6.7 cm3) mixed salt of the prescription Holfreter. Thus prepared "water" doing substitution in the aquarium (15 to 20%) once a week. The same procedure I used in breeding guppies.
Fungus treatment is a different story and a different procedure.

 

[Marek1950]

Who uses holfreter's solution.

Indiana University Axolotl Colony Bloomington
Terrestrial Axolotl Care Sheet / Ambystoma mexicanum
"…To 8 liters distilled, dechlorinated tap, or spring water add:
2.3 g potassium chloride, 4.29 g calcium chloride, 8.90 g magnesium sulfate, 126.72 g sodium chloride.
For 100% dilute 1:4, for 50% 1:8, for 20% 1:20.
Cheryl Nugas (Holtfreter's stock)…

Boston University School of Medicine
Corwin Lab Axolotl Protocols
Anne Hennig / Anatomy and Neurobiology
“…Axo Water
Distilled water, dechlorinated tap water, or commercially available spring water can be
used. Deionized distilled water is not recommended due to expense and lack of trace nutrients.
400% Holtfreter’s Stock (HFR)…”

University of California
Bryant Laboratory Developmental Biology Center
Cheryl A. Nugas, Susan V.
“…Water supply and treatment
The general animal room houses various stages of axolotls, embryonic through adult.
All axolotls in this room live in Holtfreter’s solution, a buffered salt solution adapted from that used by the Indiana University Axolotl Colony….”

 

[Freenix101]

Not adding any salt is a novice mistake.

Hey all - first post here! Now, I'm brand new to owning axies but I have been keeping freshwater fish since i was 3 years old - if axies are anything like fish, that is, breathing through gills... Then adding sea salt or marine salt in micro doses will seriously help their immune system and ward off diseases.

Salt has antibacterial properties and helps to fight off disease in your tanks. I have ALWAYS added a small amount to every freshwater tank I've had, at the rate of 1/4 tsp per gallon roughly. Do not add salt to top offs from precipitation but do add the regular dose on replacement water after changes for most freshwater fish. When in doubt, salt will help reduce or eliminate immunity related illness in your tanks. This is why I add salt to freshwater, although i can't speak for Axolotls because they are amphibians and i don't know if their gill and immune systems work the same way since they absorb through their skin. That's why I'm here. But hey, sea salt also disinfects wounds such as new piercings, sooo.... My two cents.

 

[JM29]

Caution with salts ! We are not only dealing with axolotls.
We are dealing with axolotls in their aquarium.
An aquarium is not simply a tank, it's an integrated unit which must be confortable for its inhabitants for a long time.

I can understand that salts could be beneficial for axolotls themselves but :
- Holtfreter's solution at 50% is above the maximum salinity measured in Xochimilco lake (20% looks fine). These measures are surprisingly variable and can sometime show soft water in Xochimilco.
- Many people acknowledge aquatic plants are good for the welfare of axolotls, but how will the plants "work" (uptake of NH4, NO3, CO2) if we put salts ?

 

[Freenix101]

Low doses of salt can actually work as a fertilizer and can boost growth rates in plants. The key is 'low dose'

 

[John]

I'm not wild about you reviving a 6 year old thread but I want to caution against blanket advice like this that doesn't take into account the individual water chemistry. If I had reasonably hard, alkaline water, I would never add Holtfreter's or Steinberg's salt mixtures. Likewise, most of the use of these solutions happens in labs that use distilled water or reverse-osmosis water, and these require salt supplementation to make them hospitable. So please, let's not say "always add salt". Take it from a chemist who specialises in water chemistry.