Home | Aquarium Equipment | What Is It and Why Do I Need It? –
Part 2 – Freshwater Aquarium Salt   Many freshwater aquarists
use or at least have heard of using salt in their freshwater
aquariums, but few seem to know why. Most “read about it
somewhere”, “heard it from someone”, or “saw it on the shelf so
I must need it”. To some, it may be beneficial but to others it
can cause far more harm than good.  What exactly is Aquarium
Salt?  Aquarium Salt“Salt” is a very broad chemical term and can
refer to an unlimited combination of elements. The salt used in
freshwater aquariums is Sodium chloride (NaCl). This is NOT the
same thing as what is probably in your kitchen and is NOT the
same thing that saltwater aquarists use for their corals and
clownfish. The “table salt” used as a condiment is mostly NaCl,
true, but most table salt is Iodized Table Salt and contains
iodine, de-caking agents, and possibly potassium or other trace
elements. The marine salt used in saltwater aquariums is mostly
NaCl, also true, but ha