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Adding salt?

xandert

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I was told that axies prefer salt added to their water, but the information I read on the Axolotl site seems to indicate that is only necessary when dealing with soft water. Our water here is both hard and alkaline.

pH 7.4-7.8
8.5+ GH
10.5 KH

Should I be adding salt to this water?

Incidentally, I used Quick Dip 6 in 1 test strips by Jungle to get the above figures. I do NOT like these things as the chart is next to impossible to get anywhere near an exact reading on. So I have no idea how accurate the above numbers are. I plan to get a decent test kit when I go to Tucson next time. Now that I've tried these test strips, I WAY prefer the test tube kits.
 

Kal El

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Hello Dawn,

It is true that axolotl's should never housed in soft water. Therefore, they should never been placed in distilled or deionised water because these lack in the salts that are commonly found in hard water. The purpose of housing axolotls in hard water is to maintain the integrity of their skin which is the first line of defense when it comes to defending themselves from pathogens.

What are measurements (i.e. units) are the GH and KH in? For instance, mine measures in units of parts per million (ppm).

Jay.
 

xandert

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8.5 GH = 150 ppm
10.5 KH = 180 ppm

(I'm not sure the KH is truly this high. The strip test is really just about useless, but it's between 120 and 180 for certain.)
 

Kal El

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Hello Dawn,

Your GH is perfect :happy: Personally, I would not worry too much about KH, in fact I wouldn't bother testing it all. KH is a measure of carbonate hardness in relation the level of carbon dioxide and alkalinity. It is predominately used for marine fish.

Jay.
 

xandert

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Okay. Thanks, Jay. So would I be correct in assuming I do NOT need to add any salt to my water? I'm guessing I don't need it based on your comments, but I want to be absolutely sure. That comment I got has me doubting what I THOUGHT I knew. :rolleyes: Want to make sure my axies get the best care possible. They seem to be thriving at the moment, and I'd like to keep it that way.

The test strips I bought to try test for both GH and KH automatically (6-in-1 test which oddly enough doesn't include a test for ammonia - go figure). I'm glad you said something about the KH though. I'm planning to buy test tube kits since I hate these strips, and that info will help me insure I get the right tests. :happy:
 

Kaysie

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Test strips are notoriously inaccurate.

For the most part, unless your water is extremely soft, adding salt is not needed.
 
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