# cichlid water



## baileysup (Nov 25, 2009)

do cichlids require a bit of salt in their water, or like it? is the salt content in between freshwater and brackish water? i forget where i've seen this info, but i have. just seeing if it's true or not.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

Orange chromides need some salt because they live in brackish water, but other species don't. It is good for treating Ich, but not necessary for normal maintenance of most fish.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Cichlids are a huge family and most tolerate salt well. But many (discus, rams) come from nearly pure water with no salt. African lake cichids come from lakes with more salts than rivers and streams, but each Lake has its own chemistry. The 'salts' in Lake Malawi have more Magnesium and sulfate than sodium and chloride and so look more like epsom salt than table salt. You see 'cichlid salts' in the LFS and they are mainly for Rift Lake Cichlids. Lake Tanganyika has so much carbonate in the water that shells get encrusted with deposits instead of slowly dissolving like they do in most places. 

Have a look at your tap water chemistry. My water in Atlanta looks a lot like rainwater (low TDS, falling pH) because that's essentially what it is. When I lived in Illinois, my water came from a well drilled into limestone and the water looked a lot like L. Tanganyika water (off the scale kH and rising pH) and Rift lake cichlids and livebearers thrived in it with no modifications.


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