Aquarium Salt
Aquarium salt is an essential part of saltwater aquariums. In fact, if you don't have salt, you don't have a saltwater aquarium. You can purchase aquarium salt from various pet and aquarium stores (both online and offline) in both a dry salt mix or premixed form ready to add to water.
By far, the most popular method is to buy dry, premixed salt in a package/bucket and follow the label instructions by adding the right mix to either distiller or tap water.
Another way is to by premixed aquarium saltwater and just purchase it directly. You basically fill up containers of the water then pour them into your aquariums. While you may balk at buying what you can essentially mix up yourself, the premixed saltwater often uses water that has been purified so as to remove pollutants.
You can also opt to buy bottle saltwater. This is real seal water that has been collected and purifed before being bottled. This is usually more of expensive option, but some people claim there are benifits (a more natural water for the fish).
And of course, if you live close to the ocean, you can directly take the water from the sea/ocean and use it for your aquarium.
Whatever method you choose, make sure you test the water before actually putting fish into it! The first test you should do is to measure the gravity (amount of salt present) of the water. The specific gravity should be between 1.019 and 1.025. You can test the gravity with a hydrometer device.
Once you have the correct salt concentration, you then need to make sure the pH, nitrate, and ammonia levels are correct.
A final thing to remember: salt will never evaporate from the water, so if your water level decreases due to evaporation, simply add in more plain water (no salt)! But of course, make sure the water will have the correct salt levels again.
Here are some recommended aquarium salts to buy:
US $97.28
