Other Turtle Discussion :: Salt question

[stormtrooper]

Hi there,

I read this on a turtle care website:

"There will always be some ammonia present in the water, but filtration is necessary to prevent too much. Excessive ammonia can cause turtles to become quite sick. Bacteria may also grow in the water, and a teaspoon of salt per gallon of water is a good way to reduce bacteria levels."

As I have been worried about ammonia and bacteria levels in my turtle's tank, can I interpret the above as saying it's okay for me to immediately add a teaspoon of salt x 20 gallons, which is my tank size.

Will this be totally safe for my turtle? It just sounds like a lot of salt to pour into his water.

Thank you for your help. I know salt is covered in other threads, however I want to make sure it's okay for me to go ahead and put in so much salt in the tank.

[marisa]

A teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon of water is supposed to be OK as a preventive measure. (If you get a box of it, just follow the directions.) Remember, the salt doesn't evaporate like the water does, so only add it when you're doing a total change and cleaning.