Basis African Cichlid Salts is a high quality, multi-component blended true hardness system, designed to add major, minor and trace minerals in proper ratios for rift lake fishes. It also works well for other freshwater fishes originating in hardwater environments. Basis African Cichlid Salts is not table salt, but a specially formulated blend of critical major minerals, together with minor and trace minerals, including iodine that are necessary for the health and spawning of rift lake cichlids. It also has special ingredients that lessen aggression!