julie8276

hi everyone its the aceplasterer iv been told to put salt in my pond to help my koi . cos i have nitrite. iv been into koi water barn at orpington in kent and thay said to me why are you putting salt in your pond because of ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. what you do is you go into koi water barn in orpington you get your self £20quids worth of BACTO PLUS GEL a live bacteria. shut your gate valve shut your valve back to your pond. pour bacteria into your bactrial media chambers in your filters leave for 4 to 6hrs. turn everything back on except your uv for 24hrs . AND IT WORKS i have done it on my filter tonight and my problems have gone. NO NEED FOR SALT ! :-*

Rob

Hi ace plasterer. I never put salt in my pond, I just dont believe it is any good. It can cause your Koi`s internal organ damage, damage gills and only acts as a buffer against pond problems it just masks the problem rather than get rid of it. There are certain Koi treatments that you cant add to your water if its Salted for risk of killing your fish. I think you`ve done the right thing.
Justin (Legendary bricklayer)
I am sure my post will stir a reaction

Taggy

hi both
you sound like to much trowel work has gone to your head. salt is the best thing to rid koi of stress also get there mucus flow on the go (which can only be a good thing) and is also a great help in protecting your koi against nitrite posioning it is probarly one of the oldest and best all round tonics for your pond . maybe if you had added salt you wouldnt be worrrying about the use of formalin , potassium or any other treatment you may need to add. sorry guys but i think you are a bit bias as far as the salt goes (its not only good for the battered cod and chips). paul

Taggy

did you salt your pond at christmas when your kohaku had dropsy . if so was everything ok or did they all mutate into some kind salt marsh monster

ichi ban

i totally agree with paul , salt is tried and tested it doesnt damage the gills unless your your overdosing it, it in fact does the opposite and cleans koi gills.its an old argument of course,but does anyone actually know anyone that has killed their koi or even made them poorly with the use of salt, i bet they dont...it would be recomended by any dealer to buy their products and not use a cheaper alternative of course they would.check out koi doc website and see what one of the top koi doctors in the world has to say , if he,s wrong i think somebody should email him. ;D

Rob

Hello all. I must say I have never had to add any treatment to my pond. I have been very lucky and had some very good advise over the past year or so. I never suffered any new pond syndrome like most other koi keepers.I just gave the pond time to settle itself. I always keep a sensible stock level . I never over feed. I must admit I do give any new koi a salt bath before i put it in quareentine. So I do understand the benifits of Salt but I just dont use it Daily in my pond
Justin

Tommy

I belive that salt has many benefits to koi health. Obviously without over doing it.... 1/2 onze per gallon is a general dose and koi live happily with no harmfull side effects. I think Salt is a good thing and i will continue to use it.

As thorny said always salt bath new arrivals, just as a precaution. (3 oz/p/g for a few minutes is plenty.) Just causes most parasits to drop off.

j_sagu

Tell all the top koi vets that salt is no good for Koi...lol

The reason you use salt if your nitrite levels are high is to protect them from nitrite poisining, salt also helps to calm koi, it helps with osmosis, it helps koi retain oxygen, it helps with bacterial problems etc etc etc........the list goes on.

Can you guys that are so dead against salt tell me what the bad effects are please and maybe we will all stop using it.

No offence, but you will probably find what you have added is a quick cure, you better check you levels again in a few days, I know of nothing that gets filters mature over night, if I did I would be a millionaire.....

j_sagu

"Add Salt Today to Keep the Fish Doctor Away"

True, there are some negative effects of higher salt levels on plants in the pond, but overall we think it is absolutely the very best thing you can add to your pond in terms of keeping your fish happy and healthy. Salt acts as a natural 'stress coat' and essentially thickens the slime coat on the fish's body - which is it's own natural defense system against bacteria and parasites.

Salt is also very effective in killing bacteria and parasites in the pond. When added in proper doses, salting your pond can dramatically reduce the threat of disease affecting your fish.

It's just like with humans - we are always exposed to the common cold cells in their body, but can usually resist if their immune system is strong. Similarly, pond fish and KOI are always exposed to some degree of parasite and bacteria presence in the pond, but by keeping their immune system strong and their slime coat thick, you shouldn't have any problems.

Pond fish actively maintain a natural balance of electrolytes in their body fluids. Electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, chloride, calcium and magnesium are removed from the water by chloride cells located in the gills. These electrolytes are essential for the uptake of oxygen and release of carbon dioxide and ammonium across gill membranes.

The lack of electrolytes can cause serious health problems to the fish. Pond Salt is an all natural salt, providing the essential electrolytes fish need to survive. Pond Salt is not just a table salt ( sodium chloride ). It is made from evaporated sea water. Evaporated sea water contains the necessary electrolytes pond fish need.

How Pond Salt helps Improve Fish Gill Function to Reduce Pond Stress....
During periods of disease and stress, healthy gill function is disturbed. This can lead to the loss of electrolytes through the gills, sometimes called osmotic shock. Osmotic shock interrupts healthy gill function by reducing the intake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide and ammonium from the fish. Pond Salt reduces the risk of osmotic shock by supplying natural electrolytes through the chloride cells in the gills.

Fish Pond Nitrite Toxicity
Overcrowding and overfeeding can lead to elevated nitrite levels especially in newly set-up ponds. The nitrite ion NO 2 enters the gills and prevents the blood from carrying oxygen resulting in nitrite toxicity or "methemoglobinemia". Pond Salt will temporarily block the toxic effect of nitrite.

All natural Pond Salt is safe and non-toxic to all pond fish when used as directed. Pond Salt can be used safely with Pond Care water conditioners, filtration materials and fish foods

ray

Hi Extreme Koi,

What make/brand of salt would you recommend and at what dosage - I have a 3,000 gallon pond.

Once given the initial dosage - how often do you refresh the salt given the weekly filter/water changes that I normally perform to keep the vortex etc clean ?

Many thanks

Paul.