Salt - Thing of the past??

[erwinsan]

Do people still use salt? Gathering from koi people I've met and literature I've read, using salt in the pond can have beneficial effects. From parasite prevention to improving the slime coat on koi. However, I haven't heard much use of it lately. Should it be used during colder temperatures (i.e. winter) when other preventative measures are ineffective and koi immune systems are down? Especially before spring when parasites and harmful bacteria tend to get a jump start before our koi immune systems do. Or is salt a thing of the past?

"an ounce of prevetion is worth a pound of cure"

[MCA]

IMHO salt is one of the best preventative and curative compounds we have. First it is dirt cheap. Second, it helps koi deal with stress and healing (in the right concentration level). Thirdly you can kill parasites (and plants) with it at the right concentration level; you can do a salt dip (very high concentration level) or treat the whole pond.

What you do not want to do is maintain a significant level in the pond long term. If you do, it will not be so effective when you need it (just like antibotics or other compounds).

MCA

[koi4all]

some swear by it others dont I use it as a dip when new koi are brought in and that is it .


rick

[B.Scott]

God I hope so, I still have 1700 lbs of it in the garage.
I only use it in the QT and only VERY rarely in the pond.
B.Scott

[dick benbow]

Salt is like fire. It can keep you warm or burn you! depending on it's application. There is definetly a place for it. What drives me cracy is when someone at my seminars says they're getting ready to do their spring .03 salting.
When i ask why, they shrug and say "cause that's what you do!". If you don't know how or when or why to use something, then i suggest you don't use it.

It would be like you going into your drug closet and getting out a few left over pills of anti-biotic cause you thought you might be coming down with something. Yeah, for sure it's something and now that something has mutated enough so that that the medicine is non effective ( or outdated! )

B. Scott's comments are very sage. For osmotic assitance during illness/recovery or for a dip ( which is hard on the koi and you must not leave their side while they're in the dip till finished, cause when they go ,they go fast especially with some individuals)

[MCA]

Fully agreed. Don't do salt, or any other treatment, just because......

If you don't have a good reason for a dip or salting the pond, don't do it.

MCA

[MikeM]

I use salt at 0.6% for ich. It appears to reduce, but not necessarily eliminate other vermin at that concentration. Plants are adversely affected, but not the bio-filter, at least when water temps are in 60sF or higher. Salt is more difficult to use than some of the bottled remedies, particular since I keep up large regular water changes during the several weeks of treatment. But, no serious concern about side effects as with most bottled remedies.

[B.Scott]

PLANTS!