14 replies to this topic

[bunnymp]

I am trying to stock up on rock salt for the spring but believe it or not I am having trouble finding it. No problem finding grass seed or BBQs though! Go figure. Anyway, I did manage to find rock salt made from Halite. If I recall from Geology, Halite is salt. Is it OK for ponds? Also, what about one that says the rock salt was processed from the red sea. The word processed made be wonder if chemicals were added. Any advice?

[justakillakoi]

4-$5.00 dollars for a 40lbs bag at home depo. it's called mortains solar salt in a blue plastic bag. it's in the water heater section.

your good to go with it it's pure salt. don't get the other different color bags of salt they have there. blue one!

[DrDave]

Be carefull not to get iodized salt. That has additives. If it is pure rock salt, it doesn't matter where it comes from. NaCl is all the same.

[c2c7390]

i dont think you want the rock salt that they use in water softeners either...unless its iodized then never mind me

[koiguy1969]

iodized salt is what you dont want, the solar salt is fine.

[justakillakoi]

c2c7390 said:

i dont think you want the rock salt that they use in water softeners either...unless its iodized then never mind me

wwwwwwwwoooooooooooooooo! don't get the iodized.

Home depo blue mortens plastic salt bag. it says on the bag 99.5% salt. they don't add anythin in the other.5 it just the purest salt you can get.

This is what is used in koi ponds. if you don't believe maybe google useing the words "koi, home depo, salt" you should find lots of koi ponders with this knowlege.

[bunnymp]

I haven't been back to HD yet, will ask hubby to go Saturday. It is a lot easier for him to lift those bags. I ended up getting 2 50lb bags of Halite rock salt at Sears Hardware, since it was the only rock salt I could find without chemicals.

[justakillakoi]

how much are those? if cheaper i will go there!

[bunnymp]

HD is cheaper ($5 for a 50lb bag), but 2 stores I checked didn't have any rock salt at all so I ended up at Sears Hardware. I paid $9 for a 50lb bag.
I guess I needed to plan for spring back in December.

[justakillakoi]

HD will have it all year. they used to sell 50lbs baggs for 3.50 but this year atleast here they changed to 40lbs bags and upped the price to almost $5.00.
still you can get 80lbs for like 9.80 or something. a better deal.

[migsly]

What do you need salt rocks for? Do freshwater fish need salt? I feed my fish a Saltine cracker sometimes. Is that enough?

[justakillakoi]

they don't NEED salt and salt cackers is not the kinda thing there talking about. It's only if your fish have problems or to prevent them, but no salt is great.

[migsly]

OK. Thanks. I thought all living things need a little salt. Like deer and things need salt licks.

[justakillakoi]

there is trace amounts of salt in tap water. anything they need to live will be in fish food includeing salt.

[koiguy1969]

salt encourages a strong sress coat on the fish, wich is their main defence against parasites and external bacterial infections in at mild levels, and kills some parasites and bacterias at higher levels, like rubs and bathes.