Does anyone know about Aquasalt? Trying to find the right salt for my Koi.

[Amber Pickle]

We have baby flukes after a hard rain. We ran out of the salt we used previously, my husband brought home AquaSalt but I am hesitant to use it. It has no listed ingredients and touts a natural stain fighter. I know better than to trust the word "natural". Is anyone familiar with this product or can you guide me to a healthier salt for my Koi.
I also have babies from last July that are from 2 to 4 inches long so I need something pure and non-abrasive.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[poconojoe]

Explain "baby flukes".
And why do you feel you have a need to add salt to your koi pond?
I especially wouldn't add salt unless you have a way to monitor the levels safely with some sort of electronic salinity tester. And what levels are safe? I couldn't tell you. A TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) tester might be used, I suppose.
Hopefully someone here that is more knowledgeable will chime in. There are some real chemical geniuses on this site.
I've heard of giving sick fish a salt bath in an isolated tank for short periods.

 

[poconojoe]

Ok, I looked up flukes and they are microscopic parasites (I Learned something new).
Is that what you are referring to? If so, what symptoms are your fish displaying?
And why do you have flukes after a hard rain? What does rain have to do with it? From what I've read, they might come from various wildlife that visit to your pond. Or from fish or plants you add to your pond.
I'm not questioning your reasoning, I'm just wondering since I dont know much about these parasites. Only what I read online.
Hope your fish are OK...

 

[mrsclem]

The water softener salt is what I have used in the past. I would move the fish to a treatment tank rather than salting the whole pond. You can get a digital salt meter on line. If you use salt regularily, it's a good idea to have some way to measure the level.

 

[Lisak1]

I'm curious too about the "baby flukes" (they sound adorable! haha!) and why it's a result of hard rain. I'm assuming you've dealt with this before, but just want to make sure we're talking about the right thing.

It sounds like AquaSalt is just salt, but like @mrsclem suggested your best solution is to create a salt bath and treat the fish outside of the pond. Salting a pond has become something that people used to do routinely but now think twice about.

 

[Amber Pickle]

My Koi are not sick.
I've salted my ponds for the last 15 years. It helps the fish form a better protective slime coat which protects them from parasites and harmful bacteria. Parasites cannot survive in a proper salt level. This prevents my fish from getting sick.

A long hard rain messes with the PH balance and allows the worms, flukes, etc. to take hold as it diminishes the maintained salt level. I have a specific gravity gauge to measure the salt level. The best specific gravity levels for Koi are between 1.000 and 1.002. I was only asking about the AquaSalt as there are no ingredients listed. I will just toss it and purchase the right kind. Thank you all for your thoughts and help.

 

[Stephen Noble]

We have baby flukes after a hard rain. We ran out of the salt we used previously, my husband brought home AquaSalt but I am hesitant to use it. It has no listed ingredients and touts a natural stain fighter. I know better than to trust the word "natural". Is anyone familiar with this product or can you guide me to a healthier salt for my Koi.
I also have babies from last July that are from 2 to 4 inches long so I need something pure and non-abrasive.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hi Amber, I would not use it because it is swimming pool salt and unsuitable for human consumption. I recommend you purchase salt specifically identified for ornamental fish/pond use if you want to use salt.

 

[Lisak1]

Where do the worms and flukes come from?

 

[Stephen Noble]

Where do the worms and flukes come from?

Some ways they get in is from visiting animals such as herons, ducks, in-flowing water and other fish introduced into the pond. The real question before treating them is to be absolutely certain that it the problem. Poor water quality is a prime breeding ground for these parasites.

 

[Amber Pickle]

Hi Amber, I would not use it because it is swimming pool salt and unsuitable for human consumption. I recommend you purchase salt specifically identified for ornamental fish/pond use if you want to use salt.

Thank you, Stephen. That's what I thought.

 

[Amber Pickle]

Some ways they get in is from visiting animals such as herons, ducks, in-flowing water and other fish introduced into the pond. The real question before treating them is to be absolutely certain that it the problem. Poor water quality is a prime breeding ground for these parasites.

We have a big oak tree that hangs over this pond. Birds, squirrels, etc. drink from the spill over. We've had over a week and a half of heavy rain, and were unable to do any water changes, hence, the poor water quality.

 

[Stephen Noble]

We have been 'fire hosed' too for the past week. You and I have to just wait until the skies calm down to address our water quality. The big oak sounds like a great home for all of the wildlife. It is amazing what a tree and pond will attract!

 

[Lisak1]

We have a big oak tree that hangs over this pond. Birds, squirrels, etc. drink from the spill over. We've had over a week and a half of heavy rain, and were unable to do any water changes, hence, the poor water quality.

Here's the part that is missing... I have a pond that is exposed to all of those things (birds, animals, bugs, frogs, leaves, etc) and have had a spring of multiple heavy rains. I don't do water changes, I don't salt my pond. So why are you getting flukes and I'm not?

 

[poconojoe]

Here's the part that is missing... I have a pond that is exposed to all of those things (birds, animals, bugs, frogs, leaves, etc) and have had a spring of multiple heavy rains. I don't do water changes, I don't salt my pond. So why are you getting flukes and I'm not?

This is what I was thinking.
I don't do much. Just let the pond pretty much run itself. I just make sure the pumps, aeration and filtration are up and running. I feed the fish and enjoy the tranquility. Maybe once a year I might do a partial water change.

 

[poconojoe]

We have a big oak tree that hangs over this pond. Birds, squirrels, etc. drink from the spill over. We've had over a week and a half of heavy rain, and were unable to do any water changes, hence, the poor water quality.

If you read throughout these forums, you will find a lot of people never do water changes.
You imply you have poor water quality due to the rain. How is it poor? Rain water is somehow bad? Isn't rain nature's way of doing water changes for you?
I would think the rain is probably better for my fish than my central water supply with all the treatment that my town does.
Do you have a well or central water? Not that all wells are good. They can have many problems of their own.