Morton pool salt safe to use in pond?

[Jaynie]

Have you looked into ordering the salt? I just looked it up, and it’s sold mail order many places, even AMAZON — if obtaining the salt is the reason for your post. And does it have to be this particular brand/type of salt? You could just go to the grocery store and buy 40 or so boxes of a non-iodized salt to use. I’ve made large purchase like this before, though you may have to hit several stores.

It sounds like more what you are looking for is a diagnosis and treatment plan for your fish rather than a way to obtain the salt. Yes, some people do “salt” their ponds, but in general, it’s not necessary to do so in order to have a healthy pond. I see salt used more as a treatment, or temporary remedy for an illness — such as salt dips or adding salt to a quarantine tank. The secret to a healthy pond is healthy water. Koi and goldfish are not salt water fish.

You need to find out why your fish are getting sick.....and act on that. Just MHO. Have you had anyone look at scrapings from your fish under a microscope?

Do you have a tank or tub you could set up to quarantine your sick fish?

Anyway, we’re not here to argue with you about using or not using salt in your pond. That’s your decision to make. Hope you can get a handle on whatever this disease issue is and get your fish better! We’re never happy when our babies are sick!

I did look into ordering it at Home Depot and Lowe’s but it was 35.00 a bag to ship. I have been told by so many people if I’m going to use salt to make sure I buy the Morton’s solar salt. So I guess I’m kinda wanted to get other people’s ideas on what they us or what they think about the pool salt. I am so on the fence
With the idea of adding salt to my pond. I don’t know.
I would know how to go about getting a scrapping done. Right now I’m still
Doing injections on the fish everyone seems to be healing really well. Even the koi that lost his mouth he is looking so much better every day. I just don’t know if mounts can grow back. I’m kinda concerned over him. I would take any advise at this point to help the.
I currantly have 3 koi in my 150 gallon stock tank with a filter and a power head with an air stone water gets a 50 percent water change
Every other day.

 

[Jaynie]

Ugh. I'm sorry that your fish are struggling and you with them!

I know you're trying to help your fish, but killing the plants in the process won't make things better. The ultimate goal is a well-balanced pond.

And please don't take this the wrong way - are you sure your pond is 2000 gallons? From the photo it's hard to tell, but it doesn't look like it's that big.

Yes it’s about 2000 give or take a little.

 

[Jaynie]

Ulcers are typically caused by parasites or poor water conditions.
You would be better off treating the fish in a smaller tank so you don't have to use such a large amount of medications.
The antibiotics are the right approach, and salted water for the healing time.

We wouldn't want to see you go thorough all this effort only to return the koi to poor water conditions.
Do you have any more comprehensive water tests available, not just "everything is perfect"?
Present salinity measurement, KH, GH, PH (at what time of day), ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Numerical values only, and what type of test was used - liquid drops or paper test strip.

Hey thanks for writing. I’m personally only the basics. Ph ammonia nitrate and nitrites. I bring my water to the nursery once a month were they test everything for me. It’s a big help. If I need adjustments they tell me.
I started the antibiotics a few
Days ago. I can’t believe how much strong and healthier the fish have gotten. I’m just don’t know if the kois mouth will grow back

 

[Lisak1]

I really don't think that fish is going to regrow the portion of his mouth that is gone - but that's just instinct, not experience. Is he able to eat?

I still side with using the salt as a treatment - creating a salt dip that the fish go into and then out of - as opposed to salting the entire pond. But again - that's due to a long term concern that you will make your pond inhospitable to plants which will only cause you more problems in the long run with keeping this pond balanced.

I wonder about your monthly water checks and "adjustments" - what are you adjusting and how? A well established pond shouldn't need any kind of adjusting to keep it balanced.

I'm glad the antibiotics are helping - is that something you can just buy off the shelf? How did you learn to inject your fish - the idea gives me the heebie jeebies! You said you're on an island - where are you located?

 

[Jaynie]

I really don't think that fish is going to regrow the portion of his mouth that is gone - but that's just instinct, not experience. Is he able to eat?

I still side with using the salt as a treatment - creating a salt dip that the fish go into and then out of - as opposed to salting the entire pond. But again - that's due to a long term concern that you will make your pond inhospitable to plants which will only cause you more problems in the long run with keeping this pond balanced.

I wonder about your monthly water checks and "adjustments" - what are you adjusting and how? A well established pond shouldn't need any kind of adjusting to keep it balanced.

I'm glad the antibiotics are helping - is that something you can just buy off the shelf? How did you learn to inject your fish - the idea gives me the heebie jeebies! You said you're on an island - where are you located?

Hey Lisa so after so much research and reading about mouthrot and ulcers I found a few articles about baytril injections being the best way to heal a fish. So my best friend is a vet. He got me the meds and he comes over every single night when his practice closes and together we inject each infected fish. He also did some research on the dose amounts and the spot to inject them in. I personally wouldn’t be able to inject them either it really grossed me out but it’s better then watching them die and not being able to help them. As far as over the counter medications I found nothing that works at all. I tried everything and got no were so had to turn to the injectables. I’m seeing more and more important every single day. Yes the fish without a mouth is still eating and has started to heal back it’s unbelievable how much better he is doing. I have been so bummed over his having this. I got this fish 6 years ago he was the very first fish I added to my pond.
As far as adjustments I don’t really have to do any. I do weekly water changes and add prime to remove any chlorine and metals out of the water and slim coat. I personally don’t want to add the salt to my pond either reason for why I haven’t added it yet. I’m so on the fence over it. I have a 150 gallon stock tank with 3 koi getting treated right now. I know there are two more in my pond that I can’t catch. I have tried everything and have failed. They are little and fast.

 

[Jaynie]

I really don't think that fish is going to regrow the portion of his mouth that is gone - but that's just instinct, not experience. Is he able to eat?

I still side with using the salt as a treatment - creating a salt dip that the fish go into and then out of - as opposed to salting the entire pond. But again - that's due to a long term concern that you will make your pond inhospitable to plants which will only cause you more problems in the long run with keeping this pond balanced.

I wonder about your monthly water checks and "adjustments" - what are you adjusting and how? A well established pond shouldn't need any kind of adjusting to keep it balanced.

I'm glad the antibiotics are helping - is that something you can just buy off the shelf? How did you learn to inject your fish - the idea gives me the heebie jeebies! You said you're on an island - where are you located?

Oh and I live in ny on long island

 

[mrsclem]

Jayne- if you do decide to use salt, you need to be sure of the salt level in your pond so you will need some way to test it. I used salt when I first started keeping koi, used water softener salt. Certain medications cannot be mixed with salt so check labels carefully. It can take weeks to remove salt from a pond once its in.
I had several fish with fin and tail rot several years ago. While some did not survive, the ones that did now show no sign that they had issues so don't give up hope.

 

[Mmathis]

@Jaynie So you have a veterinarian friend who is injecting your fish for you. May I make a few observations?

• Why isn’t he/she more involved with trying to figure out and SOLVE the underlying problem with your fish? Medical people are basically scientists, and I’ve never known a vet (or doctor) who will blindly treat a sick animal based solely on the random diagnosis of an owner....
• and not to sound rude here, but you don’t sound like you have much experience, and I’m just curious as to why your vet friend is trusting your diagnosis......
• I would think your vet friend would be concerned about WHY your fish are sick in the first place.....and try to get to the bottom of it.
  
• Why are you taking your water to be tested somewhere......monthly? Please buy a liquid test kit and learn how to test your own water! Water quality is the NUMBER ONE CAUSE of problems with fish! Put yourself in control here, and learn about the relationship between all these natural and essential “chemical reactions” that take place in a body of water....and how these relate to fish health!
• And why.....did you come to this group to ask about where to get the solar salt in the first place? It seems you already have resources — you’re just choosing not to use them. Again, not to sound rude, if I wanted something that I KNEW was going to help my fish, I don’t think I’d let a shipping fee get in the way.
• AND IF YOU HAVE A VETERINARIAN FRIEND (even if “fish” are not his/her specialty), THAT PERSON HAS THE KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, AND EQUIPMENT TO PERFORM A SCRAPE AND LOOK AT IT UNDER A MICROSCOPE! PLEASE ASK YOUR FRIEND TO DO THIS FOR YOU! I promise you that your friend took many microbiology courses in college and vet school. If a vet can look at a stool float from a cat or dog, and diagnose internal parasites — or look at a skin scraping from a dog to diagnose mange.....then he/she would be the perfect resource for scraping and scoping a fish!
• PLEASE GET YOUR VET FRIEND MORE INVOLVED ON THE BASIC LEVEL! Most veterinary/medical people I know LOVE to learn and they LOVE to teach!

 

[Jaynie]

@Jaynie So you have a veterinarian friend who is injecting your fish for you. May I make a few observations?

• Why isn’t he/she more involved with trying to figure out and SOLVE the underlying problem with your fish? Medical people are basically scientists, and I’ve never known a vet (or doctor) who will blindly treat a sick animal based solely on the random diagnosis of an owner....
• and not to sound rude here, but you don’t sound like you have much experience, and I’m just curious as to why your vet friend is trusting your diagnosis......
• I would think your vet friend would be concerned about WHY your fish are sick in the first place.....and try to get to the bottom of it.
  
• Why are you taking your water to be tested somewhere......monthly? Please buy a liquid test kit and learn how to test your own water! Water quality is the NUMBER ONE CAUSE of problems with fish! Put yourself in control here, and learn about the relationship between all these natural and essential “chemical reactions” that take place in a body of water....and how these relate to fish health!
• And why.....did you come to this group to ask about where to get the solar salt in the first place? It seems you already have resources — you’re just choosing not to use them. Again, not to sound rude, if I wanted something that I KNEW was going to help my fish, I don’t think I’d let a shipping fee get in the way.
• AND IF YOU HAVE A VETERINARIAN FRIEND (even if “fish” are not his/her specialty), THAT PERSON HAS THE KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, AND EQUIPMENT TO PERFORM A SCRAPE AND LOOK AT IT UNDER A MICROSCOPE! PLEASE ASK YOUR FRIEND TO DO THIS FOR YOU! I promise you that your friend took many microbiology courses in college and vet school. If a vet can look at a stool float from a cat or dog, and diagnose internal parasites — or look at a skin scraping from a dog to diagnose mange.....then he/she would be the perfect resource for scraping and scoping a fish!
• PLEASE GET YOUR VET FRIEND MORE INVOLVED ON THE BASIC LEVEL! Most veterinary/medical people I know LOVE to learn and they LOVE to teach!

Thanks I’m happy you know everything about me and what we have done. I’m also happy you seem to have all the answers. Thanks for the pointers enjoy your day

 

[Jaynie]

Jayne- if you do decide to use salt, you need to be sure of the salt level in your pond so you will need some way to test it. I used salt when I first started keeping koi, used water softener salt. Certain medications cannot be mixed with salt so check labels carefully. It can take weeks to remove salt from a pond once its in.
I had several fish with fin and tail rot several years ago. While some did not survive, the ones that did now show no sign that they had issues so don't give up hope.

Thanks so much. Yeah I don’t think I’m going to add the salt to my pond. I’m just going to keep up with 25 percent water changes every Friday and see how it goes. I’m going to just do salt dips for a while. I don’t want to hurt my plants. I have so much time invested in this pond. I have Heard that there are many water
Softners we can use instead of pond salt. I kinda wanted to know what salts people have used. Thanks so much

 

[Mmathis]

@Jaynie All I’m trying to say is that you have an excellent resource right at your fingertips — a friend who is a veterinarian! What a blessing to have access to his/her knowledge and expertise!

 

[MitchM]

I think most of us here would agree that it would be a good idea for you to have your own method of water testing, all parameters. You would be the one in control then.
Glad to here you're not salting the pond.
Plants contribute so much to a pond's water quality, it would be a shame to lose them.

If you can confirm a parasite, however, salting or other measures may be required for the whole pond.

.

 

[Tara]

Hello, @Jaynie , I'm happy you are getting advice, and sorry you're fish are ill. It is great you have a vet willing to assist you. Please keep us updated on your fish's health as this maybe a good learning experience for a lot of us. I'm sure after having your fish six years, you are doing all you can to save it. Vets can be hit or miss, when my parrot became very ill, no vet in my location could or would help, including a friend, as she said her knowledge of avian diagnosis was limited, and she did not treat birds, or take them as patients. I also went to Banfield, only to be turned away as they had no vet able to treat a bird. I had to drive a few hours too an avian vet. You are indeed very lucky that you're friend is helping you.

 

[Jaynie]

I think most of us here would agree that it would be a good idea for you to have your own method of water testing, all parameters. You would be the one in control then.
Glad to here you're not salting the pond.
Plants contribute so much to a pond's water quality, it would be a shame to lose them.

If you can confirm a parasite, however, salting or other measures may be required for the whole pond.

.

I do have my own test kit. And I do test. All my levels have always checked out good. But I do bring my water to my local guy who will not sell us Medicines without testing for himself. So I bring my water there once a month since I have been dealing with this problem. He has tested it more like ever other week for the past 6 weeks.

 

[Paulad]

Thanks so much. Yeah I don’t think I’m going to add the salt to my pond. I’m just going to keep up with 25 percent water changes every Friday and see how it goes. I’m going to just do salt dips for a while. I don’t want to hurt my plants. I have so much time invested in this pond. I have Heard that there are many water
Softners we can use instead of pond salt. I kinda wanted to know what salts people have used. Thanks so much

Hi Jaynie, I just came from my aquatic center where I get my pond supplies and he did recommend salt but only 1 cup per 100 gallons. I had saw the post about 1 lb per 100 gallons and wanted to let you know what I had been told. Best wishes to your scale babies!