Why you shouldnt salt a pond 365 days a year

[Dave 54]

I know there are more than a few people who salt their ponds 365 days a year believing it to be good for their Fish and there are there are others including ourselves who wont even entertain it unless its in a dedicated QT fasility/QT pond or a short term salt bath.
So you have to ask yourself this question am I ight in salting 365 days or am I wrong in doing so
Well in answer to your question you are wrong in doing so and you shouldnt do it. Those of you who salt your ponds ponds could well be doing their fish a great dis-service .
Why you may ask ?
The answer is this, by doing this it has been shown that a resistance has been built up in a number of types of parasite namely those of Gyrodactylus (skin flukes), Dactylogyrus (Gill flukes) as well as Trichodina.
So its for this reason you should salt all the year around, but in saying this however you can salt your fish once in the fall then again in the spring to protect against parasites but only then thus there is no build up.

Dave

 

[Priscilla]

Thanks for sharing. I think what you are saying makes sense to me. Similar to antibiotics, you use it too much, the bugs become immune to it and mutate.

How would one get parasites in a pond? Through a new fish/plant would be in the most obvious way. But do they just appear sometimes?

 

[Dave 54]

Priscilla one of the most common ways our fish get/contract many parasites are from other fish be they from a dealership or from a friends fish, as such it vitally important that all new fish are put through a period of QT.
How long must they stay there , we recomend a QT period of 8 weeks but others say 4 weeks but basically its down to you how long you QT for .
During this time if they remain un-treated then you have no garentee the fish is Parasite free so its best to at least salt bath in a short term salt bathor treat for parasites in some way or another
Otherwise Priscilla all you can say is I havent seen a problem "but it still doesnt mean they arent parasite free all it tells you is their arent enough parastes on that fish to become an issue" .
So you must have a QT system in which you can treat any new fish ( a stock tank of 100 gallons or more will do ith a UV-C and filter added) ,
"We have a purpose built fasility which is basically a 550 gallon imperial self contained pond", non of the water mix's with the other main pond.
Make sure the dealership you visit treats their fish prior to them going for sale any good dealer will confirm they have and tell you what they treated them with and for what.....
I mean they have too dont they, because after all we are their bread and butter, get a bad name and in no time people will desert them and they will go bust.
Believe me Priscilla word soon gets around who's' a good dealer and who is a bad one .
But the bottom line in all this is us the hobbyist it is you are making that purchase no-one else.
As such use your head look for problems in the vats, ask yourself are there any sick dead or dying fish in those vats.
If the answer is yes then simply walk away its not worth it.
Val and I are extremely vidulent when buying new koi and refuse even a split fin in a Vat,
Private sales between two indivual keepers are another way they get in we did a thread on how to go about these sales :-

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/proceedures-when-buying-a-koi-from-a-private-owner.10505/

I remember getting into a heated discussion with dp about a koi given to one of our members who's pond was just next door but in the end that fish was QT'd in a school .
Now if you dont have a QT fasility/pond and your buying privately, be extremely careful who you buy your new fish from, making doubley sure that that person is very conscientious about treating all their fish to make sure they are parasite free before they sell them to you .
Do not take their word for it that they are parasite free, ask them exactly how they treated their fish for parasites.
If their answers are vague about how they treat their fish then alarm bells should start ringing .......
So if youve set your heart on it and really must buy it then assume the fish "WILL" have parasites then make up your mind and if you still want the fish QT it .
The reality is that, at least 80-90% of the time, the parasites are introduced to the pond from a new fish which was carrying with parasites.
Healthy fish can Live with a low level of parasites for many years and thrive
Why well this is because fish produce an enzyme in their slime coat that basically inhibits the reproduction of parasites.
If the the fish doesnt get sick or stressed then parasites are kept in obeyence and at a manageable level but If for some point the fish does get very stressed or sick it will stop producing the said enzyme and the parasites seeing their chance then go for it reproducing unchecked and become a major issue in your pond
So try to reduce stress in your pond remember to QT first, then hopefully you cannot go far wrong ,

Dave

 

[Meyer Jordan]

If I may add- Some parasites are introduced with the addition of aquatic plants.

 

[Dave 54]

M'mmm I thought I had put that vector in reading back it appears I didnt .
Many thanx for correcting me Meyer its very much appreciated

Dave

 

[dieselplower]

Another reason you would not want to keep salt in your pond year round is that salt lowers the freezing temperature of water. You could freeze your fish to death and not know it since the top of the pond would have no ice on it.

 

[Dave 54]

Another reason you would not want to keep salt in your pond year round is that salt lowers the freezing temperature of water. You could freeze your fish to death and not know it since the top of the pond would have no ice on it.

Yes but if your in trouble with Ich thats the recomended treatment in cold weather as formalin would be useless at low temperatures in that I previousy mentioned it sinks to the bottom of the pond in the lower temperatures .
It's no good using a salt bath due to the stress of catching already badly stressed out fsh which in itself may well be a killer to them .
If done slowly and correctly then its goo winter treatment for ich.

Dave

 

[CometKeith]

Dave, All great comments. If i may add that floating plants don't like salt either. i think a lot of people think salt is a magic wand that will cure all their ponds ills. I may be a total baby but I don't add, fish or snails to my pond anymore, and only plants from known sources like other pond owners I know. By the way since I stopped adding new fish to my pond several years ago the fish population in my pond has more than tripled. They are all healthy and keep having babies!

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I believe that birds and other critters visiting a pond can leave parasites that may have been picked up elsewhere. Although I would imagine more times than not if you end up with fish that are infested it was from adding a new fish without quarantine.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I believe that birds and other critters visiting a pond can leave parasites that may have been picked up elsewhere. Although I would imagine more times than not if you end up with fish that are infested it was from adding a new fish without quarantine.

This is also true. Especially as regards internal parasites. Perhaps Dave will share his knowledge on these pathogenic organisms.

 

[morewater]

Raccoons are dirty little creatures with toxic crap.

Ducks, on the other hand, can bring unwanted parasites into a pond.....but I like ducks.

Raccoons are best on the side of the road having a dirt nap.

 

[Dave 54]

This is also true. Especially as regards internal parasites. Perhaps Dave will share his knowledge on these pathogenic organisms.

First my I applogise for my forced time off I'm not one to miss a day and I've had to lay up nearly a fortnight .
Meyer the only parasite I know that effects koi or fish internally is the tape worm, there is also a lesser known parasite that can effect the fishes kidneys that then leads to dropsy in fish .
There is the blood parasite Trypansoma and ttyanoplasma then you have the bloodworm Sanguinicola all are notoriously hard to treat ,
We have the Myxobolus parasite that can infect our fish both internally and externally
However its the bacterial and viral infections ou fish can get that are the killers , theres also viral infecton of the kidneys which is rare in fish but not unknown .
Septicemia is another nasty our fish can suffer frominternally which can be a death sentence to our fish .
We then have TB wich can effect the fish internally and like septicemia can be spread to us humans and is known as a Zoonosis or species jumper signs of infection are rapid weight loss and wasting of the fish in question combined with a raher dramatic loss of appitite .
There is the last but not least we have the KHV and SVC viral infections I may have missed some but feel sure you can fill in any that we may well have missed .

Dave

 

[mariobrothersleeve]

Another reason you would not want to keep salt in your pond year round is that salt lowers the freezing temperature of water. You could freeze your fish to death and not know it since the top of the pond would have no ice on it.

? Hmmm?

 

[Dave 54]

? Hmmm?

One thin dp should have added, is it also is less effective against certain parasites if salt is used 365 it has been shown that a resistance has been built up in a number of types of parasite namely those of Gyrodactylus (skin flukes), Dactylogyrus (Gill flukes) as well as Trichodina as previously stated at the start of this thread .
So salt should be kept for short term salt baths and QT fasilities only .

Dave

 

[Dave 54]

Dave, All great comments. If i may add that floating plants don't like salt either. i think a lot of people think salt is a magic wand that will cure all their ponds ills. I may be a total baby but I don't add, fish or snails to my pond anymore, and only plants from known sources like other pond owners I know. By the way since I stopped adding new fish to my pond several years ago the fish population in my pond has more than tripled. They are all healthy and keep having babies!

Very true Keith many formal koi ponds in the UK do not have plants in them so as such wouldnt be a worry to us but even plants from known sources may have snails , Val and I remember getting plants from a known source for our then tropical fish setup , before long we had a major infestation of them which were rather hard to irradicate .
You can however treat plants with an aquatic snail treatment to rid the plants of them .
Oe problem though that I thought I'd bring up Keith is Genetics specifially inbreeding, to stop this it is better from time to time its better to add new fish to give Genetic variety to your pond that way you know that your not breeding any faults into fish
.
Dave