I've read you need a light level of salt in your pond for koi and bacteria purposes, but also read NOT to use with goldfish. I have both in my pond - which way to go?
Thanks!
Salt question for koi/goldfish
DO you have plants in your pond?
yes I do have waterlillies, mini-cat tails and a few other plants. So, I know it has to be kept low for them, too. But where is the balance between them all? Thanks again!
.01 concentration is the preferred rate for ponds with plants. Without plants .02 is OK. Salt is fine for both goldfish and koi. However constant dosing with salt for goldfish is said not to be a good idea. Koi are said to benefit from it. Most koi sellers around here stress dosing the pond to .02 for both goldfish and koi for the winter when plants are dormant. Salt delays the uptake of nitrite and has several other benefits. The article below gives some good info. A water plant very susceptible to salt is lotus (Nelumbo). If you want to grow lotus plants stay under the .01 or avoid its use entirely.
http://www.koivet.com/html/articles/articles_details.php?article_id=61&category=13&name=Medications
I've dosed my pond every year to .02 for the winter and kept it just under .01 for the active months. My pond has both koi and goldfish until I culled all the goldfish last fall. I never saw any trouble with the goldfish. My problem was that they thrived beyond all expectations. Four multiplied into over 200! They were happy, fat, active and reproduced at a prodigious rate.
At those salt concentrations I had no observable effects on any water plants. Water lilys (tropical and hardy) Lotus, rushes, pickeral weed, parrot feather, anacharis, you name it - it grew well.
This message was edited Feb 20, 2008 9:33 PM
I have both koi and goldfish in assorted ponds, and keep a fairly high salt content. To me, a plant is a plant...so a few burnt edges on the leaves when I need to dose at a higher level, is not a big issue for me. I just trim them. BUT, make sure to remember that although salt kills bad things, it can also kill good things (such as healthy bacteria that keeps your filter in check)
Salt bath works =]