Benefits of Adding Salt to Koi Pond

It is a very disheartening sight to find your beloved Koi fishes with infections. Salting the koi fishes may some times help to solve the minor issue with these fishes.

Many Koi Keepers around the world maintain a constant percentage of Salt in their koi Pond, even if the koi are healthy. 

Salt helps in taking care of parasites and harmful bacteria and also helps to relieve the koi fish from the effects of stress. Especially good for the fishes which were in transit.

Adding salt to the pond improves fish gill function which thereby helps to reduce stress.

Which is the best type of salt to use in Koi Fish pond?

The ideal salt to use in the koi pond is non -iodised salt or rock salt.

The koi fishes bodily fluids contain 0.8% salt which is same as in humans. There exist times when Koi do appear to benefit from a dose of salt in the pond or a ten-minute salt bath.

How to give a general salt bath, how much salt to use?

Scheduled salt baths with 20 Grams per litre (2%) dose can be very beneficial to your koi. This should be done before introducing new Koi to the pond to prevent infections. During any such treatment procedures, fish should not be left unsupervised. The duration of each salt bath shall be less than ten minutes.

If the fish is observed to tilt or having difficulty in staying afloat, the fish should be put back into a well-oxygenated quarantine tank. You can repeat the same process if necessary after two days with a fresh salt solution.

What is the salt dosage for Koi pond salting?

For pond salting a general dose of salt is 0.15 % i.e, 1.5 Kgs per 1000 litres of water. This can be added to your pond frequency every two to three months. Adding salt to 0.2 -0.4% can help your koi from the harmful effects of Nitrites

Some people never use salt, thinking that carp are freshwater fish and it's not natural for them to have salt. There are also some drawbacks of using Salt some are listed below.

• Salt should be removed before starting any treatment.

• Pond plants are affected by the usage of salt.

• It affects the metallic items in your pond.

• Overdosage of Salt can be fatal for Koi Fishes.

• Adding Salt directly to the Biofilter can eradicate the Beneficial bacteria.

Before treating any Koi Fish with salt it will be wise to note the following, and also note that salt is not a wonder drug for all ailments affecting the Koi.

• Age of your Koi fish? (Since young koi are more susceptive to diseases and virus attacks)

• How long have you had the fish?

• When was the First observation made that something was wrong?

• Is Koi Taking food?

• Is the fish acting abnormally?

• Water Volume your pond?

• Total count of Koi fishes in your pond?

• Water temperature

• Water Parameters?

• Type of filtration in use?

• Do you Have UV? If so the Wattage?

• Have you recently added any new Koi fish to the pond?

• Have you started any medications? 

The best ways to use salt is when quarantining new koi as described earlier.

How to Construct a Quarantine Pond /Tank?

The Quarantine tank shall hold at least 1000 litres of water or more. And ensure that it is properly aerated with at least a 60LPM air pump. This pond may have a bottom or side drain in order to facilitate quick removal of pond water.

Source water should be tested well in advance to determine the base water parameters.

What is the ideal dosage of Salt for salt therapy?

A dose of salt is 0.3 -0.5 % i.e, 3 -5 Kgs per 1000 litres of water will help to control all freshwater bone parasite and pathogens.

• Always make sure that the added salt is fully dissolved in the water it is to prevent ‘salt burns’.

• Always give the medication in an area where there is no direct sunlight.

• Always use dechlorinated water

• Dissolved Oxygen Levels at more than 6 mg/l

• The temperature of the holding tank water shall be similar to that of the pond.

• The Koi shall be kept in this pond for a period of 14 to 28 days depending upon the conditions for quarantine recovery.

What is the dosage of Salt for disinfecting Koi fishes?

This is done at the first sighting or as an immediate treatment to parasitic infestation and bacterial infections.  A dose of salt is 2.5 -3.0 % i.e, 30 - 50 Grams per Litre of water.  To disinfect the said koi fishes are placed in a small tub with the saltwater solution. The duration of the bath is generally between 2 to 5 minutes.

Then the fishes are moved to holding tanks for quarantine and recovery or for further treatment using strong medications.

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