Koi Fish

The old saying of 'rub salt in your wounds' is certainly relevant if it comes to pond hygiene and essential to keep the water quality high and the fish healthy.

 Koi share their space not only with water plants but also with bacteria and parasites.

• Therefore, to keep the parasites at bay, it is a feasible option to add salt with no additives to your pond. 
• However, it is necessary to dose the pond with the correct volume to prevent the fish from dying of the salt added.
• Salt is inexpensive
• Salt will not damage the pond filter
• Salt stimulates mucous slime coat production
• Salt reduces nitrite toxiticy by limiting the uptake of nitrites by the fish, due to amonia levels that is too high. Nitrites bind with the hemaglobin of fish and limits oxygen uptake, which then cause fish to be lithargic.
• Salt helps to heal sick or infected koi and balance osmoregulation
• Salt added in autumn and winter helps the koi to function
• Whenever quarantine koi, use salt in the quarantine tank
• When introducing new koi to your pond, first put them in a quarantine tank with salt

When adding salt to the pond, it is adviseable to :

• Remove sensitive plants
• Remove 50% of the water
• Never use iodised and table salt
• Make a solution of salt water
• Gradually add it to the pond over 3 days
• The  treatment takes about 14 - 21days to show an effect
• The solution will be diluted when additional water is added
• Take care not to pump water out on plants as the salt may affect plant life
• Too much salt or too long periods of salt treatment cause koi to get 'popeyes' or Dropsey
• The dosage of 0.03% or 1 kg / 1000 liter of water can be beneficial
• However with sick koi it can be increased to 0.05%, though it is better to do it seperaty
• Salt does not evaporate and stays active indefinitely! Therefore, it can only reduce once fresh water is added after pumping water out

An EC meter or Digital Salt Meter is essential to measure the salinity of the water. DON'T guess!!!!

 Operating Range: 0.00 to 1.00%
Accuracy: ± 0.03%

Remember : Measure the salinity before and after adding salt to ensure that you do not exceed safe limits

To measure your pond volume is neccessary to work out the correct volume of salt to be added.

Koi fish currently for sale can be collected on appointment. 

Contact us by WA or email for more details.