Salt in a Nutshell
 

Regarding the use or non-use of salt in your pond, there are indications
that the use of salt will help with osmotic issues of fish that are
stressed. Koi have a salt content of 9 PPT, same as humans. We need salt or
we will die. Koi need certain levels also - HOWEVER, the *normal* ambient
background salt in most water supplies is sufficient for their needs. At
least here in Central Florida. Don't know about the rest of you folks.

Not into starting verbal wars. Salt is a method of calculating the size of
your pond if you did not meter it when you filled it. Or if you had problems
with your filtration and had to redo it all. Or for any number of reasons.
It's relatively benign (except to some plants), and is reduced through water
changes until you're back to your basic starting point with no ill effects.
Therefore, in addition to its ( I know,debatable!) medicinal benefits, it
can also be used as a tool. It's far more important to know your total
volume - pond, piping, filters, any other place you have water - than to
argue over the efficacy of salt use. It gets reduced with water exchanges if
you don't want it, and it won't really "hurt" anything (except the
aforementioned plants) until it's gone.

"Learn to keep the water and the water will keep the fish." I don't know
who made that statement, but there's a lot of truth in it. Good water with
no salt is far better than bad water *with* salt.

Lee

Salt in a Nutshell
 

Regarding the use or non-use of salt in your pond, there are indications
that the use of salt will help with osmotic issues of fish that are
stressed. Koi have a salt content of 9 PPT, same as humans. We need salt or
we will die. Koi need certain levels also - HOWEVER, the *normal* ambient
background salt in most water supplies is sufficient for their needs. At
least here in Central Florida. Don't know about the rest of you folks.

Not into starting verbal wars. Salt is a method of calculating the size of
your pond if you did not meter it when you filled it. Or if you had problems
with your filtration and had to redo it all. Or for any number of reasons.
It's relatively benign (except to some plants), and is reduced through water
changes until you're back to your basic starting point with no ill effects.
Therefore, in addition to its ( I know,debatable!) medicinal benefits, it
can also be used as a tool. It's far more important to know your total
volume - pond, piping, filters, any other place you have water - than to
argue over the efficacy of salt use. It gets reduced with water exchanges if
you don't want it, and it won't really "hurt" anything (except the
aforementioned plants) until it's gone.

"Learn to keep the water and the water will keep the fish." I don't know
who made that statement, but there's a lot of truth in it. Good water with
no salt is far better than bad water *with* salt.

Lee

Salt in a Nutshell
 

Lee B. wrote:
we will die. Koi need certain levels also - HOWEVER, the *normal* ambient
background salt in most water supplies is sufficient for their needs. At
least here in Central Florida. Don't know about the rest of you folks.

This would be a problem in areas where people used rain catchment
systems, such as in rain forests or areas with nasty water in the
public utility. Thanks, I'll try to remember this.

Salt in a Nutshell
 

Lee B. wrote:
we will die. Koi need certain levels also - HOWEVER, the *normal* ambient
background salt in most water supplies is sufficient for their needs. At
least here in Central Florida. Don't know about the rest of you folks.

This would be a problem in areas where people used rain catchment
systems, such as in rain forests or areas with nasty water in the
public utility. Thanks, I'll try to remember this.

Salt in a Nutshell
 

Rainwater has a lot of other problems, too. Like, it's usually pretty soft,
lacking any carbonates to buffer your pH and *other* minerals that help the
fish adjust to life in captivity. The pH can also be questionable in
general: in the summer, if the rain comes in off the Gulf of Mexico, it's
usually OK, pretty close to neutral. But if the rain comes *across* FL -
over the phosphate mines - the pH can be in the mid 4's. Get a couple
inches of that in your pond, and if you're not properly buffered, you're
looking at a crash. It's especially bad if it hasn't rained in a few weeks
and there's a lot of "stuff" in the air. Rain water needs to be monitored
carefully, no matter where you live, if you count on it for pond water. My
rain problems aren't nationwide, let alone world-wide. Folks out in Arizona
near the copper mines would probably have a problem; other areas with
open-pit mining would have problems of their own, if only for the dust.

Lee

"Offbreed" wrote in message
...
Lee B. wrote:
we will die. Koi need certain levels also - HOWEVER, the *normal*
ambient
background salt in most water supplies is sufficient for their needs. At
least here in Central Florida. Don't know about the rest of you folks.

This would be a problem in areas where people used rain catchment
systems, such as in rain forests or areas with nasty water in the
public utility. Thanks, I'll try to remember this.

Salt in a Nutshell
 

Rainwater has a lot of other problems, too. Like, it's usually pretty soft,
lacking any carbonates to buffer your pH and *other* minerals that help the
fish adjust to life in captivity. The pH can also be questionable in
general: in the summer, if the rain comes in off the Gulf of Mexico, it's
usually OK, pretty close to neutral. But if the rain comes *across* FL -
over the phosphate mines - the pH can be in the mid 4's. Get a couple
inches of that in your pond, and if you're not properly buffered, you're
looking at a crash. It's especially bad if it hasn't rained in a few weeks
and there's a lot of "stuff" in the air. Rain water needs to be monitored
carefully, no matter where you live, if you count on it for pond water. My
rain problems aren't nationwide, let alone world-wide. Folks out in Arizona
near the copper mines would probably have a problem; other areas with
open-pit mining would have problems of their own, if only for the dust.

Lee

"Offbreed" wrote in message
...
Lee B. wrote:
we will die. Koi need certain levels also - HOWEVER, the *normal*
ambient
background salt in most water supplies is sufficient for their needs. At
least here in Central Florida. Don't know about the rest of you folks.

This would be a problem in areas where people used rain catchment
systems, such as in rain forests or areas with nasty water in the
public utility. Thanks, I'll try to remember this.

Salt in a Nutshell
 

Rainwater has a lot of other problems, too. Like, it's usually pretty soft,
lacking any carbonates to buffer your pH and *other* minerals that help the
fish adjust to life in captivity. The pH can also be questionable in
general: in the summer, if the rain comes in off the Gulf of Mexico, it's
usually OK, pretty close to neutral. But if the rain comes *across* FL -
over the phosphate mines - the pH can be in the mid 4's. Get a couple
inches of that in your pond, and if you're not properly buffered, you're
looking at a crash. It's especially bad if it hasn't rained in a few weeks
and there's a lot of "stuff" in the air. Rain water needs to be monitored
carefully, no matter where you live, if you count on it for pond water. My
rain problems aren't nationwide, let alone world-wide. Folks out in Arizona
near the copper mines would probably have a problem; other areas with
open-pit mining would have problems of their own, if only for the dust.

Lee

"Offbreed" wrote in message
...
Lee B. wrote:
we will die. Koi need certain levels also - HOWEVER, the *normal*
ambient
background salt in most water supplies is sufficient for their needs. At
least here in Central Florida. Don't know about the rest of you folks.

This would be a problem in areas where people used rain catchment
systems, such as in rain forests or areas with nasty water in the
public utility. Thanks, I'll try to remember this.

Salt in a Nutshell
 

Rainwater has a lot of other problems, too. Like, it's usually pretty soft,
lacking any carbonates to buffer your pH and *other* minerals that help the
fish adjust to life in captivity. The pH can also be questionable in
general: in the summer, if the rain comes in off the Gulf of Mexico, it's
usually OK, pretty close to neutral. But if the rain comes *across* FL -
over the phosphate mines - the pH can be in the mid 4's. Get a couple
inches of that in your pond, and if you're not properly buffered, you're
looking at a crash. It's especially bad if it hasn't rained in a few weeks
and there's a lot of "stuff" in the air. Rain water needs to be monitored
carefully, no matter where you live, if you count on it for pond water. My
rain problems aren't nationwide, let alone world-wide. Folks out in Arizona
near the copper mines would probably have a problem; other areas with
open-pit mining would have problems of their own, if only for the dust.

Lee

"Offbreed" wrote in message
...
Lee B. wrote:
we will die. Koi need certain levels also - HOWEVER, the *normal*
ambient
background salt in most water supplies is sufficient for their needs. At
least here in Central Florida. Don't know about the rest of you folks.

This would be a problem in areas where people used rain catchment
systems, such as in rain forests or areas with nasty water in the
public utility. Thanks, I'll try to remember this.