What salinity tester do you use?

[Tony4x4]

Hi there,
I am a newbie and have a 2700 gallon outdoor pond with Koi and Goldfish.
I have an Ick problem and have read some of the articles about using salt to treat the problem.
Unfortunately, as we are going into fall there is no way to raise the water temp so I guess I am in for the long haul in terms of the length of time to treat the problem.

My question is what types of testers do you use to monitor the salt level in the water to maintain a 3ppt solution? And what you use does it give you how many ppts or does it just say low, high etc.

Thanks in advance

Tony

 

[kendragon]

Hi there,
I am a newbie and have a 2700 gallon outdoor pond with Koi and Goldfish.
I have an Ick problem and have read some of the articles about using salt to treat the problem.
Unfortunately, as we are going into fall there is no way to raise the water temp so I guess I am in for the long haul in terms of the length of time to treat the problem.

My question is what types of testers do you use to monitor the salt level in the water to maintain a 3ppt solution? And what you use does it give you how many ppts or does it just say low, high etc.

Thanks in advance

Tony

I use Koi Medic by Trans Instruments which measures salt level in %.
A marine hydrometer will not work. It will not rise for .3% solution. It is for specific gravity in marine systems.
For kois, a .3% solution is good. Add 3 pounds for every hundred gallons.
If you have plants in the pond, it will suffer and/or die. Then you may want to go the chemical route.

 

[Tony4x4]

I use Koi Medic by Trans Instruments which measures salt level in %.
A marine hydrometer will not work. It will not rise for .3% solution. It is for specific gravity in marine systems.
For kois, a .3% solution is good. Add 3 pounds for every hundred gallons.
If you have plants in the pond, it will suffer and/or die. Then you may want to go the chemical route.

Thanks Kendragon. Can I keep it at a .3% solution or should I lower the salinity after treatment?

 

[kendragon]

Thanks Kendragon. Can I keep it at a .3% solution or should I lower the salinity after treatment?

I would let it dissipate after treatment through water change or evaporation fill. Ich could last 5 weeks + in cold water.

 

[Tony4x4]

I would let it dissipate after treatment through water change or evaporation fill. Ich could last 5 weeks + in cold water.

Thanks again. I purchased the tester you recommended. Sorry for the continuing questions, so is there a maintenance level of salt you should maintain in the pond? i.e. maybe a .1% solution.

 

[kendragon]

I maintain a lot of ponds around San Diego and find no benefit having a low level of salt in the pond. Some people swear by it to be therapeutic for the fish. If anything, water out of the tap has enough salt for them. Save the salt for disease. Also, salted pond water is not good for the plants in the yard.

 

[Tony4x4]

I maintain a lot of ponds around San Diego and find no benefit having a low level of salt in the pond. Some people swear by it to be therapeutic for the fish. If anything, water out of the tap has enough salt for them. Save the salt for disease. Also, salted pond water is not good for the plants in the yard.

Thank you for your input!
Much appreciated.
Tony

 

[squint]

Plenty of scientific articles discuss why salt is beneficial for fish. One common hobby myth is that it's not useful or even harmful.