Can you use Morton Pool Salt in pond for Algae

[Joe1050]

My pond guy told me to get water purifier salt. I found Morton's Pool salt. Is that ok.

 

[mrsclem]

Do you have fish? Koi and goldfish are freshwater fish. Salt will kill algae but also all other plants.

 

[Lisak1]

Your pond guy is behind the times. Why does he say you need it?

 

[GBBUDD]

My pond guy told me to get water purifier salt. I found Morton's Pool salt. Is that ok.

Good filtration removes algae, if you have a poor filter, over feed, over stock . youll get pea soup or algae

 

[Lisak1]

Salt for algae... that might be a first for that suggestion. Will it kill algae? I suppose if the concentration is high enough - but what else are you going to kill in the meantime. (And don't forget - the oceans are full of algae.)

Address the cause, not the symptom.

 

[sissy]

fish eat algae and love it . It maes for a healthy pond if you test water and check how much you are feeding your fish . Remember fish are like teenagers and if you don't make them clean their own room it will only get worse and worse .I am surprised by these pond people telling you this and that in chemicals only because they want to sell you them to make money

 

[j.w]

@Joe1050
Use the salt for your fish and chips! I don't think anyone on here puts salt in their ponds and their fish are just fine w/o it. Speak up if you do!

 

[DawnNC]

View attachment 156985@Joe1050
Use the salt for your fish and chips! I don't think anyone on here puts salt in their ponds and their fish are just fine w/o it. Speak up if you do!

A pond guy told me 30 years ago to add table salt to the pond once a year. A whole container for a 600 gallon pond. He said it helped the fish with a slime layer. My pond was a natural no Chem pond.

 

[Stephen Noble]

A pond guy told me 30 years ago to add table salt to the pond once a year. A whole container for a 600 gallon pond. He said it helped the fish with a slime layer. My pond was a natural no Chem pond.

Sorry, your 'pond guy' was wrong. Adding salt, a chemical compound, is not natural!

 

[WaterGardener]

Besides, table salt contains chlorine. Not a good idea. And why do people think fish need help with thier slime coats?

Adding salt to a pond irritates the skin of the fish so that they add extra, unnecessary slime coat to protect themselves from the salt. Why force them to live in an environment that is not comfortable for them? Sound like living in a field of nettles to me.

 

[Lisak1]

That's a great example @WaterGardener ! A body will adapt to irritation, but why create the irritating environment in the first place?

 

[GBBUDD]

old school add salt and result was see less irritations and disease as the lower life forms can't deal with the salt and the fish being higher on the scale can tolerate a higher dose after all we all have salt in our systems in some manner and degree. but to elevate those levels is pushing that balance.

I myself would rather find the balance with the bacteria and mother nature than to find it with salt levels. My fresh and salt water tanks if you shined a flashlight from the top down you would see the parasites like ich swimming around. but the fish were healthy and they remained unaffected.

 

[Janne]

Sorry, your 'pond guy' was wrong. Adding salt, a chemical compound, is not natural!

Especially true if the salt is iodized!

 

[Phaewryn]

My pond guy told me to get water purifier salt. I found Morton's Pool salt. Is that ok.

How many gallons is your pond and how much salt are you being told to add? Some fish can survive or even thrive in brackish water, but not many. Do you have fish? Do you know what salt level those fish thrive in? Do you own a hydrometer, so you can accurately only add as much salt as the fish species you have can thrive in? If not, don't add ANY salt. If you have an EMPTY pond with NO fish and NO plants, sure, treat it like a saltwater swimming pool if you wish: just know it is a pool, not a pond, and it will never have plants or fish. Nothing wrong with a saltwater pool, just be sure that's what you want. To fix algae in a pond or natural pool, you need to add PLANTS and nothing else. Sounds like your pond guy might be more of a pool guy. But you can have a crystal clear natural pool too, with the right investment in plants (and not chemicals/salt):

Choose a Natural Swimming Pool or Pond: All Plants and No Chemicals

A natural swimming pool or pond cleans the water with plants. It's nature's filter system. Environmentally friendly and they look awesome. Win-win.

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