Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry Non Iodized Stock Salt

I'm attempting to stabilize the water chemistry in a new pond near Buffalo, Tx before stocking fish this spring and wanted to get some feedback on a recommendation I received from Texas A&M.

They recently analyzed a water sample for me and indicated my Hardness (24), Calcium (6.89), Alkalinity (25) and total dissolved salts (.098 ppt) were well below acceptable levels and have suggested adding ag lime and non iodized stock salt.

I totally get the ag lime but was surprised at the amount of salt, especially at a rate of 150-200 lbs / acre foot (750-1000 lbs in my case).

Does this sound reasonable?

A little salt in a pond does have some benefits. However, I believe very few of the experts on Pond Boss add it to their own ponds.

I think Sunil(?) may have added salt to one of his ponds (if you search the archives with "salt" and a member name).

OTOH, I believe many of the members that transport fish for a living, utilize salt in that application, so it apparently does have its valuable uses.

Good luck on your pond improvement project!

(Hopefully, some of the experts will drop into your thread. Also, there are LOTS of Texas pond owners that can give advice about their "local" experiences.)

I add sea salt in my haul tank and my hatchery pond. My fish say thank you.

I use Morton Solar Salt when hauling fish. Some of the stock salt that I've used has white sand in it because I have white sand on the bottom of the haul tanks afterwards.

I can't imagine putting enough salt in a pond to make a difference. In the haul tanks I try to match the salinity of the fish blood to minimize stress.

Thanks, appreciate the thoughts. I'll give it a try and post my results