Treating Freshwater Ich or Trichodina - Need lots of salt :(

[Sayer]

Several of our koi are starting to show a reddish color on their sides and around their top fins. There is also some flashing going on. Looking at Koivet.com it appears they have either Ich or Trichodina. The first suggested treatment is salt, but where can I get enough salt for a 6,000 gallon pond? My calculations show that I will need three doses of 125 cups of salt. 

Any suggestions?

[tranquility]

I use solar salt....you can get at any home depot or lowes back in the water treatment section...it comes in 40 lb. bags...However I wouldn't be so fast to treat with salt untill you talk to someone that really knows what they are doing when it comes to treating....

Lawanna

[Desertponder]

If they have Ich, the fish will look like they are peppered with salt. It could be another form of parasite.
Water softener salt is the best option for a large amount. Ich can be tricky to get rid of. If you don't treat it just right it can keep reoccurring.

[frloplady]

Don't waste time and money and possibly lose fish by treating for something they don't have while what they do have takes over and causes more problems.

What does THAT mean?  It means find or get ahold of a microscope or find someone that does and really see what the fish have.  What you describe also fits well with the flukes my fish had (determined by microscope) and what you propose to treat the fish with won't even touch flukes. 

There is a list of KHA (Koi Health Advisors) http://www.akca.org/kht/graduate.htm here.  Or contact a local koi club to find help with determining what they really have