Accidental fish looker afterer needs HELP PLEASE?

[MitchM]

Raising the KH by more than 20 ppm/day is not healthy for fish, so dumping in a pound of baking soda without knowing the initial reading is not a good idea.
If you don't know the PH or temperature, a water change for high ammonia could change what ammonia may be in there to NH3. Not good.
Water tests would be a good first step if the fish are not showing any signs of distress.

 

[MisseeLee]

Raising the KH by more than 20 ppm/day is not healthy for fish, so dumping in a pound of baking soda without knowing the initial reading is not a good idea.
If you don't know the PH or temperature, a water change for high ammonia could change what ammonia may be in there to NH3. Not good.
Water tests would be a good first step if the fish are not showing any signs of distress.

I'm not dumping anything in the pond without doing tests. I'll work out for myself whether the readings are off then ask here to see if I'm correct. Then I can balance anything that's off.

What would they look like if they were stressed?

 

[Rich8888ri]

Yes i agree with you. testing the water before you do anything is important which is why i said to give us your test results. However he was already advised to do water changes, and he bought declor so he can do water changes. If no test kit is available then you need to stabilize the water when doing water changes to keep from any ph crash and amonia spikes.

The amonia binder should be added before adding any baking soda as amonia is more toxic at higher ph, but he also needs to be sure there is not going to be a ph crash (thus needing to add baking soda)

A ph crash can kill the fish in a matter of hours. Mixing in 1/2 cup of baking soda per 1000 gallons is recommended and will not harm the fish.

Regarding NH3. Its going to be a problem if his new source water is a HIGHER ph than the pond so he needs a binding agent.

"Free ammonia NH3 can go up when you do water changes if the new water has has a higher pH.NH3 and NH4 always form equilibrium with pH and temperature. ... This is because organic acids from fish / plant waste and other biological activity will remove the waters hardness and lower the pH".

This is why a amonia binder is added first and then baking soda to keep a stable ph and preventing from a ph crash.

The bottom line is that he needs to test the water before doing anything.

I recommended that any person new to pounding read this fascinating article on water chemistry

https://hanoverkoifarms.com/the-science-of-water/

 

[MisseeLee]

I've ordered two API kits which Mitch has recommended to another newbie.
They will be here tomorrow.

I'm off to swim in the sea for my afternoon off. Perhaps I could sneak a seal back home for the pond

 

[MitchM]

You can't go wrong when you ensure you have good water quality.

...

What would they look like if they were stressed?

Clamped fins, gasping at the surface, little activity, no interest in eating.

 

[MisseeLee]

The test results.

PH 8
Ammonia 0.5 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Phosphate 2 ppm
KH 214.8 ppm
GH was 4 drops over the scale.

 

[BarbO]

Will have to wait for someone more experienced with these #'s to advise. ph of 8 is fine though. How are the fish behaving? Has the water cleared up, done any water change yet, and do you have your 2 filters running?

 

[MisseeLee]

Two filters running. The fish seem fine.

 

[Tara]

You went to such a great effort to save those fish, I'm glad you rescued them. It seems things are working out for both you and the fish, it's great you were able to get advice, and the fish were saved. You should give yourself a pat on the back, for a job well done.

 

[MitchM]

The test results.

PH 8
Ammonia 0.5 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Phosphate 2 ppm
KH 214.8 ppm
GH was 4 drops over the scale.

What does 4 drops over the scale mean?
Could you include a water temperature measurement?

 

[Rich8888ri]

The test results.

PH 8
Ammonia 0.5 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Phosphate 2 ppm
KH 214.8 ppm
GH was 4 drops over the scale.

.5 on the amonia is a little high. You need a amonia binder. You are shooting for zero amonia. I wouldn't feed until you got the amonia under control and then sparingly until the new filter cycles and catches up (amonia under,.25). The other readings seem ok to me.

 

[MisseeLee]

What does 4 drops over the scale mean?
Could you include a water temperature measurement?

What does 4 drops over the scale mean?
Could you include a water temperature measurement?

The test was put a drop into the water, invert, repeat until the water changes colour. The chart goes up to 12 but it took 16 drops to change colour.
I'm not really sure the best way to take the temp so I tested the water at the depth of 1foot. It's 17°c

 

[MisseeLee]

.5 on the amonia is a little high. You need a amonia binder. You are shooting for zero amonia. I wouldn't feed until you got the amonia under control and then sparingly until the new filter cycles and catches up (amonia under,.25). The other readings seem ok to me.

I've been looking at ammonia removers, as I realise it's too high. There's a Blagdons one which has been recommended.
The phosphate came out at 2 but on my chart it says zero is ideal. Any ideas?
Also what does 'the new filter cycles and catches up' mean? Is that the time all the water in the pond takes to go through the filter once?

 

[Rich8888ri]

Your filter goes through the nitrogen cycle. The pads and media in it need to grow bacteria that will eat the amonia. You should take a look at this article. Its very informative.
https://hanoverkoifarms.com/the-science-of-water/

As for phosphate, that is not harmful to the fish. It just means your at risk of algae blooms which will rob the oxygen from the water.

 

[MitchM]

The test was put a drop into the water, invert, repeat until the water changes colour. The chart goes up to 12 but it took 16 drops to change colour.
I'm not really sure the best way to take the temp so I tested the water at the depth of 1foot. It's 17°c

View attachment 115478

Ok, the GH reading means you have a lot of minerals in your water. That's ok as long as your PH doesn't rise above 9.0. That will mean that your pond water has a calcium deficiency which you would need to correct.
Your ammonia level isn't something to worry about right now. There's a correlation between temperature, PH and the ammonia reading your test kit shows. Look at the attached chart and you'll see what I mean.
Ask if you have any questions.
There's a calculator available if you're interested further.

With regards to phosphate, you are responsible for removing that. It can be accomplished by having plants that will use it as a nutrient, you can add a binder such as "koi" clay or you can perform water changes.
Water changes increase the risk of stress to the fish, plants need to be pruned and removed and the clay will need to be removed physically by a filter that you clean.

Your KH is at a good level.
Overall, your pond seems to be doing well.
Watch for signs of stress from the fish and observe the overall health of the plants.