Can water testing become a compulsion?

[yorkshire pudding]

when this thread was first started i was interested as to what the replies would be and its kind of what i thought, long time ponders dont test as often or ever as new ponders do, im not a new ponder i have been keeping "water" and fish most of my life but i still test i do this for a number of reasons i am constantly changing the fish, be that through growing on and adding or moving on to other ponds, growing fry and adding is another reason i test all the time, but the testing for me is a pat on the back for my hard work also its part of my weekly maintenance which is clean the filter ( i know most of you guys have bogs) 10% water change,test parameters and this is the important bit i sit with my dog and have breakfast at the side of the pond (normaly a sunday) read the paper have a coffee and just stare. i used to do this with my wife and since she passed its something i continued to do, another thing that intrigued me was since this thread was started there have been several people asking for advice and the first thing members do is ask for water test results so as better to advise. so i suppose i am a compulsive tester but that suits me and im quite happy testing compulsively

 

[WaterGardener]

I also like to see that my pond is in great shape, visually and by testing. I don't do it that often, but it's rewarding when the tests come out perfect.

Since most problems are the result of poor water quality, it's necessary to know how the water stacks up when there is an issue. Good water is the best medicine.

Sorry to hear of the loss of your wife. My better half and I have coffee by the pond every morning that the weather permits. It's a great way to start the day.

I also don't have a bog, so it sounds like we have similar set-ups and routines.

Give yourself another pat on the back for keeping a healthy pond. It's nice to know that the work pays off and one way of being assured of that is by testing, in my opinion.

 

[Gazzas pool]

when this thread was first started i was interested as to what the replies would be and its kind of what i thought, long time ponders dont test as often or ever as new ponders do, im not a new ponder i have been keeping "water" and fish most of my life but i still test i do this for a number of reasons i am constantly changing the fish, be that through growing on and adding or moving on to other ponds, growing fry and adding is another reason i test all the time, but the testing for me is a pat on the back for my hard work also its part of my weekly maintenance which is clean the filter ( i know most of you guys have bogs) 10% water change,test parameters and this is the important bit i sit with my dog and have breakfast at the side of the pond (normaly a sunday) read the paper have a coffee and just stare. i used to do this with my wife and since she passed its something i continued to do, another thing that intrigued me was since this thread was started there have been several people asking for advice and the first thing members do is ask for water test results so as better to advise. so i suppose i am a compulsive tester but that suits me and im quite happy testing compulsively

 

[Gazzas pool]

when this thread was first started i was interested as to what the replies would be and its kind of what i thought, long time ponders dont test as often or ever as new ponders do, im not a new ponder i have been keeping "water" and fish most of my life but i still test i do this for a number of reasons i am constantly changing the fish, be that through growing on and adding or moving on to other ponds, growing fry and adding is another reason i test all the time, but the testing for me is a pat on the back for my hard work also its part of my weekly maintenance which is clean the filter ( i know most of you guys have bogs) 10% water change,test parameters and this is the important bit i sit with my dog and have breakfast at the side of the pond (normaly a sunday) read the paper have a coffee and just stare. i used to do this with my wife and since she passed its something i continued to do, another thing that intrigued me was since this thread was started there have been several people asking for advice and the first thing members do is ask for water test results so as better to advise. so i suppose i am a compulsive tester but that suits me and im quite happy testing compulsively

As water gardener says, sorry for your loss ' Yorkie and may I commend you for keeping your water in good health.
I was quite happy to amble on and turn my small garden pond over with low capacity pumps to support the tiddlers I put in from a local park lake. But having seen some nice pictures on here of colourful goldfish in crystal ponds, I went n bought a few extras, 2 Orandas and I assorted single tail that looks koi like (but only supposed to grow to 14cm) after achieving very clear water using blagdons Clear pond. But now a couple of weeks later, its back to murky green,. I'm awaiting a 40% mark up on the waterfall pump which will run 24/7 also instead of average 8hrs and will use the waterfall pump for a fountain aerator which also can run 24/7. I'm just hoping the small waterfall box will cope with the extra water capacity, should do with a bit of extra tilt.
Could you put a pic of your pond on Yorkie al hopefully get a nice crystal clear one when I've set me new pump filter up ;~}

 

[yorkshire pudding]

just a few pics of my place ,sorry about picture quality but its raining and overcast some of the fish are near the bottom about 4 foot deep, i dont have any plants in the pond that didnt work for me.i like plants around the pond. the smaller fish in the pond are last years fry about 8-10 inches and the ones in the tank are this years about 3 months old and around an inch, the filter is a nexus 220 which does get some good and bad reviews but it works very well for me.i did have 2 sturgeon which i sadly had to move on they require feeding all year round and that was a problem with my other fish eating a very high protien food in winter not good for koi, the last picture was taken last year i think when the house next door was renovated, i wish the pictures would justify the water clarity but like i said its really overcast but it is very clear, hope you like it watergardener/gazza also thank you for your kind words

 

[WaterGardener]

Very nice!

 

[Lisak1]

I think testing is essential for anyone new to pond keeping. Once you've got an established pond it becomes kind of boring, at least for me it was. "Another week. Same results." The only thing that was intriguing was to see our relatively high pH (near 9) drop to a more moderate level, without me doing a single thing to change it. Once that stabilized, I lost interest in seeing numbers every week or month.

 

[addy1]

I loss interest within the 2 nd year, with the bog every reading was just normal, ph raised from 5.4 to a great 7.6 and stays there, hardness stabilized, I lost interest. Have tested a few times since then, again boring! normal!

 

[GBBUDD]

read the paper have a coffee and just stare. i used to do this with my wife and since she passed its something i continued to do,

Sorry to hear about your loss. At least you san still sit by the pond and go mindless im sure on the rare occasions it even feels like she's still there

 

[Lisak1]

@yorkshire pudding I'm very sorry to hear that you lost your wife. I hope that you find comfort in those quiet moments at your pond, remembering the life you shared together. I would believe that she would be very happy to know that you are still finding joy in life.

 

[Gazzas pool]

View attachment 141538View attachment 141539View attachment 141540View attachment 141541View attachment 141542View attachment 141543View attachment 141544View attachment 141545View attachment 141546View attachment 141547View attachment 141548View attachment 141549just a few pics of my place ,sorry about picture quality but its raining and overcast some of the fish are near the bottom about 4 foot deep, i dont have any plants in the pond that didnt work for me.i like plants around the pond. the smaller fish in the pond are last years fry about 8-10 inches and the ones in the tank are this years about 3 months old and around an inch, the filter is a nexus 220 which does get some good and bad reviews but it works very well for me.i did have 2 sturgeon which i sadly had to move on they require feeding all year round and that was a problem with my other fish eating a very high protien food in winter not good for koi, the last picture was taken last year i think when the house next door was renovated, i wish the pictures would justify the water clarity but like i said its really overcast but it is very clear, hope you like it watergardener/gazza also thank you for your kind words

;-) I'm glad your getting the crap weather too, splendid fish, my new pump was supposed to arrive 2day, it better get here 2morr, I can't see my little fish now, so I can't tell how stressed they may be, with the park lake single tail fish slowly getting bigger and maybe territorial (of which there ain't to much) If n when I get my pond clear again I may relocate half of the lake fish but if they seem to get on well together I may leave them until next summer,
I'll be happy to wait for your next pics Yorki when the decent weather comes back

 

[yorkshire pudding]

Sorry to hear about your loss. At least you san still sit by the pond and go mindless im sure on the rare occasions it even feels like she's still there

thank you gbbudd and you are right it does feel like she is still here.

 

[yorkshire pudding]

@yorkshire pudding I'm very sorry to hear that you lost your wife. I hope that you find comfort in those quiet moments at your pond, remembering the life you shared together. I would believe that she would be very happy to know that you are still finding joy in life.

thank you @Lisak1 for your kind words.

 

[Gazzas pool]

thank you lisak1for your kind words.

Yorkie not sure if Lasak1will see that reply!

 

[addy1]

Yorkie not sure if Lasak1will see that reply!

I will fix it so she does.