Important of PH for koi fish

[Meyer Jordan]

Getting back to pH, This recently published article is a general good read that explains where the emphasis really needs to go.
http://www.koienterprise.com/Alkalinity-pH-and-Acid-Rain-a-196.html

 

[peter hillman]

Crap, now I gotta test my pH.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Crap, now I gotta test my pH.

Test your Alkalinity first.

 

[peter hillman]

Test your Alkalinity first.

Don't have that in my kit, but just got a 7.5 on the pH scale. No nitrite or ammonia, but 1.0 phosphates. Haven't done anything to water since sept.,. No feeding for the last 3 months.
34.5*. It is what it is.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

I know I've brought this out in another thread, but spring melt is about the only time my pond is at risk for a PH crash. Little precipitation and constant trickle water change helps keeps my pond's PH fairly constant during most of the year, but I discontinue the trickle water change in the winter and my pond generally gets a good build up of snow and ice over the winter. Ice, snow and rain actually. Once the surface of the pond freezes and gets a layer of ice and snow, even if it warms up and rains for a while that rain soaks into the top layer of snow and eventually re-freezes adding to the layer on the top. Also, there is a roof above my courtyard sloping towards the pond, it does have a gutter and downspout that carries the rain away, but in the winter the snow builds up there and because it's a flat roof we take the precaution of clearing the snow off periodically, and the most convenient place for it to go is on top of the frozen pond. The net result is we sometimes get a lot of snow and ice build up on top of the pond. When spring thaw comes it often happens pretty fast and all that snow and ice melts into the pond and lowers the PH. Low PH combined with fish and critters who's immunity's are generally weakened from a long winter with little food and activity. Most of my fishy pets managed to survive all winter just fine but the few losses I've had always happened in the spring when it warms up.
This year I likely won't be home during the spring thaw, so I think I'm going to try something different and sprinkle some PH-UP (Sodium carbonate) on the layer of snow and ice now, then in the spring when it melts it will slowly mix with the pond water. Perhaps that will help reduce the stress on the fish.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

When spring thaw comes it often happens pretty fast and all that snow and ice melts into the pond and lowers the PH.

How much of a decrease in pH are you observing?

 

[Mucky_Waters]

How much of a decrease in pH are you observing?

It fluctuates, but I've had readings in the low sixes, usually around 6.5, which may not seem really low, but my source water, and the PH my pond water is normally is is in the low eights, so that a drop of 3 points. Not to mention all that added winter water is very soft and has no PH buffering capacity. It's not so much that the PH gets really low, it's that it changes so fast as the more acidic snow/ice mixture melts into the pond water at a time when the fish are at their weakest.
What I planned to do, and what would probably be a better solution would simply be to set up my water trickle change system a little sooner, but due to the fact that we can still get some hard freezing temps after the first spring thaws it could be a little difficult setting up the drip. Also I won't be here this year, so it's just not going to happen.
I would also mention that this is not a huge problem, I had zero fish losses last spring, and the fish I lost previously were mostly fancy goldfish which already have a weak disposition. I just mention it because it is the only time I have to deal with PH issues in my pond.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

You must be experiencing considerable evaporation during ice-over. I say this because water loss over the Winter plays a significant role in how much the pH may be affected come Spring thaw.

 

[crsublette]

Crap, now I gotta test my pH.

Alkalinity is far more important... if your alkalinity is correct, then you will rarely ever have pH problems... unless there is a significant introduction of precipitation, flood event, or contamination... if your alkalinity is high enough, then you will not even experience those pesky diurnal pH swings created by massive algae blooms...

If your source water is well water and it has a few degrees (KH) of alkalinity (obviously needs to be low in nitrates, iron, etc, such as mine is), then a simple, continuous trickling of water will fix your alkalinity needs....

For me, I rarely ever test my alkalinity thanks to my relatively clean well water.

 

[crsublette]

What I planned to do, and what would probably be a better solution would simply be to set up my water trickle change system a little sooner, but due to the fact that we can still get some hard freezing temps after the first spring thaws it could be a little difficult setting up the drip.

A 1500 watt floating de-icer to open up a hole and an insulated heated RV hose... no problems as long as your overflow outlet doesn't freeze... my "overflow outlet" is the low section of my little pond... I've been doing this for the past 2 years.