Lesson Learned on Water Quality

[drjay9051]

Recently posted about new pond issue. I was asked if I had checked chemistry. No.

Well got home about 30 minutes ago and used my pool test kit to check Ph. it was over 8.2 !! Kit only reads to 8.2 and I believe Ph was higher judging by color change.

Not having acetic acid (vinegar)I poured in about 20-24 ounces of muriatic acid I use in the pool. At a volume of about 8,000 gallons I thought it MIGHT move the needle a bit toward the acid range.

Check it 5 minutes later and holy crap my Ph is below 6.8. Kit does not test any lower.

Judging by color more likely around low 6's.

Thankfully a Dollar Store just opened up 2 days ago less than a mile from my home. Before Dollar store closest store was a good 20 minutes !!!

10 boxes of baking soda later Ph is now at a comfortable 7.2.

Fish were likely stressed but it was either leave it at low 6's and have massive kill or correct ASAP.

Lesson learned: do NOT use strong basic or acidic pool chemicals in a pond with live fish, tadpoles etc.

All looks well except for my algae bloom which I am addressing .

Again to all newbies (self included) DO NOT USE POOL CHEMS IN POND !!!

 

[Mmathis]

Wait! A pH of 8.2 isn’t bad! Why were you trying to lower it? With pH you want stability more so than a perfect number! Yes, good lesson learned, too, not only about pool chemicals, but that sometimes it’s best to leave Mother Nature alone.....to do her own thing. That’s why most of us don’t add chemicals to our ponds.

You might want to get a KH test kit. Check this periodically and it will give you an idea of how stable your pH is. My KH naturally runs low, so I have crushed oyster shells mixed in with my bog gravel. This doesn’t alter the pH, but it buffers it, preventing swings. My pH runs around 8.2. I don’t try to raise or lower it.

 

[drjay9051]

Wait! A pH of 8.2 isn’t bad! Why were you trying to lower it? With pH you want stability more so than a perfect number! Yes, good lesson learned, too, not only about pool chemicals, but that sometimes it’s best to leave Mother Nature alone.....to do her own thing. That’s why most of us don’t add chemicals to our ponds.

You might want to get a KH test kit. Check this periodically and it will give you an idea of how stable your pH is. My KH naturally runs low, so I have crushed oyster shells mixed in with my bog gravel. This doesn’t alter the pH, but it buffers it, preventing swings. My pH runs around 8.2. I don’t try to raise or lower it.

Yes but the color was much darker red than the max reading of 8.2 in my test kit. I believe the Ph was way higher based on color. if it red 8 or 8.2 i likely would have let it alone. Again the Ph was way higher than 8.2 !!

 

[GBBUDD]

As Mmathis stated that I believe who heartedly is that it's not so much about the number of the level of the ph as it is the stability." to a point" any ways . One of the absolute hardest tanks to keep healthy is any small area with fish and or inverts. Just dropping in a cube of frozen brine shrimp can change the chemistry of a small nano tank to where it's occupants will have to deal with the change parameters and the same goes for temps. With a large tank or pond it is less effected by a event such as a hot day a small tank can't fight off the temp raise . while it could take only a couple hours for temps to rise in a larger pond it could take days to reach the same temp rise.

And even more so I again agree with using as few chemicals as possible. In my planted aquarium I used no fertilizers. I did try co2 and that worked too well stuff grew out of the tank and quick. my imogee is a pic of that tank

 

[Gemma]

test kit to check Ph. it was over 8.2 !! Kit only reads to 8.2 and I believe Ph was higher judging by color change.!

I too have really high PH, but 've learned it's best if I don't mess with it!
When I first started my pond (about 15yrs ago) I did all the water testing often, and tried to adjust the very high PH. I blamed the loss of fish to the PH but I couldn't stabilize it, no matter what product I tried,....so I stopped trying to adjust it and guess what? The fish stopped dying
I don't even test PH anymore

 

[sissy]

My pond always stays in the high ph level of close to 9 and has never bothered my fish since it is stable .I worry more about ammonia than ph .Ammonia can be the real killer

 

[drjay9051]

My pond always stays in the high ph level of close to 9 and has never bothered my fish since it is stable .I worry more about ammonia than ph .Ammonia can be the real killer

Ph of 9 !!

I suppose stability is key but my other issue is that from what i have read water hyacinth do best at near neutral Ph. Not sure if this is true but it is on line. My initial thought was Ph was way too high for fish and on the way to pick up the baking soda I was thinking about the fact that the hyacinth were not doing well and possibly the Ph was the cause.

I guess you have to find what works for you. Some people on the forums test every parameter known to man where others test nothing and just let "nature do it's thing"

 

[sissy]

never had a problem with them in my pond .They get 3 feet tall and this all starts every year with 2 or 3 plants

 

[drjay9051]

never had a problem with them in my pond .They get 3 feet tall and this all starts every year with 2 or 3 plants View attachment 110317 View attachment 110316

Nice !!

I think in the end it essentially is giving the biological systems time to balance out.

I'm starting to think the less interference the better. I could be chasing this forever.

I should take a lesson from my salt water fish tank days.

. Never really looked at nitrites/ammonia or Ph after initial cycle which i did with a couple of dozen guppies.

My salt tank was stellar. on the other hand i had a friend with a salt tank and multiple test kits. he was always adding trace elements etc and his tank looked pretty bad in retrospect.

 

[sissy]

I only feed my fish 2 or 3 times a week .I only test once in awhile to check ammonia levels .But when I had to rebuild I did test more .I do add kitty litter in a bag and add crushed oyster shells in a bag also .I do have 2 filters and no skimmer or bottom drain .I just use a pool net to get gunk off the bottom .Pond is around 5000 gallons and a little more than that when it is full to the top .I use lava rock in my filters

 

[Mmathis]

I guess you have to find what works for you. Some people on the forums test every parameter known to man where others test nothing and just let "nature do it's thing"

Every pond is different. This is long, but please read: As someone else here said recently: you have to decide what kind of pond you will have.

You will find (in general) that people with high-end, dedicated koi ponds are going to be more meticulous as far as water testing, water changes go, etc. They are very serious about keeping their water perfectly “the way it should be” [as per their hobby’s requirements]. These are people who invest $$$$$ on their equipment and $$$$$ on their fish. Go to one these forums and mention [OMG!] a bog for filtration, or having rocks in the pond — much less [gasp!] plants......and you realize pretty quickly that you don’t fit in.

Then there are the folks like us. We’re more laid back, more natural. “Garden Pond Forum” IS our name, after all. Yet, even among our group, we have differences in opinion on how we maintain our ponds. BUT, in general, we still follow the same basic principles of nature (and science) in achieving a healthy pond environment for our fish.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH ANY OF THESE SCENARIOS — SIMPLY DIFFERENCES!

You will find that, for this group, as individuals, we do start out doing frequent water testing, especially as newbies, and especially when starting fresh or when we make major changes (or have fish health issues). But with time, knowledge, and experience we find that there will come a point where the pond will stabilize. And as long as you don’t make any drastic changes, your pond has the ability to adjust — keywords “drastic changes”!

You’ll eventually get tired of doing those frequent water parameter checks, especially when you get to the point where nothing changes......over a long period of time. And by now you understand the relationships between your fish and the water. You’re still going to do water checks, just maybe not as religiously.

I think it’s important for newbies to start out doing frequent water checks! It’s a wonderful learning experience to actually SEE the nitrogen cycle in progress. It’s also a good idea to keep a log. Enter your parameters and any changes or interventions. You can see trends and track what’s going on. And always check your water ANY time your fish show signs of illness or stress!!! You can’t SEE ammonia or a pH crash! And people forget that those cute little baby fish are going to produce more waste as they get bigger. A pond that has been “stable” for years can suddenly be out of whack due to fish growth — or adding new fish. It happens.

 

[sissy]

Also over feeding can cause more problems .They will beg and beg just like any cat or dog or pet but there comes a time where overfeeding anything becomes a problem .Also remember that those fsh will have babies (lots of babies ) so never overstock because then you will be really causing your self a headache

 

[Angel]

Every pond is different. This is long, but please read: As someone else here said recently: you have to decide what kind of pond you will have.

You will find (in general) that people with high-end, dedicated koi ponds are going to be more meticulous as far as water testing, water changes go, etc. They are very serious about keeping their water perfectly “the way it should be” [as per their hobby’s requirements]. These are people who invest $$$$$ on their equipment and $$$$$ on their fish. Go to one these forums and mention [OMG!] a bog for filtration, or having rocks in the pond — much less [gasp!] plants......and you realize pretty quickly that you don’t fit in.

Then there are the folks like us. We’re more laid back, more natural. “Garden Pond Forum” IS our name, after all. Yet, even among our group, we have differences in opinion on how we maintain our ponds. BUT, in general, we still follow the same basic principles of nature (and science) in achieving a healthy pond environment for our fish.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH ANY OF THESE SCENARIOS — SIMPLY DIFFERENCES!

You will find that, for this group, as individuals, we do start out doing frequent water testing, especially as newbies, and especially when starting fresh or when we make major changes (or have fish health issues). But with time, knowledge, and experience we find that there will come a point where the pond will stabilize. And as long as you don’t make any drastic changes, your pond has the ability to adjust — keywords “drastic changes”!

You’ll eventually get tired of doing those frequent water parameter checks, especially when you get to the point where nothing changes......over a long period of time. And by now you understand the relationships between your fish and the water. You’re still going to do water checks, just maybe not as religiously.

I think it’s important for newbies to start out doing frequent water checks! It’s a wonderful learning experience to actually SEE the nitrogen cycle in progress. It’s also a good idea to keep a log. Enter your parameters and any changes or interventions. You can see trends and track what’s going on. And always check your water ANY time your fish show signs of illness or stress!!! You can’t SEE ammonia or a pH crash! And people forget that those cute little baby fish are going to produce more waste as they get bigger. A pond that has been “stable” for years can suddenly be out of whack due to fish growth — or adding new fish. It happens.

well said

 

[Panzer13]

Wow, awesome plants and pond sissy. Really like what Mmathis said in regards to plants in the pond. I think I spend more time caring for my plants than I do my fish. I will admit I am sure I feed my fish to o much. My two oldest know when they get fed and wait for near the surface.

 

[MitchM]

...Some people on the forums test every parameter known to man where others test nothing and just let "nature do it's thing"

When people come to a forum looking for help, it helps to know water test parameters for a starting point.
We don't know the history of other people's ponds.
Ponds are a lot easier if you have healthy water.

I rarely test my ponds and aquariums. I can tell how they are doing by looking at the plants, algae and fish.

.