Mystery of dying goldfish and other questions

[Mmathis]

Water from the tap (well or city water) usually needs to be exposed to air for a while before you get an accurate pH result.

Rain Water:

Had a lot of rain today. Next rain we get, I'm going to collect some and test it. Interesting. I guess our's would mostly be coming across from the west, or sometimes up from the Gulf of Mexico (less frequent).

 

[Dave 54]

Our own water comes from a covered resevour above where we live ad it comes through our taps at an unbelievable Ph9 but soon settles to ph7.5 thankfully but in spring there are problems with nitrates coming from the taps due to farmers fertilizing their fieds so tap water i always tested prior to aanything being done to the pond.
This is why its important to use drop test kits the strip ones are so unreliable.
I'm really glad you were able to help another this is knowledge being learned and passed on to others which proves the point about those strips once and for all .
The baking soda should be used at our original post on it it seems I may have upped it my appologies ( short term memory isnt too hot due to my Morphine and fybromyalgea).

rgrds

Dave

 

[HTH]

I know it has been said but let me say it again.

The worst thing you can do is have a pH that is jumping around. Once you adjust the pH you need to be diligent about keeping it stable. Install the oyster shells or whatever you have to do to ensure it.

 

[addy1]

Ours come out of our tap at 5.4 the pond manages to keep a nice 7.7 or so.

 

[HTH]

Does it go from 5.4 to 7 so if you leave it sit in a container or is the pond doing the shift?

 

[Nepen]

Thank you all!!

gardengimp - thats really interesting. Thanks! I'll try my tap water again Also about the rain..I live in downtown, dont have livstock so dont know why my test said the Ph is 6.5 ich.. i can try again though.. it's been raining like crazy last night..

 

[Nepen]

I know it has been said but let me say it again.

The worst thing you can do is have a pH that is jumping around. Once you adjust the pH you need to be diligent about keeping it stable. Install the oyster shells or whatever you have to do to ensure it.

where do I put the oyster shell? in the fliter or direcly to the pond? and how much? or does it matter how much? tried to find it on Amazon.com and what I found are mosly for chickens..will that work also?
Thanks!

 

[HTH]

I posted this and it seems to have gone off into the ether.

The shell intended for chickens is what you want. If you could find it packaged for ponds it as others suggested would be 10x the price.

Place them anywhere there is running water. Best after the filter for the obvious reason.

Anyone please correct me if I am wrong here: I don't think you can use too much. The shells leach minerals into the water till the water reaches 7.something. It is sort of like dissolving salt in water. Only so much will go into solution. This is great because as long as you have enough shells the pH should remain fairly steady.

 

[Nepen]

Will this also correct high Ph too? or just low Ph?

Thank you!!

 

[HTH]

Will this also correct high Ph too? or just low Ph?

Thank you!!

Unfortunately the oyster shells only work to increase the pH. So no.

 

[Mmathis]

Try TRACTOR SUPPLY CO. for crushed oyster shells.

 

[Nepen]

Try TRACTOR SUPPLY CO. for crushed oyster shells.

Thanks! I checked their website and their price is really good - but they are about 45 minutes away from me and they don't deliver...

Anyway, I talked to my friend who keeps chicken and she said she has some I can have.. YEY!!!

 

[HTH]

So putting a chicken in the pond will raise the pH too

 

[Nepen]

So putting a chicken in the pond will raise the pH too

lol I'm hoping the feathers wont get clogged in the filter then

I take it that the shells wont be harmful to the water if the water already have high Ph, it'll jus help maintain for it to not go down to around 7, is that correct?

I now think that my strips gave me the faults reading from the begining and my water was not that of 5.5-6 - could be low but not that low. Then I just realized after reading some more that having untreated concrete in the water will also rasied Ph, which I didnt know and I do have a concrete block and bricks (probably half concrete block and 2 bricks) in the water, also the water touch some of the motar too (tried to breaks the ones that touch the water yesterday but the rain riased the water level to touch it again. Or the other option is to take out all that by rebuild the waterfall....that's going to be a pain...

I will need to learn how to decrease the Ph level just incase

 

[Dave 54]

You could also try Lithaqua its a calcified seaweed and works well and last a long time.
We gave up on the Crushed oystershell as it is qrite messy and can work its way through the mess of the bag you hold it in but we did use it for many a year till we found the calsified seaweed

rgrds

Dave