Sorry storm would be 3 weeks now
need advice, high ph
- Thread starter cauzeneffeckt
- Start date
you need to make water changes. You can't go a month without a water change. Rain coming into the pond is not water change.
Water restrictions haven't allowed me to make a full water change, I know rain water is not a water change
unfortunately, it's very hard to help your problem of high PH if you can't make water changes. A pond or aquarium of any kind needs water changes every week or at minimum every other week. So, the reason for your issue, is likely the lack of water changes.
You may want to check your tap water again. This time let it sit in the cup for a few hours or overnight, then recheck it to see if it changes. To speed this up you can put a straw in the water and blow into it causing it to bubble, you know like every kid does. or if you have a small aquarium pump and airstone. i had a situation like this at my last home. We had well water. It was a deep well into an underground stream in limestone bedrock. My waters pH from the tap was between 3.5 and 4.5ppm. Overnight it would jump to 8.7+. The reason, lack of oxygen that far down in the rock. The calcium carbonate from the limestone of course leaches into the water. Now I have acidic water from lack of O2 and a source of carbon. When the water comes through the faucet and is allowed to aerate through my fish tanks filtration it drives of the CO2 and I am left with water that has high Calcium carbonate content, now my pH is in the upper 8's ppm. If this is your situation you may experience piholes in your plumbing if you have copper pipe for water supply. Carbon + Acid = Carbonic Acid which is corrosive. I just told everyone I was lucky because I had Perrier for a water supply
oldmarine
Married 32 years
Just a thought, when I was little (I'm 60 now), my dad raised tropical fish for a hobby. He was breeding a variety of different types of fish. When he did a water change he would take several buckets of water just as hot as he could get it from the tap. Then he would let it set overnight and let it cool to room temperature. His explanation then was that the gases in the water would evaporate as the water cooled. I had no idea what he was talking about, but he had some of the best breeder Angle fish, Anius Cats and Beta's I have ever seen.
I'm sure this doesn't apply to ponding at all. I just had to share an old memory.
Happy ponding,:lol:
I'm sure this doesn't apply to ponding at all. I just had to share an old memory.
Happy ponding,:lol:
oldmarine said:
Oorah.... He was letting the chlorine escape. Used to do that before dechlorinators that where trust worthy and affordable for a young kid.
If It were me and wanted to stabilize I would use baking soda till the ph came down.
This would eliminate ph swings.
I tries the shell thing but I do big water changes each week and the shells couldn't keep up.
This would eliminate ph swings.
I tries the shell thing but I do big water changes each week and the shells couldn't keep up.
i have crushed coral in my fish tanks and the PH is always 8. I might use them in my pond as well when complete.
koiguy1969
GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
2 years of crushed oyster shells and my ph is locked at 7.4 started it after bringing it up from a swing to 6.8.
cauzeneffeckt said:
Sorry I missed the part about the flooding into the pond when I was skimming through.
To clarify, I have a few questions.
1) Is your pH steady at 9ppm now?
2) If it is fluctuating, when does it drop and when does it rise?
koiguy1969
GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
DoDad said:
are you saying baking soda will lower ph as well as raise it ?
I had the rise goup at 6 pm, I checked it at 4 am as I was leaving and it was 7.5-8 . At the same ph right now, will be doing water change today. Also fish have been acting and eating normal
if your fish are behaving normally, what is your concern exactly? Fish can live comfortably in 7.5-8 as long as it's stable. I would try to stay in the 7.5 area if you could, and you will likely accomplish that as you do weekly water changes.
cauzeneffeckt said:
To be clear, after the rains your pH drop and rise drasticly. After several small water changes it is starting to level off and only fluctuating between 7.5 - 8 or, it is steady now betwwen 7.5 - 8ppm.
Either way if that is correct, I would assume that the pH became unstable after the heavy rains and slowly has stablized between the small water changes and "gassing out". As long as you are staying reasonably stable and in good pH range for the fish, I wouldn't change or add a thing.