RED and Cloudy water?

[fishin4cars]

I don't think it's the fence either, If that wood is ten years old and the most you get is splash or even a small amount of run off directly, that's not the problem. As for activated carbon, It will work, BUT determining how much will be needed is not a easy question to answer, the more tannins the more activated carbon is needed, No set amount per gallon that I know of. If you decide to try it you do want to place the carbon where you can get the most water flowing through it. water fall filter outlet, in the filter etc.
I would first off try staying on top of getting as many leaves out as possible and continue removing them as soon as they drop. Although the color of the water is not what you want, usually it is harmless to the fish, however, the more the leaves breakdown in the pond, the more the bacteria have to work to help breakdown the waste produced. This along with fish waste can be harmful. removing the leaves by netting them out daily will not only help the overall quality of the water but it will also assist the bio in the filtration as the water cools since the cooler the water the less effective the bacteria are. I would rather do a drip feed constant water change than a large water change, and I bet if you stay on top of keeping the leaves out before they build up and remove any leaves from the plants in the pond as they die off you'll start seeing improvement even before doing a water change.

 

[Nepen]

Thanks Larkin.

I hope the problem is with the leaves, eventhough I really couldnt believe it could made water color to change so fast/ very dark like it is. But thinking about it, it could also be the rain water itself is a little brown too, then add the leaves - and the rain that collected under the tree is more brown than the rain collected from the roof.

I saw someone said something about re-activating activated carbon, how does that work? I have 2 bags already in the pond I want to know if I can still use them. it's only a few months old.

 

[fishin4cars]

I've read that it can be reactivated as well but never tried it myself. very seldom do I use it anymore. keep in mind that acid rain will make leaves breakdown faster than tap water which is usually neutral to alkaline in PH. the more acidic the water the faster the tanins release. So my thinking is that maybe the combination of the rain and new leaves falling after a rain storm may actually be more of what is going on. If that's the case be sure and double check your KH and PH. If the KH has dropped ( I don't let my go below 80 ppm now)and the PH is starting to fluctuate this could be a bigger problem that could easily be being over looked. I know, I have had it happen to me in the past before I knew anything about KH and why is was important to monitor. Lost all my goldfish several years ago to a PH crash and that's about the time I joined the forums. Looking back on it now, It was heart breaking learning curve and jump start to experience in learning more about water quality and how it effects ponds.

 

[Nepen]

I heard people talk a lot about KH. I'm think I'll get the test for it but confuse if I need the GH too...

 

[fishin4cars]

Gh is not as easy to adjust, it really isn't that big of concern if your not at an extreme, and from what I understand, not nearly as critical. yet could effect colors on some fish such as high end show koi when they are trying to finish one for a show. KH directly effects PH, Most ponders will tell you that a stable PH is the best, not so much what it is. I've seen goldfish and Koi both live in 6.5-9.0. But when it starts changing is when you start having problems, A KH of 80ppm or higher will make your KH more stable. You can raise KH with simple arm and hammer baking soda, Oyster shells, crush coral, dolomite all can buffer water too and you'll hear them get used and come up. Some like one more than another for their particular situation. Point is, monitoring KH and adjusting it is simple and it can make water a lot more stable. Rain is almost always acidic, and it can cause KH to drop. In the south we have the tropical storms and such to deal with. this can be very dangerous if a lot of rain falls as you don't really want to get out and test your water in the rain, So adding baking soda before the rain and raising the KH to say 200 before a storm comes in helps keep the water again stable through the storm. I would think that the same think would be practice where there is a lot of snowfall to get the KH up before winter so that snow and ice don't lower the KH to low during the winter months, when again, it's not optimal to go out and check. So if budget is tight, go for the KH first. may take a sample to a local fish store and have them check the GH just to get a reading for now. If you decide you want to adjust it at a later date then purchase it then. API sells either for about $10-$15 per test kit.

 

[Nepen]

Thanks Larkin very informative stuff. I just got the GH and KH test, since it's only $2 more than the KH only test. just having it on hand wont hurt.

I have crushed oyster shell that I meant to put in the pond for ages. May be I'll jus put it in now.

I tested my rain water before and it'a around 6-7~ not much different than my pond and tap water. I see this as a good thing?

When I get the activated carbon and put it in the pond, will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again.

 

[fishin4cars]

rain water tested 6-7? that doesn't sound right?

 

[Nepen]

that was a long time ago. I remembered thinking that it was weird, I heard only that rain is acidic. But I can try to test the rain again (collected yesterday) It could be that I did the test wrong since that's the first time I got the test

 

[sissy]

If it is mulberry leaves they give off a tannin also .I ended up having to move my birdbath and no easy task .It was stained red so bad that it took a lot of cleaning to get it out .Every time I would put water in it it would turn pink after a day until after I cleaned it well . .I knew it was from the mulberry tree after that .Dropped fruit I did not see and leaves .Once moved it did not happen again because mulberry trees were far away .

 

[fishin4cars]

rain water usually tests real low, Reverse osmosis water will test VERY low, the 6-7 reading if done correctly is right in the correct range for the pond..

 

[Nepen]

Thanks Sissy! wow, didnt know the mulberry leaves would do it too, and it seems with a lot more effect than the berry itself! since this happened in a very short period of time...

Too bad I'm not going to cut the tree down or move my pond.. will have to deal with this once a year (at least)..

Now I cant wait to go test my rain....

 

[sissy]

I wondered about rain water because the rain water I tested from the wooded area test very high for ph and I assumed it was because of all the pine trees .I tested the water in the deer water troughs .I just wondered about it so decided to test it .I scoop out pine needles every day .

 

[Nepen]

So Sissy, it seems in our part of the world the rain has high pH

Just checked today and the rain I collected (in a glass jar, two days old) has a pH of 7.2~

I tested twice. The color is greenish almost light blue but not super blue so it's not 7.5 yet. API drop test.

 

[Nepen]

I'm stilll a bit curious about the pH of my rain....Can the rain change pH if it sit for a while?

 

[crsublette]

I'm stilll a bit curious about the pH of my rain....Can the rain change pH if it sit for a while?

Short Answer...

Yes.

Generally, after rain water sits and is stirred for a period, then it will release the accumulated carbon dioxide out of the water, absorb whatever contaminants that is in the container, and the pH will rise.


Long Answer...

Rain is actually an excelent solvent due to how rain is created. Rain is created, through some form of condensing or distilation process, that filters the minerals and pollutants out of the water, allowing carbon dioxide to saturate the water, and this filtration process causes rain to be void of alkalinity, void of minerals, and to be very acidic with a pH range in the low 5.0~6.0 to even around 4.0 in some tropical areas.

Due to rain's acidity, as the rain falls to earth, then the water droplets absorb the pollutants found in the air. So, this is why rain in some areas might be in the high 6.0 pH range and many areas are in the low 5.0 pH range.


If the rain is allowed to sit for a while, then the rain will absorb the contanimants or pollution that resides on the surface or in the container. This is why, after a rain harvest, I then use a very small pump to push it through a carbon filter before it is added to my pond.

Just imagine what the rain absorbs as it is running off from your lawn or street and ending up in your pond. Obviously, very little can be done about this, but I thought I would share it to make you less comfortable. :bdaybiggrin:


Also, since rain is quite acidic, then it will be just one of the driving forces to consuming your pond's alkalinity.

Even though rain will be generally void or have very minimal alkalinity and minerals, rain is an excellent source of water if you are trying to manage your water's pH. Otherwise, if you are not an expert, or avid enthusiast, in water management to help promote excellent plant growth, I would avoid using rain water if possible or just realize the consequences of using rain water.


One of the primary reasons why plant's grow and react incredibly fast and just "green up" after a good rain water is due to the acidity. Plant's love acidic water due to how it makes minerals and nutrients tremendously more plant soluble and allows fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides to be much more effective at combating problems.

My livelihood involves the grain agriculture and chemical sprayers try to use rain water, whenever they can get it, to mix with their products since the plants and insects will quickly absorb the products, causing a faster reaction, which persuades them to use less product, than they would otherwise compared to when using much more product due to my area's incredibly high, ~8.4 pH, alkaline water.