Water Chemistry Is Off

[PossumsDad]

Hi All,

I'm new here so hi to everyone. I've had ponds for the last 15 years. I started with a 3000 gallon pond years ago. I sold that house in San Antonio, TX a few years ago so of course the pond stayed.

I am now in the Rio Grande Valley and wanted a pond again. A couple of years ago I got a great deal on a 700 Gallon Stock tank. It is one of the plastic kind. Everything was working great until my pump died and I lost all of my fish.

I drained the pond & got all of the sludge out (all I could at least), I took the opportunity to split my lilly pads. I added Pond Primer from Perfect Pond to remove the chlorine. Once the pond was full & the pump was running I added a product from NicenEasy called Pond & Lake Restoration. This Product is bacteria to get the pond started,

My pump and filter are from Lowes. I know not the best but what we could afford.

The pump is: 1200-GPH Pond and Waterfall Pump
The Filter is: Pressurized Ultraviolet (UV) Pond Filter up to 2000 gallons. It also has backflush.

I used my API Freshwater Master Test Kit to get my readings.

PH: 7.4
Ammonia: 2.0
Nitrate: 2.0
Nitrite: 0

I know these numbers are way off. I set the pond back up Friday night. (4 days ago.)

My mistake was adding fish right away. 2 koi 2 subunkins (I know that's spelled wrong) 2 comets. All fish are under 2 inches long.

I know I need to do a water change. I just don't remember how much. 1/3 or 1/2 water change.

Any help would be appreciated.

Phil

 

[cas]

Since your ammonia is high, you could use an ammonia binder (like Prime, Amquel, Amquel Plus, Ammo Lock, Chloram-X) to make it safe for the fish until your pond cycles. Also, algae will help consume ammonia.
Do you have any plants in the pond? They will help take care of the Nitrates.

 

[PossumsDad]

I have 3 pots of Water Lillies. They are the miniature type. I also have 4 large water hyacinth floating around.

 

[Mmathis]

@PossumsDad Hello and welcome!

 

[barryian]

Hi All,

I'm new here so hi to everyone. I've had ponds for the last 15 years. I started with a 3000 gallon pond years ago. I sold that house in San Antonio, TX a few years ago so of course the pond stayed.

I am now in the Rio Grande Valley and wanted a pond again. A couple of years ago I got a great deal on a 700 Gallon Stock tank. It is one of the plastic kind. Everything was working great until my pump died and I lost all of my fish.

I drained the pond & got all of the sludge out (all I could at least), I took the opportunity to split my lilly pads. I added Pond Primer from Perfect Pond to remove the chlorine. Once the pond was full & the pump was running I added a product from NicenEasy called Pond & Lake Restoration. This Product is bacteria to get the pond started,

My pump and filter are from Lowes. I know not the best but what we could afford.

The pump is: 1200-GPH Pond and Waterfall Pump
The Filter is: Pressurized Ultraviolet (UV) Pond Filter up to 2000 gallons. It also has backflush.

I used my API Freshwater Master Test Kit to get my readings.

PH: 7.4
Ammonia: 2.0
Nitrate: 2.0
Nitrite: 0

I know these numbers are way off. I set the pond back up Friday night. (4 days ago.)

My mistake was adding fish right away. 2 koi 2 subunkins (I know that's spelled wrong) 2 comets. All fish are under 2 inches long.

I know I need to do a water change. I just don't remember how much. 1/3 or 1/2 water change.

Any help would be appreciated.

Phil

I'm a week late but this product detoxifies ammonia, nitrite, nitrates and chlorine and chloramines all in one shot. I keep a gallon on hand but you can buy less. You'll need to use it every few days until the
bacteria takes over. I've been using Fritz Aquatic products for years. I've also used their beneficial bacteria which seed the filter and pond and within 5 days, you're up and running.

Basically FYI's if you're interested in a good but costly product....

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OTH515Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This TurboStart 700 is quite costly. You also have to call and buy it direct. They sell direct when you can't get their product locally .... It is shipped overnight packed with dry ice and is basically nitrosomonas and nitrobacter and can be bought in 32oz and up.

http://www.fritzzyme.com/index.php?p=fritzzyme-turbostart

 

[PossumsDad]

I'm a week late but this product detoxifies ammonia, nitrite, nitrates and chlorine and chloramines all in one shot. I keep a gallon on hand but you can buy less. You'll need to use it every few days until the
bacteria takes over. I've been using Fritz Aquatic products for years. I've also used their beneficial bacteria which seed the filter and pond and within 5 days, you're up and running.

Basically FYI's if you're interested in a good but costly product....

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OTH515Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This TurboStart 700 is quite costly. You also have to call and buy it direct. They sell direct when you can't get their product locally .... It is shipped overnight packed with dry ice and is basically nitrosomonas and nitrobacter and can be bought in 32oz and up.

http://www.fritzzyme.com/index.php?p=fritzzyme-turbostart

Thank you for the links. I will definitely look into these products.

 

[PossumsDad]

I just ordered the 16 oz bottle of Fritz Aquatics Pond Complete Conditioner from Amazon.

Thank you for the tip. I'll post here when I use the product.

Phil

 

[PossumsDad]

I just tested the water again.

PH: 8.2
Ammonia: 4.0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate 0

My ammonia has doubled but my nitrate reading went down.

My plants are blooming well. Hopefully that bottle I ordered will fix the ammonia problem. Until I get it do I need to do a partial water change?

Thanks

Phil

 

[barryian]

I just tested the water again.

PH: 8.2
Ammonia: 4.0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate 0

My ammonia has doubled but my nitrate reading went down.

My plants are blooming well. Hopefully that bottle I ordered will fix the ammonia problem. Until I get it do I need to do a partial water change?

Thanks

Phil

You might do a small water change first to lower it. Maybe 25%, then when finished, add the proper amount of Fritz Complete. That should 0 out the ammonia and nitrite for a few days. When levels rise again, use the product again. You can use it until the levels stay at 0.

That 4.0 is quite toxic at a 8.2 pH... Might want to get that down before the product arrives. The charts shows the toxicity level at 4.0 ammonia depending on water temps.

 

[PossumsDad]

Thanks for your reply. I figured I needed to do a water change. I lost one fish this morning. I'll probably do a 50% change then add more bacteria.

Thank you for your help barryian.

Phil

 

[barryian]

Thanks for your reply. I figured I needed to do a water change. I lost one fish this morning. I'll probably do a 50% change then add more bacteria.

Thank you for your help barryian.

Phil

What type of bacteria are you adding?

 

[PossumsDad]

A product from NicenEasy called Pond & Lake Restoration. Here is a link for it. https://www.planetnatural.com/product/nice-n-easy-pond-cleaner/

I also use Pond Primer from Perfect Pond to remove the chlorine. It turns out that if you increase the dosage it will detoxify ammonia and nitrites. Here is a link for it. http://perfectpond.com/Pond_Primer.html

I did about a 1/3rd water change today. I also added 5 ozs of the Pond Primer to attack the ammonia.

I'm going to let the pump run for a couple of more hours then I will test the ammonia level. Of course I have my pump and uv filter running 24/7.

I'll let you know how the ammonia level turns out later this evening.

Thanks

Phil

 

[Mmathis]

Why not just do water changes when levels are too high and let nature take its course. The bacteria are already there, they just need to be fed by the fish waste products which will take the pond through the cycling process. There are different bacteria involved with breaking down ammonia and nitrites. But you need the ammonia to be there (in small amts) for this to happen.

 

[PossumsDad]

Why not just do water changes when levels are too high and let nature take its course. The bacteria are already there, they just need to be fed by the fish waste products which will take the pond through the cycling process. There are different bacteria involved with breaking down ammonia and nitrites. But you need the ammonia to be there (in small amts) for this to happen.

This was my original idea. But my ammonia levels got way to high. I'm just using the chemicals right now to save the fish. I will wean the pond off of the additives when the bacteria gets set up.

 

[barryian]

A product from NicenEasy called Pond & Lake Restoration. Here is a link for it. https://www.planetnatural.com/product/nice-n-easy-pond-cleaner/

I also use Pond Primer from Perfect Pond to remove the chlorine. It turns out that if you increase the dosage it will detoxify ammonia and nitrites. Here is a link for it. http://perfectpond.com/Pond_Primer.html

I did about a 1/3rd water change today. I also added 5 ozs of the Pond Primer to attack the ammonia.

I'm going to let the pump run for a couple of more hours then I will test the ammonia level. Of course I have my pump and uv filter running 24/7.

I'll let you know how the ammonia level turns out later this evening.

Thanks

Phil

Nice n Easy is a bacteria for organic waste but contains no nitrobacter or nitrosomonas. It will take time for the beneficial bacteria to take hold in your filter and create a biofilm. Possibly a few weeks to a month. Read below at the comment by @Mmathis , with all due respect, but all the fish will be lost at 4.0 ammonia @ an 8.2pH at the temps in his area right now. It won't take long either. That's why binding the ammonia keeping the ammonia at 0 makes more sense to me. Actually if possumsdad doesn't care about the fish, then he can wait for nature to take it's course with water changes. Too many water changes will slow the process even more by washing out the BB he's trying to build up. Binding the ammonia makes sense with some mild water changes.

I had 3 spawns this past spring and had an ammonia spike. Don't want to lose one koi as they're larger and beauties. Though my spike was at a high, .50, even with use of a binder, it took almost 2-1/2 weeks to get it under control as I over backwashed. Just an fyi ....