Yay for test results!

[JBailey]

This is terrible to admit, but I have not tested my pond until last night, not even the tiny tub pond I made last summer. So I held my breath and dipped the tubes last night after UPS delivered my kit.

Aaaaannd - Everything but the Ph was at or nearly zeros. The ph was like 9 though, and still at 8 again this morning, so not sure what to do about that.

But at least I can stop imagining that my goldfish are gasping in desperation, instead of just cruising around testing plants for snack value.

All the other pond fixins I ordered arrived this week too, so now I can muddy the waters, so to speak, by repotting plants, adding a cool old well spigot for my waterfall, making a better dripper for the hummingbirds etc.

 

[sissy]

8 is ok and even mine can go up to 9 after some really heavy rains .Sometimes it depends on what time you test water

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Don't worry about the pH as long as it is relatively stable.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

even mine can go up to 9 after some really heavy rains

I have seen this stated before. Since normal rain has a pH of 5.6 and acid rain even lower, I am having difficulty reconciling an elevated pond pH after a heavy rain of low pH when the pH should actually be lowered in the pond.
Anyone care to explain this apparent contradiction in facts.

 

[Smaug]

I have seen this stated before. Since normal rain has a pH of 5.6 and acid rain even lower, I am having difficulty reconciling an elevated pond pH after a heavy rain of low pH when the pH should actually be lowered in the pond.
Anyone care to explain this apparent contradiction in facts.

I can also say I don't see how it's possible to add something with a lower ph to something with a higher ph and have the higher ph go higher yet. It gets even stranger when it's considered that even a heavy rain only adds about 2 inches to my 2500 gallon pond. Just with quick reckoning that's only about a 16th of my total volume. Even if somehow the ph of the incoming water was a whole point different ....well it's just not possible.

 

[sissy]

I have had this ever since they have been foresting around here and I have attributed it to that with all the pine dust in the air .My trucks get coated with it every day .They are now doing a thousand acres here .When I first did my pond it never happened but then back in 2008 they opened a company not even a mile from my house that does the foresting and they have been cutting trees around here ever since .I always thought it was from them .

 

[Smaug]

I don't think that would do it either Sissy. Have you ever trapped rainwater and tested it?

 

[JBailey]

Ooooh! Now that I have the test kit I will try testing rain water too.

 

[addy1]

Glad to hear your numbers are good!

 

[peter hillman]

Ooooh! Now that I have the test kit I will try testing rain water too.

Been there, done that. Had my pond for 20yrs before I tested it. so?
https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/new-test-kit-pics.18176/

 

[Smaug]

Just looked at that thread Peter. I didn't read the whole thing though so why on earth did you have an ammonia reading from rainwater?

 

[Smaug]

I just read through that. Interesting about the ammonia,I have never checked rainwater for anything but ph. Incoming water with ammonia reading that high in a small pond coukd do some serious damage. Could that cause a ph rise?

 

[sissy]

the trees they cut are all pine trees and that is what mostly grow around here .Scrub pine and soil was very acidic when I bought the property per soil tests .Lots of lime to sweeten the soil .Yes tested the rain water in my rain barrels and it is usually around 8 or 9 and I think that comes from the dust on the roof .I get runoff from heavy rains that goes off the front porch roof into the pond .Even my well water is high in ph at times it can go from 7 sometimes up to 8 and the well is over 400 feet in the ground,there is also a lot of shale in the ground here .Before I bought the property it was all pine trees .Every tree around here seems to be a lot of pine and this winter was mild so they were out there cutting trees down all winter .You can hear it .The soil is red clay and sometimes in heavy rain you can see white streaks mixing with it and it turns pink with heavier rains .I still add lime to my soil .

 

[Smaug]

You got weird rain Sissy.

 

[peter hillman]

Just looked at that thread Peter. I didn't read the whole thing though so why on earth did you have an ammonia reading from rainwater?

That's what I was wondering. And so much! I'd hate to think I get an ammonia dump everytime it rains.