In article m, ~ jan
JJsPond.us wrote:

Here I go again:

I've often heard Baking Soda will lower a high pH. I'm wondering just how
MUCH BS a pun? is needed? My lily pond is 3 yo 1,000 gallon EPDM with 6
fantail goldfish. I've added enough baking soda recently that the KH read
280/ppm today after adding 4 cups of BS. The pH is still reading over 9.0,
and I added 2 more cups this evening.

Are your plants on cinder/concrete-blocks ? Whats the water coming in
at ?

What was the general pH last year ?

Given your liner, its gotta be the water coming in, or an object in the
pond. I would back off on the BS, I think Rod (If I may be so
presumptuous) might suggest a milk-crate of oyster shells... but with a
KH of 280 currently that 9 is gonna be hard to move.


At what ppm is the KH detrimental to the goldfish,

This is well out of the "ideal" range in my test kits, but I just never
have this problem, so no practical experience.

jay
Fri Jul 02, 2004





or is safe as long as
there is more liquid water than solid BS in the pond? At what ppm will the
pH dropped, or is this really an old fisherman's tale?

This pond has concrete block surrounding the top, but it is 3 yo, and I
haven't had this bad a time with pH the previous years, usually a few
treatment with M.acid has gotten it under control. This year I've used a
whole gallon on it (~2 cups/time). Only brings it down for a week or so.

The other odd thing, at least I find odd as I'm always preaching if your
water hyacinths are dying check the pH. Well the water hyacinths are green,
not growing much, but green.... and so is the water, but that I don't find
unusual considering the pH. I'd also like to mention the duckweed is
growing great in the block holes, I guess a high pH doesn't bother them. So
what do you think? ~ jan



(Do you know where your water quality is?)