"Derek Broughton" wrote in message
...
G & K Meyer wrote:

1200 gal pond, rubber liner with stone.
Reason we checked was from response to question about plants.
I bought pool test strips that go from 6.8 to 8.4 ph and test last
night it was at least 8.4 ph so added 8oz of ph reducer, Checked this
AM
still 8.4 so added 8oz more.
Fish seem to be doing ok. I read that best ph is 7.0 for fish?

A _stable_ pH is best for your fish. Which means a good buffer (like
limestone).
Any ideas on control of ph?

Absolutely no commercial "ph reducer", for a start.

What would cause this, besides concrete?
Could this be why some of our plants just don't look as good this
year?

Definitely. Your plants are more likely to be affected by high pH than
your
fish.

We have never really tested water before. What is the best way to test
and how do you know when to test?

Try not to test for pH - it just causes headaches :-)
===============================
After several years I finally bought a test kit that checks several things.
I was just curious. The only kit I usually have on hand is an Ammonia test
kit. As long as my fish are healthy and reproducing, I wouldn't change
anything anyway.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
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