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#1
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pH Problem
Hi,
My pond is about 6 weeks old. I've been testing the water almost daily and cannot bring down the pH to a safe level. It has been running consistently at 9.0. Over time I have poured about 5 bottles of PH Down and other pH lowering brands but with no luck. I test the water around 6:00 am and some evenings. The pond is about 2600 gallons with liner, 4' deep in middle, rock bottom, 6' stream with 2 waterfalls, 4000GPH Nursery Pro pump, lava rocks and plants in the waterfall box. My tests have been running 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 Salt, 9 wide range ph. I have 15 fish from 2" - 4" which seem active and healthy. I also have many marginal plants. I've been adding a dry bacteria about every 2 weeks. My water is very clear but with a greenish tint. I am worried this high pH will harm my fish. I am a beginner and still don't know much about ponds. Thanks, Lois |
#2
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wrote in message news:1125493848.e09eb0ad4d5b35678ddb98cbd347caa0@t eranews... Hi, My pond is about 6 weeks old. I've been testing the water almost daily and cannot bring down the pH to a safe level. It has been running consistently at 9.0. Over time I have poured about 5 bottles of PH Down and other pH lowering brands but with no luck. I test the water around 6:00 am and some evenings. The pond is about 2600 gallons with liner, 4' deep in middle, rock bottom, 6' stream with 2 waterfalls, 4000GPH Nursery Pro pump, lava rocks and plants in the waterfall box. My tests have been running 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 Salt, 9 wide range ph. I have 15 fish from 2" - 4" which seem active and healthy. I also have many marginal plants. I've been adding a dry bacteria about every 2 weeks. My water is very clear but with a greenish tint. I am worried this high pH will harm my fish. I am a beginner and still don't know much about ponds. ============================ You can harm them more adding products that as you can see do not work or work for a brief period of time. If the PH of the water from your tap is lower than what's in your pond - you can do some water changes. However I found over the years that pond fish can adjust to high PH. Rapid shifts in PH are what causes them a problem. -- McKoi.... frugal ponding since 1995... My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b ~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o |
#3
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x-no-archive: yes
wrote in message news:1125493848.e09eb0ad4d5b35678ddb98cbd347caa0@ teranews... Hi, My pond is about 6 weeks old. I've been testing the water almost daily and cannot bring down the pH to a safe level. It has been running consistently at 9.0. Over time I have poured about 5 bottles of PH Down and other pH lowering brands but with no luck. I test the water around 6:00 am and some evenings. The pond is about 2600 gallons with liner, 4' deep in middle, rock bottom, 6' stream with 2 waterfalls, 4000GPH Nursery Pro pump, lava rocks and plants in the waterfall box. My tests have been running 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 Salt, 9 wide range ph. I have 15 fish from 2" - 4" which seem active and healthy. I also have many marginal plants. I've been adding a dry bacteria about every 2 weeks. My water is very clear but with a greenish tint. I am worried this high pH will harm my fish. I am a beginner and still don't know much about ponds. ============================ You can harm them more adding products that as you can see do not work or work for a brief period of time. If the PH of the water from your tap is lower than what's in your pond - you can do some water changes. However I found over the years that pond fish can adjust to high PH. Rapid shifts in PH are what causes them a problem. Thanks for your reply. I feel better now and I can find much better things to spend my money on then chemicals! Lois |
#4
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"Lois" wrote in message news:1125508633.d40d28beeb13fe09de19e1f9db8f96d7@t eranews... x-no-archive: yes wrote in message news:1125493848.e09eb0ad4d5b35678ddb98cbd347caa0 @teranews... Hi, My pond is about 6 weeks old. I've been testing the water almost daily and cannot bring down the pH to a safe level. It has been running consistently at 9.0. Over time I have poured about 5 bottles of PH Down and other pH lowering brands but with no luck. I test the water around 6:00 am and some evenings. The pond is about 2600 gallons with liner, 4' deep in middle, rock bottom, 6' stream with 2 waterfalls, 4000GPH Nursery Pro pump, lava rocks and plants in the waterfall box. My tests have been running 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 Salt, 9 wide range ph. I have 15 fish from 2" - 4" which seem active and healthy. I also have many marginal plants. I've been adding a dry bacteria about every 2 weeks. My water is very clear but with a greenish tint. I am worried this high pH will harm my fish. I am a beginner and still don't know much about ponds. ============================ You can harm them more adding products that as you can see do not work or work for a brief period of time. If the PH of the water from your tap is lower than what's in your pond - you can do some water changes. However I found over the years that pond fish can adjust to high PH. Rapid shifts in PH are what causes them a problem. Thanks for your reply. I feel better now and I can find much better things to spend my money on then chemicals! Lois ================ This is so true. Also, don't buy the overpriced pond fish food. My koi and GF are thriving on catfish and trout chow mixed with a little kitten and puppy chow. It's a fraction of the price. :-) -- McKoi.... frugal ponding since 1995... My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b ~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o |
#5
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x-no-archive: yes
"Lois" wrote in message news:1125508633.d40d28beeb13fe09de19e1f9db8f96d7@ teranews... x-no-archive: yes wrote in message news:1125493848.e09eb0ad4d5b35678ddb98cbd347caa 0@teranews... Hi, My pond is about 6 weeks old. I've been testing the water almost daily and cannot bring down the pH to a safe level. It has been running consistently at 9.0. Over time I have poured about 5 bottles of PH Down and other pH lowering brands but with no luck. I test the water around 6:00 am and some evenings. The pond is about 2600 gallons with liner, 4' deep in middle, rock bottom, 6' stream with 2 waterfalls, 4000GPH Nursery Pro pump, lava rocks and plants in the waterfall box. My tests have been running 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 Salt, 9 wide range ph. I have 15 fish from 2" - 4" which seem active and healthy. I also have many marginal plants. I've been adding a dry bacteria about every 2 weeks. My water is very clear but with a greenish tint. I am worried this high pH will harm my fish. I am a beginner and still don't know much about ponds. ============================ You can harm them more adding products that as you can see do not work or work for a brief period of time. If the PH of the water from your tap is lower than what's in your pond - you can do some water changes. However I found over the years that pond fish can adjust to high PH. Rapid shifts in PH are what causes them a problem. Thanks for your reply. I feel better now and I can find much better things to spend my money on then chemicals! Lois ================ This is so true. Also, don't buy the overpriced pond fish food. My koi and GF are thriving on catfish and trout chow mixed with a little kitten and puppy chow. It's a fraction of the price. :-) Good idea! |
#6
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================
This is so true. Also, don't buy the overpriced pond fish food. My koi and GF are thriving on catfish and trout chow mixed with a little kitten and puppy chow. It's a fraction of the price. :-) Good idea! Not! ;o) Just for the record Lois, many of us don't recommend using these gamefish foods. There is a lot of stuff in it that doesn't digest well in a koi and goes straight thru to the foul the water. If you wouldn't feed pig chow to your dog, don't feed gamefish chow to pet koi/goldfish. You may save a buck or 2, but it isn't healthy for pet fish, who you want to have long healthy lives, not fatten up for the dinner table. I'm just repeating what the koivets recommend. ~ jan See my ponds and filter design: www.jjspond.us ~Keep 'em Wet!~ Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a To e-mail see website |
#7
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More improtant than the pH is the KH (carbonate hardness). The KH will
prevent pH swings, or at least severely restrict them. The carbonate hardness is the ability of the water to absorb acids without changing pH. For the pH Down to work, it first must consume all the KH before the pH starts to change. Once the KH is gone, a pH crash is imminent. For a good stable pond the pH should be above 80, with values of 100 being better and 200 or 300 not being unreasonable. Filters generate acids that consume KH, and require resonable values of pH to function. So KH must be replaced periodically. If your tap water has good KH values, this replacement of KH can be accomplished by water changes which at 10% per week is needed anyway. If the KH of the tap water is not high, then the addition of baking soda is advisable. -- RichToyBox http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html wrote in message news:1125493848.e09eb0ad4d5b35678ddb98cbd347caa0@t eranews... Hi, My pond is about 6 weeks old. I've been testing the water almost daily and cannot bring down the pH to a safe level. It has been running consistently at 9.0. Over time I have poured about 5 bottles of PH Down and other pH lowering brands but with no luck. I test the water around 6:00 am and some evenings. The pond is about 2600 gallons with liner, 4' deep in middle, rock bottom, 6' stream with 2 waterfalls, 4000GPH Nursery Pro pump, lava rocks and plants in the waterfall box. My tests have been running 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 Salt, 9 wide range ph. I have 15 fish from 2" - 4" which seem active and healthy. I also have many marginal plants. I've been adding a dry bacteria about every 2 weeks. My water is very clear but with a greenish tint. I am worried this high pH will harm my fish. I am a beginner and still don't know much about ponds. Thanks, Lois |
#8
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x-no-archive: yes
More improtant than the pH is the KH (carbonate hardness). The KH will prevent pH swings, or at least severely restrict them. The carbonate hardness is the ability of the water to absorb acids without changing pH. For the pH Down to work, it first must consume all the KH before the pH starts to change. Once the KH is gone, a pH crash is imminent. For a good stable pond the pH should be above 80, with values of 100 being better and 200 or 300 not being unreasonable. Filters generate acids that consume KH, and require resonable values of pH to function. So KH must be replaced periodically. If your tap water has good KH values, this replacement of KH can be accomplished by water changes which at 10% per week is needed anyway. If the KH of the tap water is not high, then the addition of baking soda is advisable. I haven't checked my pond water for KH. I guess I better buy a test for that. I did forget to mention that my pond was filled with water from my well. Thanks for the information. Lois |
#9
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As I recall, the pH scale is 14 maximum with 7 being neutral--how can you
have a pH of 80? "RichToyBox" wrote in message ... More improtant than the pH is the KH (carbonate hardness). The KH will prevent pH swings, or at least severely restrict them. The carbonate hardness is the ability of the water to absorb acids without changing pH. For the pH Down to work, it first must consume all the KH before the pH starts to change. Once the KH is gone, a pH crash is imminent. For a good stable pond the pH should be above 80, with values of 100 being better and 200 or 300 not being unreasonable. Filters generate acids that consume KH, and require resonable values of pH to function. So KH must be replaced periodically. If your tap water has good KH values, this replacement of KH can be accomplished by water changes which at 10% per week is needed anyway. If the KH of the tap water is not high, then the addition of baking soda is advisable. -- RichToyBox http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html wrote in message news:1125493848.e09eb0ad4d5b35678ddb98cbd347caa0@t eranews... Hi, My pond is about 6 weeks old. I've been testing the water almost daily and cannot bring down the pH to a safe level. It has been running consistently at 9.0. Over time I have poured about 5 bottles of PH Down and other pH lowering brands but with no luck. I test the water around 6:00 am and some evenings. The pond is about 2600 gallons with liner, 4' deep in middle, rock bottom, 6' stream with 2 waterfalls, 4000GPH Nursery Pro pump, lava rocks and plants in the waterfall box. My tests have been running 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 Salt, 9 wide range ph. I have 15 fish from 2" - 4" which seem active and healthy. I also have many marginal plants. I've been adding a dry bacteria about every 2 weeks. My water is very clear but with a greenish tint. I am worried this high pH will harm my fish. I am a beginner and still don't know much about ponds. Thanks, Lois |
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