High Ph

[DavesVideo]

I'm still working on my pond and trying to stop all the leaks in the falls
and finally got around to buying a test strip kit. The water right out of the
tap has a high Ph. 8.4 is the highest it registers so that is what I have or
maybe higher. Is dumping a lot of "Ph Down" the answer? And just what is that
stuff, citric acid or something like that?

One other question, the test strip also tests for alkalinity which of
course is high. But what is the difference, if th Ph is high, of course it is
going to be alkaline, isn't that correct?

At least it is from a well and there is zero chlorine.

Dave
http://members.tripod.com/~VideoDave

[Nedra]

Hi Dave,

Don't dump anything in your pond. If your pH is 8.4 that is near perfect
for Koi and plants. I would get a
good reading on it though. Suggest you buy a test kit that measures
pH 10 or 12.

Nedra
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118

"DavesVideo" > wrote in message
...
> I'm still working on my pond and trying to stop all the leaks in the
falls
> and finally got around to buying a test strip kit. The water right out of
the
> tap has a high Ph. 8.4 is the highest it registers so that is what I have
or
> maybe higher. Is dumping a lot of "Ph Down" the answer? And just what is
that
> stuff, citric acid or something like that?
>
> One other question, the test strip also tests for alkalinity which of
> course is high. But what is the difference, if th Ph is high, of course it
is
> going to be alkaline, isn't that correct?
>
> At least it is from a well and there is zero chlorine.
>
> Dave
> http://members.tripod.com/~VideoDave

[DavesVideo]

Hal said:

>>Fish keeping is best
done in water between pH 6 and pH 9.>>

I was going by a book that gave 6.8 to 7.6 as the range.

>>Without a total alkalinity reading (KH) of about 100 ppm pH readings
can become meaningless and the wild pH swings may kill fish.>>

The alkalinity measured at about 250 ppm.



Dave
http://members.tripod.com/~VideoDave

[Nedra]

Throw that book out! LOL
If it wasn't written by an American pondkeeper with lots of goldfish and koi
it ain't worth nuthin' .... VBG

Nedra
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118

"DavesVideo" > wrote in message
...
> Hal said:
>
> >>Fish keeping is best
> done in water between pH 6 and pH 9.>>
>
> I was going by a book that gave 6.8 to 7.6 as the range.
>
> >>Without a total alkalinity reading (KH) of about 100 ppm pH readings
> can become meaningless and the wild pH swings may kill fish.>>
>
> The alkalinity measured at about 250 ppm.
>
>
>
> Dave
> http://members.tripod.com/~VideoDave

[Rick]

Dave, KH is a function of pH. Nothing wrong with either. Do not try to
fight the ph. It is a losing battle. I personally keep my KH greater
than 120 ppm. This promises a ph of 8.3 or 8.4. Almost no need to test.
I don't anymore. I only adjust my KH with 12 lb bags of baking soda.

DavesVideo wrote:

> I'm still working on my pond and trying to stop all the leaks in the falls
> and finally got around to buying a test strip kit. The water right out of the
> tap has a high Ph. 8.4 is the highest it registers so that is what I have or
> maybe higher. Is dumping a lot of "Ph Down" the answer? And just what is that
> stuff, citric acid or something like that?
>
> One other question, the test strip also tests for alkalinity which of
> course is high. But what is the difference, if th Ph is high, of course it is
> going to be alkaline, isn't that correct?
>
> At least it is from a well and there is zero chlorine.
>
> Dave
> http://members.tripod.com/~VideoDave

[~ jan JJsPond.us]

How big a pond Rick, and what was the pH before adding BSoda?

I've got a 1000 gallon lily pond registering 9.0, I added 4 lbs of BSoda
over 4 days and had a pH of 9.0-9.2. ~ jan

See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

>On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 05:27:27 GMT, Rick > wrote:

>Dave, KH is a function of pH. Nothing wrong with either. Do not try to
>fight the ph. It is a losing battle. I personally keep my KH greater
>than 120 ppm. This promises a ph of 8.3 or 8.4. Almost no need to test.
>I don't anymore. I only adjust my KH with 12 lb bags of baking soda.
>

[how]

"~ jan JJsPond.us" > wrote in message
...
> How big a pond Rick, and what was the pH before adding BSoda?
>
> I've got a 1000 gallon lily pond registering 9.0, I added 4 lbs of BSoda
> over 4 days and had a pH of 9.0-9.2. ~ jan


Hi Jan,
Use up some KH with muriatic acid, 2oz per 1000 gallons per day until the pH
is 8.4 or the KH is 200 ppm, whichever comes first. Paraphrasing an
erstwhile recpond chemist you have excess carbonate and/or hydroxide and
using the acid will leave you with bicarbonate which will stabilize the pH.
HTH -_- how
no NEWS is good

[~ jan JJsPond.us]

Oh How, <big sigh> I was actually doing this, add BS to raise the buffer,
add acid, lowered pH to about 7.5-8 for a week and back up it would go.

For the last week now I've kept the water below the 3 yo cement blocks and
done countless partial water changes and it still bounces up. Very
frustrating and there is nothing in there but liner, plastic baskets/pots,
river rock holding down the weed fabric on the potted plants, plants,
algae, and 5 goldfish and maybe a few lingering tadpoles. Filter is all
plastic or pvc, 2 mag drive pumps, bell fountain. ~ jan

>"~ jan JJsPond.us" > wrote in message
>> How big a pond Rick, and what was the pH before adding BSoda?
>>
>> I've got a 1000 gallon lily pond registering 9.0, I added 4 lbs of BSoda
>> over 4 days and had a pH of 9.0-9.2. ~ jan
>
>
>Hi Jan,
>Use up some KH with muriatic acid, 2oz per 1000 gallons per day until the pH
>is 8.4 or the KH is 200 ppm, whichever comes first. Paraphrasing an
>erstwhile recpond chemist you have excess carbonate and/or hydroxide and
>using the acid will leave you with bicarbonate which will stabilize the pH.
>HTH -_- how
>no NEWS is good
>
>
>
>

(Do you know where your water quality is?)

[~ jan JJsPond.us]

Update: I'm happy to report that after the last water change, the pond
popped and I walked out in the AM to find the water clear enough to see the
top of the plant baskets at the bottom and the pH was 8.0! ;o) ~ jan

>On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 18:56:20 -0700, ~ jan JJsPond.us > wrote:

>Oh How, <big sigh> I was actually doing this, add BS to raise the buffer,
>add acid, lowered pH to about 7.5-8 for a week and back up it would go.

(Do you know where your water quality is?)