LOL! I'm definitely not in this group .... too dang lazy for
this kind thing. Thanks anyway, Lee.

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

"Lee Brouillet" wrote in message
...
Aquatic Eco has several types. I have an electrical one that measures in 5
degree increments, but it's kinda useless at this time of year when the
power fluctuates so often. It needs to be recalibrated every time it shuts
off, so it's a real pain in the butt. But I also have a battery operated
one
that's good for about 3 months on a 9V battery, so it works nicely at this
time of year. And it works on 1 degree increments, so it's a little more
accurate (although "ball park" figures are just fine in this instance).

This falls into the category of - "All my water parameters are fine. I
*think* everything's OK, but what if there's just a teensy bit more I can
do? Or what if it isn't one of those things I measure?" - things. It is by
NO means necessary, but it gives a lot of insight into the pond's
well-being. It's for us anal-retentive personalities! G

Lee

"Nedra" wrote in message
link.net...
And where did you find such a meter, Lee? Sounds neat.

Nedra
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118
"Lee Brouillet" wrote in message
...
I'm in Central Florida, just a little north of Tampa. Actually, most
of
the
rain fell in less than 45 minutes; the rest was just pre- and post-
storm
.
. . pretty common around here in the summer (long sigh). And yes, I
monitor
ORP. It isn't a drop test, it's a meter test. I thread the probe
through
one
of the outlets on my skimmer box, stick the probe in a piece of
styrofoam
to
float it, and watch the meter. It's on 24/7. The readings are an
indication
of how much crud is in the pond or when pollutants are present, and it
lets
you know when you need to make improvements, like clean the
filters/bottom,
increase oxygen, etc. It gives instant feed-back to show whether that
latest
tweak you did to the filters is actually doing something or not. The
higher
the numbers, the better. A pond that registers 200 needs improvement;
below
180 your fishes' health is being compromised. Above 280, and you're
doing
well. I try to keep mine in the 325-370 range. If you get above 400,
it's
"too clean", and again (for long term) your fish are in jeopardy. If
mine
falls below 270/280, I look for the problem and tweak. I like toys!

Lee

"Mike Miller" wrote in message
news:%NEYa.93324$YN5.67131@sccrnsc01...
Where do you live that you get 3 1/2"/hour of rain?! Also, is ORP
something
you're actually testing for? Can you explain?

"Lee Brouillet" wrote in message
...
I'm becoming suspect of rainwater! Last weekend, we had a deluge,
something
like 7 inches in about 2 hours. I monitor ORP in my pond (simple
explanation: oxygen reduction potential). The higher the number,
the
better
your pond water. Mine usually runs in the 320-370 range. After the
rain,
it
dropped to 130! That's how much pollution there was in the
rainwater!
And
acid: it dropped my KH by nearly 100 ppm. I hope *your* rain is
better
than
MY rain G!

I'm happy to know that I was able to help. The one thing I found
out
about
this hobby is that ignorance is bliss: the more I learn, the more
I
find
out
I NEED to learn (long sigh).

Perhaps you can get yourself a long, tall, cool one, sit by the
pond
(assuming a Zen attitude) and just gently "tease" the stuff from
the
other
roots? That's what I do with the SA when it infringes on the WH
roots
.
.
.
Now granted, it may take a FEW long, tall, cool ones to get in the
right
frame of mind!