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

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

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

"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

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

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

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!

================
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

x-no-archive: yes
================
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

Ok, I did find some inexpensive Koi food at a discount store that all
my fish seem to like. I also heard that most fish do very well on
their own finding food themselves. So feeding isn't necessary except
maybe a treat now and then.

Lois

On Fri, 02 Sep 2005 08:37:44 -0400, Lois wrote:

I also heard that most fish do very well on
their own finding food themselves. So feeding isn't necessary except
maybe a treat now and then.

You were talking about koi in a "liner" pond? A koi, that is a
bottom feeder fish that has teeth in the back of, or behind their
mouth for crushing snail and muscle shells found in a mud bottom
environment.

It ain't so much what folks don't know, but so much of what folks know
ain't right.

Regards,

Hal