Pond water is green, but levels are OK?

[twoheadsbrewing]

This may just be a "new pond syndrome" issue, but wanted to check in here with the pond brain trust in case I'm doing something wrong. My pond is almost 3 weeks old and has what looks like single-celled algae aka pea soup. It's not totally opaque, but visibility is down to 1.5 feet or so. I just got a pond test kit and it looks like my levels are OK:

Date	Time	pH	NO2-	NO3-	PO	NH4
7/3/2020	3:00 PM	8.5	0	0	0	0.25
7/9/2020	12:00 PM	8	0	0	0	0

The pH is high, but my tap water is very alkaline. The plants seem to be doing well especially the water hyacinth and water lettuce. I also have some hornwort, rotala, and anachris that is thriving. The pond is in the sun almost all day, and the high temperatures are in the 100F range. I have a variable speed pump running at 1700GPH right now and the pond is about 600 gallons. Any help is appreciated!

 

[mrsclem]

Ph of 8 is not high, don't mess with it as long as it's stable.

 

[twoheadsbrewing]

Good to know, thanks! As the plants take over, the pH and NH4 both seem to be improving so perhaps I shouldn't worry about it?

 

[texastkc]

I don't chase ph in my water (meaning I don't try to control it). I believe in finding plants or livestock that can adapt to what I have. Luckily I have great water at home and it has not been a problem. I have less luck with the water at work for my planted aquarium in my office. Unless you have extreme water values, I think goldfish are one of the most adaptable fish out there. Yes, it will stabilize as your pond matures. Also, things like a heavy rain can temporarily change the values but that usually will also stabilize over time.

 

[IPA]

I recommend a KH test kit , I think API has a combo GH KH kit. You want KH around 150 and that is what buffers the pH. If KH is too low a pH crash can occur. It is safe to add 1 cup of baking soda per 1000 gallons of pond water on a regular basis but need to test KH to get an idea of how often. A lot of us use crushed oyster shells they sell for chicken scratch and don’t worry about baking soda or testing KH often.
Edit: pond is looking great. Don’t sweat pea soup, new pond syndrome, new pond owner syndrome. It’s actually beneficial to have it at this point; get more plants, etc and it’ll resolve the natural way.

 

[twoheadsbrewing]

I recommend a KH test kit , I think API has a combo GH KH kit. You want KH around 150 and that is what buffers the pH. If KH is too low a pH crash can occur. It is safe to add 1 cup of baking soda per 1000 gallons of pond water on a regular basis but need to test KH to get an idea of how often. A lot of us use crushed oyster shells they sell for chicken scratch and don’t worry about baking soda or testing KH often.
Edit: pond is looking great. Don’t sweat pea soup, new pond syndrome, new pond owner syndrome. It’s actually beneficial to have it at this point; get more plants, etc and it’ll resolve the natural way.

Good info, ty! The plants are dividing pretty rapidly on the surface so I'm hoping that helps as they consume more nutrients and block out sunlight. I'm going to also try some impatiens and more creeping jenny along the edges with their roots in the water.

 

[Mmathis]

Your levels look OK. If you want to track it, just for fun: watch for the ammonia to start risIng (which it is), then the nitrites will start rising as the ammonia goes down, then nitrates will rise, while nitrites will go down. Your levels my not rise much above a detection level, depending on how many fish you have.

The important thing about pH is that it’s not so much about the actual number, but that it stays stable (no bigs ups or downs). You might want to add a test for KH to your testing. That’s a test that will let you know how well your water is buffered (protected from pH swings). It’s also a drop test, but is different in that you are titrating — a drop at a time. The higher your KH level, the better.

A lot of us don’t routinely test, but it’s great for when you first start out, and it’s vital if something happens to upset the pond’s balance, or if you’re having unexplained illness. After a while, you get to know your pond. I used to test once a week, but now only whenever I think about it. Dedicated koi people (not on this forum) are anal about testing. We’re more laid back here

 

[cas]

Interesting thing about pH/KH/ GH. As said above, KH is what keeps the PH stable. Carbonate hardness (KH) will prevent low PH (PH crash). But Calcium hardness (part of GH) will prevent high PH. I use to have high ph. My concern was because the ammonia levels could creep up to .25 and with a high pH, this could become a problem for the fish. Once I increased the GH, my pH stays stable at 8.2-8.4.

GH is the calcium and magnesium required for fish bone and scale development, and trace elements such as iron and phosphorous that are needed for plant growth. The simplest way of raising the GH of water is with Calcium Chloride and Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate heptahydrate).

 

[addy1]

I was only able to get our pond hardness up (our well water measures below 20 and ph of 5.4) and balance out the very low ph was running it for a year, fishless, with 100 plus pounds of crushed oyster shells. Put in the oyster shells for about 4 years, now all is stable and good. My ph sits around 7.6 or so.

 

[Mmathis]

@cas Thank you!!!

Our city’s source water runs with a pH of about 8.4 and I’ve never had a problem with swings. Yet, in the beginning, I had people tell me that my pH was too high and I was killing my fish (not on this forum, or I wouldn’t still be here). For a newbie (who forgot all of her high school and college chemistry), that scared the out of me!

I‘m still chemistry-challenged, but now I understand on a “Charlie Brown” level. Plus, my hubby has a major in chemistry and he is the best at explaining things and dumbing them down for me It makes ponding so much more fun when you understand how all of these things work together....on a science level!! Well, even if you don’t understand at the molecular level, just knowing that there IS a relationship between everything that goes on in the pond helps it make sense.

 

[twoheadsbrewing]

What a difference a couple days makes. Getting clearer and can actually see the bottom now!

 

[Mmathis]

YAY!

 

[Phaewryn]

That's going to be gorgeous when the water clears up (and it will, no worries). The plants are beautiful. It must have cost you a fortune to buy that many!

 

[twoheadsbrewing]

That's going to be gorgeous when the water clears up (and it will, no worries). The plants are beautiful. It must have cost you a fortune to buy that many!

It wasn't too much actually. The water lilies were the most expensive at $35 each, but the water lettuce, hyacinth, hornwort, and the terrestrial plants were pretty cheap. I bought just 3 small bundles each of the hyacinth and lettuce and it's dividing so fast it's going to take over soon. As long as the water keeps clearing, I plan to keep it at no more than 60% coverage.

 

[Phaewryn]

It wasn't too much actually. The water lilies were the most expensive at $35 each, but the water lettuce, hyacinth, hornwort, and the terrestrial plants were pretty cheap. I bought just 3 small bundles each of the hyacinth and lettuce and it's dividing so fast it's going to take over soon. As long as the water keeps clearing, I plan to keep it at no more than 60% coverage.

I really like water hyacinth. I love the way it looks, the vivid shiny green and lavender flowers, so "cool and calm". I might have some someday if I ever build a bigger pond. My little pond would not be big enough for it (it would be filled to the brim in a month).