Goldfish looks dirty/black spots. Help please

[michaelsf90]

I tested yesterday and ammonia and nitrite was 0 and ph was 7. Kh is still 2. I'd say parameters are a lot more stable now than before. Il monitor the pH with the crushed oyster shell in the filter. The pond is full of frog spawn at the minute and probably 3 or 4 frogs so they'll be adding to the bioload. The fish are all swimming around and eating. Once the spawn hatches plenty of food for them as well

 

[WaterGardener]

Parameters are better, but the KH is still low enough that pH swings can happen.

KH of 2 is still much too low. It should be at least 7 or 8 in order for the pH to be stable. Higher wouldn't hurt.

 

[michaelsf90]

I find by raising the kh it raises the pH too high. In my shrimp tank I have to add stuff to the water that raises the gh to 8 and the kh to 4. It'll be too expensive to raise the kh to that level with the volume of pond water. If I can get kh to 3 or 4 il be happy. I just hope the fish are OK and the fish with the problem is OK. As for melafix I've only used it alongside a anti bacterial med. I don't want to use that in the pond with the frogs and other inverts. Even melafix and pimafix might cause issues but less likely than proper meds. I just don't like medicating until I have to but then I hate not doing anything and fish ending up dying

 

[BKHpondcritters]

What do you mean "It'll be too expensive to raise the kh" ?? Obviously every pond is different, but (generally speaking) a natural garden pond with fish should be in the alkalinity range of 100 - 200, or about a level of 9 drops on the master test kit. When mine falls below 7 drops I add baking soda at 1 C per 1000 gals (so, for my 3200 gallon-ish pond, about 3 heavy cups) every day until I get up to the 8 - 9 drop range. Baking soda is cheap. I don't ever worry about my pH, because it is what it is & all I want/need to do is make sure it doesn't swing widely on a daily basis. PH will only go so high, then adding extra baking soda has no additional effects.

I understand not wanting to use anything in the pond that will harm your other life forms. It's a balancing act, with everything taken into consideration - fish, frogs, dragonfly nymphs, tadpoles, snails, etc... But keeping water parameters up & stable are the first order of business (IMO)

PS - Ponds aren't "tanks". Aquarium parameters aren't the same as pond parameters.

 

[WaterGardener]

These are not shrimp. These are goldfish.

I just checked the KH in my pond and it was 11 drops. For me, that is too low and I boosted it with backing soda. I buy it from Costco in a large bag and I use as much as 8 cups at a time. And still a bag for $12 or $13 lasts me about a year. Definitely not expensive.

The pH won't go above 8.3 or so no matter how much I put in. That is not too high for goldfish.

The important thing with pH is to keep it stable, not an exact number. At a KH of 2 you are in the danger zone as far as I am concerned and you risk having another pH crash and doing this all over again. You need buffer in your system to prevent that and you have almost none. That would make me very nervous.