My pond is built and full of water... what now?!

[mtravigne]

So I filled up my pond two days ago with well water. I've got the bog filter running, and have four plants in there so far (adding more this weekend). The water is very murky; I can't see the bottom. It's also got a nice film of pollen on the top, and I've been skimming what I can off the surface (leaves, etc.) What should I treat the water with, if anything? I bought some dip test strips; according to the color chart, results are as follows:

chlorine 1 (is there chlorine in well water?!)
ph 6.2
alkalinity 80

I also purchased a KH/GH water kit at the suggestion of one of these threads and after adding 5 drops to each water sample, got the following results (see pic). There is no color chart in the kit, so clearly I'm misunderstanding how to read the results. I'm hoping someone can help me decipher the test (the blue is KH, orange is GH).

 

[Panzer13]

Hello and welcome mtravigne.
Their should not be any chlorine in well water. So the fact that your test says their is, is odd. I have read allot of commentary from ponders much more learned than me and they seem to all view the test kits that use strips as inaccurate.
Your PH is 6.2, which is fine, and on the acidic side of the scale. 7.0 is neutral everything below 7.0 is acidic, and every above 7.0 is considered alkaline or base.
So having said that if your PH is 6.2 the alkalinity of 80 is confusing.
As far as KH and GH this is a measure of the dissolved mineral content of the water. The higher the KH/GH the more minerals in the water. High KH and GH are usually associated with alkaline water. Why this is important is because this lets us know what the buffering capacity of the water is.
The more mineral their are in the water the harder it is to change the PH. Distilled water has no mineral content. It can easily be changed to acidic or alkaline. Hard water with a high mineral content is harder to change to acidic because the mineral content, often limestone, is a base and must be neutralized by adding acid.
Ok all that stuff is neat to know but of little real consequence to the pond. The fish will adapt to their environment as long as the conditions are not to extreme, PH of 6.0 to 8.0. This is why I always buy fish close to home. They are already used to your local water conditions.
As far as to what colors mean on your KH/GH tests. I think you should search the web for a color chart for that kit. It should come with one. Or perhaps return it to were you purchased it and ask them about the lack of a color chart.
Hope this is helps.

 

[mtravigne]

Hello and welcome mtravigne.
Their should not be any chlorine in well water. So the fact that your test says their is, is odd. I have read allot of commentary from ponders much more learned than me and they seem to all view the test kits that use strips as inaccurate.
Your PH is 6.2, which is fine, and on the acidic side of the scale. 7.0 is neutral everything below 7.0 is acidic, and every above 7.0 is considered alkaline or base.
So having said that if your PH is 6.2 the alkalinity of 80 is confusing.
As far as KH and GH this is a measure of the dissolved mineral content of the water. The higher the KH/GH the more minerals in the water. High KH and GH are usually associated with alkaline water. Why this is important is because this lets us know what the buffering capacity of the water is.
The more mineral their are in the water the harder it is to change the PH. Distilled water has no mineral content. It can easily be changed to acidic or alkaline. Hard water with a high mineral content is harder to change to acidic because the mineral content, often limestone, is a base and must be neutralized by adding acid.
Ok all that stuff is neat to know but of little real consequence to the pond. The fish will adapt to their environment as long as the conditions are not to extreme, PH of 6.0 to 8.0. This is why I always buy fish close to home. They are already used to your local water conditions.
As far as to what colors mean on your KH/GH tests. I think you should search the web for a color chart for that kit. It should come with one. Or perhaps return it to were you purchased it and ask them about the lack of a color chart.
Hope this is helps.

This helps immensely. Thank you so much for taking the time to explain all of this. I will follow your suggestion and contact Amazon and ask for the chart! Thanks again.

 

[Panzer13]

Glad I could help.
Their are allot of folks here that make me look like a minnow. So don't hesitate to ask for help.

 

[mrsclem]

Recheck the directions for the GH &KH test kits. There is no color chart. What you look for is a color change as you add the drops. I believe KH goes from blue to orange and GH goes green. The result chart is on the back of the page of directions.

 

[EricV]

Recheck the directions for the GH &KH test kits. There is no color chart. What you look for is a color change as you add the drops. I believe KH goes from blue to orange and GH goes green. The result chart is on the back of the page of directions.

Right, you don't put in five drops at once. You put in a drop, mix, put in another, mix. Keep doing that until the color changes from green to orange (or whatever) and that's your reading. It's titration test.

 

[mrsclem]

KH - blue to yellow
GH-orange to green
There is a chart on the back of the page GH &KH Conversion Chart

 

[Mmathis]

KH and GH are what are called “titration” tests, so yes, no color chart. You count the number of drops that it takes to reach a color change.

Don’t add anything to the pond, well, except maybe some dechlorinator. Mother Nature is gradually going to do everything for you. Add fish to start the cycling process.

 

[mtravigne]

Recheck the directions for the GH &KH test kits. There is no color chart. What you look for is a color change as you add the drops. I believe KH goes from blue to orange and GH goes green. The result chart is on the back of the page of directions.

Ah... Now I get it. I did get a D in high school chem...

 

[Bluerooster]

My pond is built and full of water... what now?!

Now the work begins.

 

[Jhn]

Just to add, on the chlorine reading in your well water. If it is indeed accurate, the only way it gets in there is if it is added into your water treatment system. If you aren’t adding it, then it isn’t in there and the reading is inaccurate.