New to ponds - here are my test results

[dscl]

Hello everyone,

Brand new pond owner here and I just got around to doing a water test and these were the results

Test Kit - Tetra Pond Test Kit
Nitrate - Safe
Nitrite - Safe
Total Hardness - Soft
Total Alkalinity - High
pH Level - High

For reference my pond is aprox 2500 gallons and contains 32 fish (not sure on all the types). It has one waterful and no aquatic plants.

Based on these numbers/stats is there anything I should be concerned about? Additionally is there anything I can do to keep the water clear(er)? It's not murky and dark per se, but it's not as clear as two weeks ago when it had it's 'spring maintenance' professionaly performed. I've seen products at the pet store that seem like they would do the job, but do they work? Are they safe?

Thanks!

 

[addy1]

do you have actual numbers? for your tests?

What kind of filter do you have? What did they do to clean the pond, scrub, drain etc?

 

[dscl]

do you have actual numbers? for your tests?

What kind of filter do you have? What did they do to clean the pond, scrub, drain etc?

Unfortunately I don't have precise numbers, but based off the colors and the chart I would guess they are as follows

Nitrate - 5
Nitrite - 0.1
Total Hardness - 75
Total Alkalinity - 3305
pH Level - 8.3

When the pond was last cleaned they moved all the fish to holding tanks, drained the pond, power washed everything, cleaned the filters, refilled, and introduced fish.
Regarding the filter I don't think it's any particular model, what there is is a pump with a net that collects debris and the water pumps up to a waterfall that has these filter pads, held in place by rocks in bags and the water filters through those pads before returning to the pool.

At least thats the best I can explain it =)

 

[sissy]

8.3 is not high i keep mine at 9 and my fish have been doing good at that level for over 8 years

 

[sissy]

I have never drained my pond and refilled except for the time a new neighbors dog ripped my liner with his claws .As long as you stay on top of the pond work that should not need to happen .It can stress fish out .10% water change and thats it .

 

[addy1]

with that type of clean up your pond is going through a new pond cycle. That may be the cause of the murkiness.

 

[Waterbug]

Nitrite - 0.1

I'm guessing 0.1 ppm? If so let's change "safe" to "the fish are still alive but really shouldn't be buying any green bananas".

You might want to measure the biggest fish killer, ammonia. Given the nitrite level I'd be interested in ammonia. And water temp.

Total Hardness - 75
Total Alkalinity - 3305
pH Level - 8.3

I would love to know what 3305 alkalinity is. Don't think it could be meq/L or dKH. I like to test KH instead of alkalinity, because KH is something I change.

Regarding the filter I don't think it's any particular model, what there is is a pump with a net that collects debris and the water pumps up to a waterfall that has these filter pads, held in place by rocks in bags and the water filters through those pads before returning to the pool.

How often are the pads cleaned normally?

Aquascape pond?

 

[Waterbug]

Double post..sorry...tired

 

[Rivermist]

haha I went through the same cleaning process.

Found a lot of help here (you'r eing ood hands ). The pond is gonna go through different phases for the water to ajust will all the chemical reactions.

Also did they treat the water for ammonia, chlorine etc... after they refilled it ?

 

[dscl]

Multiple replies in one...

I have never drained my pond and refilled except for the time a new neighbors dog ripped my liner with his claws .As long as you stay on top of the pond work that should not need to happen .It can stress fish out .10% water change and thats it .

I guess I need to determine still what the 'pond work' is =)

I'm guessing 0.1 ppm? If so let's change "safe" to "the fish are still alive but really shouldn't be buying any green bananas".

You might want to measure the biggest fish killer, ammonia. Given the nitrite level I'd be interested in ammonia. And water temp.


I would love to know what 3305 alkalinity is. Don't think it could be meq/L or dKH. I like to test KH instead of alkalinity, because KH is something I change.


How often are the pads cleaned normally?

Aquascape pond?

Nitrate ppm (mg/L)
Nitrite ppm (mg/L)
Total Hardness (GH) ppm
Total Alkalinity (KH) ppm
pH Level

How would I go about measuring ammonia? Is there a better water test kit I should be using? I probably fat-fingered the Alkalinity btw - I don't have the results in front of me though at the moment to check.

I'm not sure how often the previous homeowner was cleaning the pads and I just took ownership of the home. How often should I be cleaning them?
Also not sure who built it or what brand kit may have been used.

haha I went through the same cleaning process.

Found a lot of help here (you'r eing ood hands ). The pond is gonna go through different phases for the water to ajust will all the chemical reactions.

Also did they treat the water for ammonia, chlorine etc... after they refilled it ?

I assume/hope they treated the water.

 

[sissy]

I net the bottom every 2 days because that is where the poo ends up at and getting that out really helps .!0 % water change and cleaning the gunk from the bottom of my filters and this time of the year quilt batting to clean and soak and let dry out while I put a fresh piece in the filters .Also watching out for birds who steal it when it gets dry .

 

[Waterbug]

I'm not sure how often the previous homeowner was cleaning the pads and I just took ownership of the home. How often should I be cleaning them?

Depends on what they're suppose to be doing. Different filters filter different things.

How would I go about measuring ammonia?

Most kits come with at least a basic ammonia test. You can buy them separately if you like. Ammonia converts to nitrite and since you have almost 1/2 the lethal amount of nitrite I'm assuming you may have high ammonia. However the ammonia may have come from when they treated the water.

Head spinning? Sorry. There's kind of 2 ways to keep a pond. One is as a landscape feature, pretty, relaxing. If fish die you replace them. The other way is fish centric. Doing everything possible to keep fish happy. Not judging. It's stressful being in the middle. I don't know where you're at or want to be. Just know, there's not a lot of middle ground.

The best way imo to learn this stuff is to search the web and look for text that looks really boring...that where the gold is. There's a ton of super easy stuff out there too...all crap. I think Koi Beginner is a good starting point.

I'm not saying forums aren't a good place for info...and I'm not saying they are either. But for sure you will get every possible view...good, bad, bizarre. Tough place to learn fundamentals.

 

[dscl]

Hi Waterbug,

I got an Amonia test kit over the weekend and did the test. The color was in between two others - so I would say it's around 0.35 ppm
I would like to keep my fish happy and healthy, but I certainly would like something thats pretty to look at.

I will check out Koi Beginner - thanks for the link.

 

[sissy]

koi produce a lot of waste and it is not easy to keep ahead it .All you can do is try to over filter the water and watch how much you feed them especially when it gets hot out

 

[Waterbug]

I got an Amonia test kit over the weekend and did the test. The color was in between two others - so I would say it's around 0.35 ppm
I would like to keep my fish happy and healthy, but I certainly would like something thats pretty to look at.

OK, here's where it gets a little tricky. I'm going to just mention the basics...if you want more info then ask. I just don't want to throw everything at you. There is one more test to do and that's water temp. Any basic air thermometer from the store is fine, or one you already have.

Most people will see the 0.35 ppm ammonia and freak out. That would be in the deadly range. There's more to it. But you should freak out a little.

First off, 0.35 ppm has to been seen just as you described it, a guess based on the colors in your test. And you haven't done a lot of this so the test could be off a but. But it's still a very serious area.

Stop...
Don't do anything unless you feel you really understand the big picture. Many people will tell you to dump this or that into the pond. At least understand how "it" works, the risks, and the downsides. Otherwise things can get worst.

Why ammonia is bad...
The way ammonia works is kind of like if you were in a sealed room. After awhile the air would feel stale and you'd be uncomfortable, longer and you might start sweating and force yourself to breathe harder, then light headed, then pass out, then death. It isn't digital. If rescued when near death you might have brain damage, but you'd live. Kind of the same thing with ammonia...it damages gill and interferes with O2 blood stuff. Whether the gill damage recover depends on how long they're in those conditions.

Temperature and pH...
Your test measures "Total Ammonia". There are 2 kinds, only one is toxic. To tell the difference there are charts. These will tell you just how big a problem you have. With pH of 8.3 you certainly have a problem, but the solution isn't to lower pH.

Bacteria...
Depending on your water temp the bacteria that converts ammonia may not have been able to reproduce enough to handle the ammonia and nitirte. As water warms these bacteria will multiply and may be able to lower the ammonia and nitrite. But that's really too long term. Stores sell bacteria in a bottle to "jump start" this process but it's a scam. You already have the bacteria, they reproduce very fast to the level a system can support. Adding more bodies to a maxed out system does nothing but add more dead organic material which produces more ammonia.

Fixes...
Stop feeding. That will produce a little less additional ammonia.

There are two basic short term fixes to the fix you're in. One would be "water changes" to dilute the ammonia and nitrtes. Pump out some water and replace with new water. I assume you have city water with chlorine or chloramine so with a large water change a chemical has to be added to make the chlorine safe for fish. That brings us to fix #2...Another chemical in these products turns toxic ammonia into the safe kind, calling binding the ammonia, or bound ammonia. Products like Prime and others do this. So just using the ammonia binding products instead of a water change is the second choice.

NOTE: You mentioned the pond was emptied and cleaned, how long ago? I assume who ever did that treated for chlorine and that could be the source of at least some of the ammonia. So your current ammonia level may already be "safe". A byproduct of converting chloramine is ammonia and why the products include an ammonia binder.

The downside to binding ammonia is you'd no longer be able to tell if the ammonia you have is the safe kind or the toxic kind. SeaChem makes an ammonia test Ammonia Alert[URL="http:// that can tell the difference if you can find one. Longer term you can order one online if you like. There might be other ammonia test kits that do that but you'd have to check.

[b]My suggestion....[/b]
1. Get water temp and use the charts to see how urgent this is. It's probably pretty urgent.

2. Given your level of experience I'd say go get some ammonia binding chemical from the local pet shop, read the directions, and apply if the directions make sense to you. If the pond was treated recently after the cleaning but you're unsure you could still treat SeaChem's Prime for example can be dosed at 5 times the normal dose and still be safe, so you have some room. Hopefully the dudes doing the cleaning didn't overdose. Or you could call them and see what they say. If they don't seem to have quick answers, or seem a little unsure I wouldn't trust them. Many companies that clean and take care of ponds actually know very little about ponds.

3. Google "koi pond water changes" and read. Understand the ups and downs. Search "trickle water change" too. Water changes are not without risk, a lot of risk if done Willy-nilly.

[b]Long term...[/b]
A bio filter can be added at some point if needed. It depends on where the ammonia actually came from, number and size of fish, how much you feed. But a bio filter is a longer term thing, couple of weeks to get going. I strongly suggest not buying a bio filter. It's a whole deal why manufacturers can't sell a bio filter that works well, but bottom line is these are poor filters. I suggest starting a different thread on what type of bio filter would be best for your pond.

They can be designed how ever you like. I once put one in a couple's front yard as a water feature while the pond was in the backyard. They didn't want the noise in the backyard and being able to add curb appeal was a win-win. So there are a lot of choices"] that can tell the difference if you can find one. Longer term you can order one online if you like. There might be other ammonia test kits that do that but you'd have to check.

My suggestion....
1. Get water temp and use the charts to see how urgent this is. It's probably pretty urgent.

2. Given your level of experience I'd say go get some ammonia binding chemical from the local pet shop, read the directions, and apply if the directions make sense to you. If the pond was treated recently after the cleaning but you're unsure you could still treat SeaChem's Prime for example can be dosed at 5 times the normal dose and still be safe, so you have some room. Hopefully the dudes doing the cleaning didn't overdose. Or you could call them and see what they say. If they don't seem to have quick answers, or seem a little unsure I wouldn't trust them. Many companies that clean and take care of ponds actually know very little about ponds.

3. Google "koi pond water changes" and read. Understand the ups and downs. Search "trickle water change" too. Water changes are not without risk, a lot of risk if done Willy-nilly.

Long term...
A bio filter can be added at some point if needed. It depends on where the ammonia actually came from, number and size of fish, how much you feed. But a bio filter is a longer term thing, couple of weeks to get going. I strongly suggest not buying a bio filter. It's a whole deal why manufacturers can't sell a bio filter that works well, but bottom line is these are poor filters. I suggest starting a different thread on what type of bio filter would be best for your pond.

They can be designed how ever you like. I once put one in a couple's front yard as a water feature while the pond was in the backyard. They didn't want the noise in the backyard and being able to add curb appeal was a win-win. So there are a lot of choices.[/url]