Thanks Jason. I read that you should add coral and sea shells if you want to raise the ph. I live in the land of coral so have plenty at my disposal. What does it mean that coral 'buffers' the ph and should I toss a few pieces in?
newbie floundering/fish at risk
- Thread starter Chrysalis~
- Start date
the way i understand it is that it keeps something dissolved in the water that naturally balances the PH. i believe it does raise the PH some but in my tanks it is always right at 8. so the buffering works good. i guess when there is not enough of whatever buffers the water it will dissolve some of the crushed coral and the buffering ability will be back. i don't know about sea shells though. i haven't used them.
Seashells & Crushed Coral are pure Calcium Chloride. Putting it in your filter will help maintain a pH somewhere around 8.0. It takes a while, sometimes for this to take effect. If you need to increase your pH you it is great for long term and to keep a constant buffer. When you do water changes you should treat the water with 1 tsp. of Baking Soda per 5 gallons of water. So if your replacing 25% of the 80 gallons = 20 gallons you would dissolve 4 tsp. of baking soda in some of the replacement water, like a gallon container. Then while adding the new water gradully pour some of that dissolved baking soda until it is all gone and your water replacement is complete. The dosage is rule of thumb, the best way to get it "perfect" is by yet again another test kit. This way you wont have those "swings" that people are concerned about. This is how fishkeepers do it for fish that require a high pH to thrive.
Just so you know, the way the crushed coral of shells work to maintain the 8.0 is when the pH gets towards 7.7 it is acidic enough to start dissolving the calcium carbonate in the shells/coral. As the pH rises to about 8.0 it is not acidic enough to do this so it balances there.
Just so you know, the way the crushed coral of shells work to maintain the 8.0 is when the pH gets towards 7.7 it is acidic enough to start dissolving the calcium carbonate in the shells/coral. As the pH rises to about 8.0 it is not acidic enough to do this so it balances there.
Chrysalis~ said:
Even though you may have tons of coral at your disposal, You need to crush it and sun bleach it to get rid of any "crap" that lives in it or that did live in it. It is really cheap for the smallest bag of it at a pet store and it will last you a long, long time. Just easier to buy it, rinse it and toss it in. Other things that work are Limestone, Marble and Calicite rocks among others. Even a few seashells as decoration are fine.
I like your idea of a Pondariumright, buffering means that it maintains a constant.
The problem with a "pondarium" as you are experiencing, is that the smaller the body of water, the harder it is to keep things in order and you have to do much more maintenance to maintain good water parameters. In larger bodies of water, changes happen much more slowly.
It's much easier to maintain clear water in a large pool versus a small hot tub, for example. Much easier to maintain water in a 3000g pond versus a 1000g one, and so forth.
Again, if your parameters are comfortable for your fish after doing weekly partial water changes--and you fish are acting and eating normally and don't appear affected, then you should just leave well enough alone. Don't get all crazed on the numbers.
The problem with a "pondarium" as you are experiencing, is that the smaller the body of water, the harder it is to keep things in order and you have to do much more maintenance to maintain good water parameters. In larger bodies of water, changes happen much more slowly.
It's much easier to maintain clear water in a large pool versus a small hot tub, for example. Much easier to maintain water in a 3000g pond versus a 1000g one, and so forth.
Again, if your parameters are comfortable for your fish after doing weekly partial water changes--and you fish are acting and eating normally and don't appear affected, then you should just leave well enough alone. Don't get all crazed on the numbers.
Got it. The resounding opinion is that I need to do a larger than 10 gal weekly change too so will see to that. Do you guys that have 2000 gallon ponds really switch out 400 gallons a week?! My God, for those of you on municipal, your water bills must be through the roof.
Yes, we do proper water changes. Ponding is not cheap for sure, but if you can't support the costs associated with it, then another hobby is in order. Our fish are dependent on us doing the right things for them. It pains me to lose a fish, so I do what it takes to have them survive and flourish.
I agree. There's something very special about a pond and if ones been bitten by the bug, the cost is of lesser concern. :cupidarr:
My pond is not that much! About 1300 gal. Water is expensive where I live and I do 20% weekly. I want my fish healthy as possible. I also recycle my water to the yard so the water is not at all being wasted.Chrysalis~ said:
Excellent Mrshkoiluver! I had thought about using the pond water to irrigate with but wondered about any algecide content. If I've used an algecide wouldn't it be potentially harmful to my potted friends? The bottle says not to let it out of the pond. :cupidarr:
I don't use any chemicals at all. Take care of the water and pond, it wil take care of the fish. (20% water changes every week and keep the debris out)Chrysalis~ said:
Forgot to add that fish poop water is a great fertilizer.