PH High

[sissy]

I never really get an algae bloom and think it is due to over aeration of the pond .

 

[barryian]

Can you test your pH early in the morning and then again at dusk on the same day and post the results? This may give a better indication of what is going on.

Especially if his kH is low ...

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Especially if his kH is low ...

The OP says the source water is neutral (7.0 pH I assume). The issue is why has the pH risen.

 

[barryian]

Ok ... Right, low kH only causes a pH crash, not a spike!!! Sorry! Browsed quickly! So, besides Co2 levels, oxygen levels, and underwater plants or algae, what would be another common cause? What about an algae bloom? I'm curious now!

 

[gliebig]

I tested 7pm and 7am. It was pretty much the same. Overall, I think it may have dropped a hair. Hard to tell exactly as my kit only goes up to 7.6

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I tested 7pm and 7am. It was pretty much the same. Overall, I think it may have dropped a hair. Hard to tell exactly as my kit only goes up to 7.6

Well that really doesn't help. If pH is higher than 7.6, that numeric value needs to be known, whether it is at 7am, 7 pm or both.

 

[sissy]

I would not worry about 8 ph as something else could have killed that 1 fish coming out of winter .Mine even has gotten up to 9 when I had my old pond as stayed that way for years and never lost a fish .Now new pond stays at 8 and never seems to go up or down unless heavy rains and adding water from my well after really heavy rains and then after a day or 2 back to 8 .My well water is extremely cold also .The well is over 400 feet in the ground ,I know that is true after having to pull the pump up when it went bad .Also well or city water may change things .

 

[MitchM]

We don't know what the actual PH reading is, sissy.
The kit being used only goes to 7.6.
That's the problem.

 

[gliebig]

I'm not really concerned about where it is. I think the current level is acceptable, just trying to figure out why it's higher.
Hose-neutral Pond ~8.0

 

[barryian]

As said, 8.0 is fine as long as it's buffered and doesn't fluctuate. There was a time, my 8.4 would travel to 8.8 slowly over time. Never found out why but now it's stable at 8.3 - 8.4... Morning to night really has no fluctuation to speak of but I'm on top of my kH. How do you buffer your pH and what is the kH? You might want to invest in a meter and a bottle of 7.0 neutral calibrating solution. Been using the same one for 4 years now. It's dead on and you can use a droplet tester to make sure their close.


http://www.koipondfever.com/p-474-eco-digital-ph-tester.aspx?gclid=CN7Du4PV-ssCFUQehgodyAkAiA

http://www.koipondfever.com/p-474-eco-digital-ph-tester.aspx?gclid=CNiO8pfV-ssCFYsehgodA9UKNA

 

[sissy]

What plants are in the pond ,have you fertilized any of them ,are the fish eating wheat germ and how much .Can anything be getting in the pond or be washed into the pond .I had a dog get in my pond a couple of years ago and ph went up to almost 10 .Not sure what the dog was bathed in or what effect it would have and if flea collars effect ph or even what he could have had on his paws .But I know I had to replace the liner that was ripped.I went back to look at my notes I wrote down and also had my ph go nuts when moles chewed holes in my liner and had to replace liner then .I had to add water everyday until March got here and I could replace liner .Even brass fittings can be a problem on some hoses .I use drinking water safe hose now for the pond .It was my dads really old sears hose that caused some of my problems

 

[gliebig]

I tested my hose water again yesterday, it was around 6.8. I tested ammonia a few weeks ago and it was zero. I tested it yesterday and it was .25-.5, hard to tell exactly. I did find a dead frog and a big dead toad in the pond. I don't think they were able to survive these below freezing nights.

 

[sissy]

How old is your test kit and is it a liquid test kit .Is there any sludge in the bottom of the pond .The frogs and toads are getting a rude awaking at this cold weather .Warm during the day and really cold at night here has driven mine back into hiding

 

[gliebig]

My pond is all liner. No plant/sludge/detritus at all inside.

 

[crsublette]

Howdy @gliebig ... Your case is an odd one... Everything made sense until your post#42

Funny. Mine is the opposite. Comes out as 7 then stabilizes at 8+. Same water for over a month. I tested again tonight and it's still 8+

Well water easily accumulates a saturation of carbon dioxide, which is an acid when dissolved in water, leading to lower pH numbers at the moment the water is pulled by the well. This carbon dioxide easily dissipates once the water is agitated in any manner. If your well water has notable pH buffering, called alkalinity, then, as the carbon dioxide leaves your water, the water's pH goes up.

I am on well water as well. My ground water is on a limestone aquifer so my well water's alkalinity is at around 240ppm, but, if to test the water in the pond without circulation, the water's pH tests at 7.5. However, after some hours of my water pump circulating and agitating my water, the pH goes up to 8.6 and has stayed there.

I think this is what you are experiencing.

Your county's water district should be able to test your well water for free or a small fee. If you can post these results, then would really help.