***The Pond Discussion Thread****

father-ted said:
- is there anything easier/better?
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https://www.boddingtonkoi.com/treat...ments/colombo-pond-test-lab-professional.html

Widely regarded as the gold standard short of going for the hannah test equipment which runs into the hundreds.

Now I just buy the individual tests for Ammonia, Nitrite, PH and KH as they refill, very rarely test for GH, Phosphate or Nitrate.

https://www.boddingtonkoi.com/colombo-kh-pond-test-kit.html
https://www.boddingtonkoi.com/colombo-ammonia-pond-test-kit.html
https://www.boddingtonkoi.com/colombo-nitrite-pond-test-kit.html
https://www.boddingtonkoi.com/colombo-ph-pond-test-kit-6673.html

Additionally, DPD No 4 Tablets to test my tap water for Chlorine/Chloramine if theres been something happen where they may raise the levels in the tap water.

Those are the 5 I would consider essential.

On top of those, have a pond medic salinity meter for the rare occasions I dose with salt, and 02 test kit to keep an eye on the levels when bringing the pond temp upto 25 degrees, but most people wont ever need or use these.
 
Brilliant info, thanks - I have had x5 trouble-free years so this is a new experience for me.
I do have some pond salt that I have never used - is there any advantage to adding some of that now, to help with fish recovery?
 
father-ted said:
I do have some pond salt that I have never used - is there any advantage to adding some of that now, to help with fish recovery?
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Unlikely, if they havent recovered by now I dont think the outlook is good. I also try to avoid adding salt to my pond if possible, it only gets removed by dilution and can limit your other treatment options if you need to do so.
 
I understand, that is why I have never added it before.
All of the fish now look fine, just x1 that is looking a bit unstable but hoping a 50% water change will rescue that in time.
Thanks again, your advice is appreciated :-)
 
father-ted said:
Just done another water test and the ammonia and nitrate is still too high.
I am currently doing a 50% water change to bring that down quickly.
Been a bit baffling why the sudden spike, must be something linked to me been away for a few weeks, so it was left unmonitored.
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have you checked your water supply with the test kit? My tap water has worse nitrates than my pond when I tested it!

Also I would suggest only adding something if you know for definite there is a need for it. pH/KH crash is nasty and fast. You can add some shell type media to the filter. That provides a resource of KH.

One other point - always test at the same time in the day. There is a daily cycle of caused by plants/algae. It causes the pH to vary cyclically.
 
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And so it begins..
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I'm expecting that to read something around 14m3 (1m3 is 1000l so 14,000l is 14m3). I've put about 0.1m3 in the rear chamber to provide support. Set the timer for 1 hour and see how we're doing and that will tell me the rate in m3/hr I'm getting to estimate fill time.

I still have some work todo in the garage but the lower exit points for the filter have 4" valves on so the water isn't going anywhere. The next exit point is the return and that's not going to be a problem for a while.. in the mean time I'll cement the up pipe in today.. I can then let it cure and clear out the water in the pipe before the pond level starts filling that pipe.
 
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Looks great Nick.

I never thought abount testing my tap water, I am doing that now.
If nitrate is higher in my tap water = what is the solution? (is there one?)

Cheers
 
My tap water has around 10-15 nitrate in it, so at least it is slightly lower than my pond.
I will keep cycling the water to bring the ammonia back down(that is still around 0.4).
The bicarb will be arriving in the next few hours, so will drop a scoop of that in each day to take the PH higher (it is currently at 7).
 
kindai said:
Nitrate is meh, its Nitrite you gotta worry about.
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Indeed the toxicology for fish - Ammonia NH3 and Nitrites (NO2) and then there's some lee-way to Nitrate (NO3).

The reason I say test the water is simply - the more nitrates you start with then you're adding to that with the nitrogen cycle in the pond.

If the only source of nitrites is your ammonia from the fish - then either (a) extract ammonia directly with Anoxic filters, (b) reduce the ammonia production through reduction in food or reducing fish. Lastly (c) add plants to remove more and/or water changes. The issue with winter is as your water cools, so does the effectiveness of the filtration in the pond (the bacteria slow down or die off) as do any plant life. If the fish are aren't slumbering they'll produce more products and the system is out of balance. What could be fine one year, the next year when the fish have grown, may not be good the next year. Ponds/fish are dynamic.
 
Quick question about your DPD no.4 tablets - I cannot seem to find a colour gauge to buy anywhere?
I have the tablets but nothing to match the colour to (tap water is a very slight pink)
 
father-ted said:
I have the tablets but nothing to match the colour to (tap water is a very slight pink)
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Crush a tablet into the jar/test tube, add water sample. If it turns pink immediately then theres chlorine there which needs to be removed/dechlorinated.

Dont read much into it after the first 30 seconds as it will turn pink over time, youre just looking for the immediate reaction. The pinker it is the more chlorine present.
 
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