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If you are serious in starting a pond, you MUST know some measurements such as ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and pH. Knowing the levels of those chemical substances will help you understand your pond better and make it even healthier in the long run.
What exactly is pH?
pH is the capacity of free hydrogen ions; these free ions make the substance acidic. A substance that is not acidic, with pH level of 0 to 14, is called alkaline, while 7 is neutral.
In its simplest explanation, the increase in number of H + ions will make the water become acidic, while increase in the amount of OH- ions, in relation to H+ ions, will make a solution become alkaline. So pH means balance.
What to do when the pH is below 7 and becomes acidic?
This happens when free H+ ions are copious in the water due to the ponds natural activities. Fish waste releases ammonia that soon broken down into nitrite, causing a drop in pH. Too much ammonia concentration lowers down the pH that may lead to fatal fish kill. This can be solved by using biological filtration system that will give proper aeration in ponds.
What if the pH is over 9.0?
High pH level is more dangerous than low pH. The excess in pH levels is triggered by pollutants, with cement or builders lime the main culprit. Excessive alkaline in ponds can make fish gasp at the surface. It is important to determine right away what causes the high pH and deal with it promptly. The use of neutralising powder during the construction of cement will solve the problem.
How buffer helps?
Buffers release substance that will keep the waters balance. It reacts when excess hydrogen ions are rife. The most common is calcium carbonate (CaCO3); this prevents the pond from becoming acidic and stops it from fluctuating. When the pH rises to 9, the calcium bicarbonate will release hydrogen ions that will allow the pH to drop but maintain the waters alkalinity.
As ponds contain marine life, the water has the tendency to rise and fall in pH because of the natural environment and activities of fish. The addition of pond pH buffer will solve these issues by helping the pond remain balance to prevent acidity and alkalinity.
Dos and Donts in pH testing
Test your pond for 24 hours to see if the pond does not fluctuate
Use pond buffer such as calcium carbonate
Always test the tap water
When fish show signs of excess mucous and gasping at the surface, treat them immediately
Dont judge the level with just one pH reading. Its always good to repeat the reading within 12 hours for comparison
You can solve extreme pH level by changing the water partially, while low levels can be solved by adding calcium carbonate.
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