On going problems during 2012/2013

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Airlite
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Re: On going problems during 2012/2013

Post by Airlite »

Update. I took the baskets out yesterday pm just to make sure that any limestone chips in there weren't skewing the results. Today, comparative tests taken at the same time of day showed very similar results:

10pm last night, pH 8.36; this morning 9am, pH 8.10; just now 12:50, pH8.62 and rising.

So the baskets aren't causing the rise. The only thing left is the photosynthesis effect but I wouldn't say I'm being overridden with algae. There's a bit on the pond floor and walls which gives any pictures a green tint but the water itself is gin-clear. Am I really looking at putting a roof of some kind over the pond to block the sunlight in order to get on top of this or is there a more subtle solution available?

Advice always welcomed of course. I'll keep you posted. Regards as always, M
Manky Sanke
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Re: On going problems during 2012/2013

Post by Manky Sanke »

One way to look at photosynthesis is to consider that doesn't cause pH variations, it restores your pH to it's normal value. That may seem odd but this might make pH variations easier to understand:

Measure your pH at the end a sunny day when photosynthesis has removed as much of the dissolved CO2 as possible and call that your natural pH. Measure it again as early as possible in the morning and the difference between the two is caused by dissolved CO2 due to fish respiration. If you want to reduce this variation, first try greatly increasing aeration to gas off the CO2 and, if that doesn't reduce it enough, you will have to increase the KH with a possible increase in pH.

If there were no fish in the pond there would be no downward night time change, due to dissolved CO2, for photosynthesis to restore or, if you suddenly added a load of fish without altering the aeration, the reduction due to the increase in dissolved CO2 would be greater. So photosynthesis then can be seen as helping to restore the natural pH by removing the variable parameter (dissolved CO2) that lowers it rather than photosynthesis causing an upward variation.
Airlite
Nurse Shark
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Re: On going problems during 2012/2013

Post by Airlite »

Thanks Manky, I think I get your drift. So, the high reading at the end of a sunny day is the pond's natural level, in my case today that would be at the very top end of the acceptable norm at pH 8.98. My Kh is low at the moment at somewhere between 3 and 4DH. So, if I've done my sums right, that works out at somewhere between 54 and 70ppm and I should be nearer two or three times that amount; is that correct? I know that KH has a direct relationship to pH but all the information I've read refers to the dreaded pH crash rather than the pH boom that I seem to be struggling with. Will the addition of sodium bicarb (@ pH 8.4?) do the trick in raising my KH without blowing my already perilously high pH value through the roof?

Regarding extra aeration, I'll look into how I can do that at a reasonable cost this week - my mrs is starting to ask questions about the ever increasing budget allocated to pond management. :roll:

As an aside, I've always referred to my "rock-steady pH of 7.5" previously but after giving the matter some considerable thought it's become obvious to me that the pond is not a year old yet and this is the first time since October last year that the sun has been high enough in the sky to have much of an impact in the back yard. I'd always associated previous high pH readings back in Jul, Aug and Sep to new pond syndrome and the calcium content of the mortar in the brickwork and this is the first time I've experienced anything similar since then. I guess the pond is still in the early stages of it's life and this is one of the things the experts mean when they say it takes a good two or three years for a pond to mature.

Thanks again Manky, it's great to have proper, straight forward advice you can trust from someone who knows what they're talking about rather than rely on some of the more whacky suggestions I've read on other forums. Regards as always, M
Daisymartin
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Re: On going problems during 2012/2013

Post by Daisymartin »

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