Posts Tagged ‘Pond One’

Koi Pond Algae

Posted in Koi care, Koi Garden, Koi pond on 07/11/2010 06:53 pm by Karla

Get Rid Of Koi Pond Algae!

With all the hot weather coming so early this year lots of us are experiencing some problems with algae in our ponds.

The best thing to do is to not let things get out of control. Like most problems, nipping koi pond algae in the bud is much easier than trying to deal with it when it starts to take over your pond!
Koi Pond Algae

String Algae

The biggest causes of algae are too many koi (thus producing too much fish waste…algae’s favorite food) and overfeeding your koi (once again producing too much fish waste, as well as decomposing organic matter, another favorite food for algae).

Some of the best ways to minimize algae, since a little algae is actually beneficial to your pond are:
  • Keep your pond well aerated, especially down near the bottom where debris tends to collect, by using some air stones.
  • Make sure the size of your filter is adequate for the size of your pond and that it offers both mechanical and biological filtration.
  • Using a UV light during the warmer months helps to keep your pond water clear and control algae.
  • Pond plants, a big favorite of mine, can provide shade (many experts recommend 50-75% of your pond being covered with floating plants such as water hyacinth, water lilies or water lettuce) and submerged plants help oxygenate the pond as well as competing with the algae for nutrients.
  • Adding beneficial bacteria to your pond also helps keep algae at bay. Most suppliers sell microbial bacteria that you can add to your pond.
One thing I recommend staying away from are algaecides (chemical algae killers) unless you don’t have fish or plants in your pond….these products can kill off your beautiful pond life!
You can learn more about proper koi pond care in my manual “Koi Care Basics”.
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Best Koi Pond Alkalinity Level

Posted in Uncategorized on 06/08/2009 11:51 pm by Karla

What is the optimum Koi pond alkalinity level?

Generally levels of 50-170 are what is recommended although some Koi keepers are keeping their pond levels even higher at around 180. The reason for this is that alkalinity will decrease over time as the good bacteria in your pond consume bicarbonates which slowly decreases alkalinity.koi_fish_3d_screensaver-2380

Alkalinity can also be referred to as carbonate hardness or German carbonate hardness. It is the measure of the concentration of the capacity a solution has to neutralize acid without changing pH. It both maintains and controls water pH. Koi pond alkalinity level can be measured in parts per million of calcium carbonate (ppm of CaCO3), milligrams per liter (mg/L), grams per cubic meter or degrees (dKH).

Test kits measure alkalinity as carbonate hardness or dKH and often in degrees of German Hardness (odH).If you want to convert German Hardness to parts per million (ppm) you can simply multiply by 17.

In spite of the fact that that a pH of 7.4 is best for Koi fish it can be a good idea to keep th pH level a little higher. pH levels can crash quite quickly when your alkalinity (KH) begins getting lower than 80 ppm. Since alkalinity is the buffer that helps maintain pH it is important to test it regularly. You may find that it’s better to keep your Koi pond alkalinity level above 100 or 120 pm. It will give you a bit of a buffer zone to help maintain your pH.

There are several ways that you can add alkalinity to your pond. One way to do this is through water changes. This can help introduce new minerals and can also increase alkalinity. However, if you have softer water it’s alkalinity can be less than 80 ppm. You can increase both the pH and KH by adding Arm & Hammer Baking Soda to the water. One third cup of baking soda per 1000 gallons of water will raise the KH level by 25 ppm.

Make sure that you take care not to raise the KH level more than 25 ppm a day. If you do it will cause undue stress to your Koi. An exception to this is if you are losing fish to a pH crash. A pH crash is when the pH level hits 5.5 or lower. In this case you have nothing to lose by adding a bit more baking soda to the water.

Water doesn’t have to have a high pH to have high alkalinity. Alkalinity is related to the dissolved amounts of calcium, magnesium and other compounds in the water. This is why alkalinity tends to be higher in hard water as opposed to soft water.

There are various reasons that Koi pond alkalinity level will decrease over time.

Decreases occur naturally over time due to bacterial action which produces acidic compounds which combine with and decrease alkaline components.

Ponds with fiberglass construction or vinyl liners tend to exhibit a higher decrease in alkalinity over time and might need supplementation to help them maintain proper levels. Alkalinity can be raised by adding calcium carbonate, oyster shells, concrete blocks, egg shells or limestone.

High alkalinity can be prevented by routinely changing out the water if the water you are replenishing with has a lower alkalinity than the pond water.

An established pond usually maintains an equilibrium in it’s pH value if you keep it clean by removing sludge and any organic materials before they have time to decay. Scheduled water change outs (i.e. 10% / week for small ponds, less for larger ponds) can also help maintain proper pH and Koi pond alkalinity level.

You should definitely purchase a test kit and use it on a regular basis!

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

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