kh

[diamond*girl]

Quote: Originally Posted by KoiCop dg . . . . How bad are your basic water parameters (pH, KH, GH)?

Well, like I said, it is rain water. The KH and Gh are both at 1 to 2 dh (0 to 36ppm) Ph right out of the cistern is 6.8 and in my small 400g pond the PH did fluctuate quite a bit. I would raise the KH with baking soda to 180 and the PH swings stopped. With water changes and after heavy rains I dosed BS and kept the KH at 180 - 200.

I've re-done that pond now into a 4000g (almost completed) and I'm just trying to learn the best way to manage the water parameters. No fish in there till spring.

Thanks for all the advice.

[KoiCop]

Larry . . .

dg's ponding with cistern collected rain water -- so I'm guessing that her baseline parameters are seriously deficient?

[PapaBear]

Quote: Originally Posted by KoiCop Larry . . . dg's ponding with cistern collected rain water -- so I'm guessing that her baseline parameters are seriously deficient?

Exactly. The inclusion of a Carbonate rich substrate for biomedia colonization would be of great benefit to the bio, but little help to the pond as a whole. In this type of situation the addition of regular doses of BS to the cistern water would seem reasonable to help maintain a healthy stability to the pond as a whole. What else ya gonna do for "naked" water sources??? Either that, or use coral sand/shicken grit in a HUGE sand filter to both polish and add buffering capacity to the water through natural erosion of the media...

[MikeM]

If in this situation, I would be considering how the rain water might be filtered through limerock prior to reaching the cistern. May not be feasible.

[diamond*girl]

Hmmm, I could do that. It is an 8500 g. underground cistern that collects from the roof gutters (metal roof) I could route those pipes into, say a concrete chamber filled with limestone and let the water perk through it.

What do you mean by limerock? Some kind of crushed stone I could get at a landscaping center? Would this really be enough to keep the KH up?
I could add BS to the cistern initially to bring the existing 8500 g up to a desirable level.

[HEADACHE6]

Quote: Originally Posted by cindy The way I understand kh, is its the balance for the ph. If the KH is 80 - 120, the ph is more stable if we get rain or any change. Also the kh feeds the biological filter. Kh was something I didn't use to check but after seeing how quickly a ph can crash, I check it when I check my amm, ph and nitrite. I have a mature filter and would love to add additional space for oyster shells in the future but for right now when I do a 10% change, I check and if its low, I just add some bs. The pond and aquarium.

Cindy , 6 days with No follow-up ?

Maybe it was a statement not a question ?

[carrie1964]

Just out of curiousity....
My KH is very,very low. Much lower than my tap water. I am cycling a new filtration system though.Is that what is causing the drop?
I am not adding BS and my fish are doing very well.

[KoiCop]

Hello Carrie . . .

Simple: Your bio-filtration is using up the KH faster than you're replacing it through water changes.

So: What percentange are you changing out and how often are you changing it?

[carrie1964]

Quote: Originally Posted by KoiCop Hello Carrie . . . Simple: Your bio-filtration is using up the KH faster than you're replacing it through water changes. So: What percentange are you changing out and how often are you changing it?

Well I was doing 5-10% every few days when the new pond was built and it was warm.
Now I`m not feeding and I`m only doing >10% a week.
Once the filters mature..I`m assuming the KH will level up a little bit

[KoiCop]

Hello Carrie . . .

I find it unusual that at >10% per week (without feeding) your pond KH hasn't caught up to your tap KH?

What are your readings for pH, KH & GH, by the way?

I'd double check both tap and pond readings, again -- and make sure that:

1. Your test kit hasn't expired; and,
2. You warm the water to room temp before you test it.

If that doesn't help reconcile the two readings, reconsider your stocking levels and doubling your water changes.

Finally, I wasn't aware that an immature filter uses more KH than a mature one does. Care to elaborate?