temperature, well water, alkalinity

[kntry]

Does temperature have an affect on well water and alkalinity?my alkalinity is usually low around 80. I tested my water yesterday and it down to 20. It's never been this low. I tested the source water and it's the same.

I added 2 1/2 lbs of baking soda this morning them will add more later on today. I don't want to add it all at one time.

[PapaBear]

Since your source water tests the same, I'd have to say the well is unaffected. Your pond is a different story.
What changes, if any, have you recently made to your routine? Start feeding more, experience new algae growth, rising water temperatures, etc... Increased biological activity in the filter due to increased bioload might be the simple explanation.

[koiczar]

Quote: Originally Posted by kntry Does temperature have an affect on well water and alkalinity?my alkalinity is usually low around 80. I tested my water yesterday and it down to 20. It's never been this low. I tested the source water and it's the same. I added 2 1/2 lbs of baking soda this morning them will add more later on today. I don't want to add it all at one time.

I"m a bit confused here. Are you saying that the source "is the same" at 20 or 80 ppm?

Mike

[PapaBear]

You know, now that I re-read your post I'm confused too... Are you saying the well tests the same as the pond, or the same as it always has???

Another question. How deep is the well and do you know anything about the geology of your area and what kind of aquifer are you drawing from?

[kntry]

It's difficult for me to post right now. I had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands two weeks ago today. I can't type for a month. that's why I haven't been here for the last two weeks. I'm using a voice recognition program that is driving me crazy.

I'm sorry for not being clear. the source water and the pond are about 20 ppm. usually the pond is about 80. all other parameters in normal.

To give you little background, I had to close my pond in and I moved 11 large fish into a 3300 gallon pond. The pond is 12 x 14 x 2.5 feet deep. I have it set up on semi-flow-through, changing about 200 gallons a day.

My well is about 125 feet deep. I don't know anything about the aquifer but I live in Louisiana about 60 miles north of New Orleans.

[koiczar]

kntry

Hope your recovery goes well!

Your updated elaboration starts to make more sense. Having flow through, I can see where your pond and source water are about the same. So, the 80 ppm reading you were used to, was that in the old pond or the current temp setup? Were the construction materials the same for both ponds, e.g., gunite or concrete block or was one concrete and block and this one is liner?

Mike

[ranskye]

i think your saying that your source used to be 80 and now it has lowered to 20.
id suggets that your source has had an influx of fresh water and so has been watered down, through rain or water movement through the ground. thats what can happen in my bore anyway. imagine if you were able to pump all the water out and then it rained a lot, it may take some times for the ground salts to release into the water so it will read to where it once was.
if you didnt have the flowthrough exchange going on regularly it can lower as your bacterias eat it up, people with lots of food going into a closed system with biofilter ussually add some lime, but seeing as your saying you flow through daily then its likley the source water. i dont see it as a big problem with a flow through like that either way.
your unlikely to have big problems if youve been flowing through like that for a while and continue to do so. i cant flow through becasue my water has a lot of iron in it and oxidizes first but if youve been doing this a while id say its ok, its not like its just rainwater.

[PapaBear]

I think we're all heading in the same direction. Chances are good you are in a shallow aquifer that gets part of its source water from percolated rainfall through old delta silt and sand.
You might set up a TT filled with limestone or something similar on the fresh water inlet to give your kh a steady booster shot

[kntry]

Quote: Shallow wells are typically being fed by a nearby river or lake, which of course is fed by rainwater. In south LA there is no limestone layer for that water to percolate through (it goes from organics, to clay, to silt, to sand). There's also no source of alkalinity.

this is a quote from someone (vsound) at Koishack.

this pond is about 3300 gallons and the fish have been in it for a year this past November. I've had it set up on flow-through from the beginning because I knew it was well overstocked. All the fish have put on at least 4 inches in the past year with this set up in range in size from 22 to 28 inches. I had a shower running but the pump went out a few months ago. Since it was winter I did not replace it. I just received for crates, I'm going to order bio balls this week and set up a shower with a 4500 gph in-line pump when I build the new pool. I'm also going to add chicken scratch to this shower. hardness

before having to fill in my big pond, they were in 13,000 gallons so this is quite a change for them. Both ponds are liner ponds with the same source water.

once my hands heal in three weeks, I'm putting up a 5000 gallon pool with bottom drains in the shower until we figure out where we're going to live. This pool is 16 feet round and 4 feet deep said they will be much better off than where they are.

Ranskye, your explanation makes the most sense. My well is very shallow, and we have had a lot of rain this year.

thanks, Mike. My hands are doing great and I'm probably doing more than I should be. LOL I'm just itching to get outside and start putting that pulled together.

Once we decide where we're going to live, I have a cinderblocks to build a new proper pond, approximately 12x20x 8 feet. I still haven't decided in on the dimensions yet, I may go to 25 or 30 feet long. I also haven't decided them going to use XYPEX or Sai-Tred. It will be DIY. If we move to the country, I already have the hole dug and eight pallets of cinder blocks there.