markterry70
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low PHHi can anyone help with my problem,
My water test has been correct except the PH, Which is 4.0
Which is very low, considering its normally 7.5-8.0
I have had this problem for a couple of months,
Its as if once ive turned my airstones off, i have incurred these readings,
My koi pond is 12' x 5' x 3', Holding 1200 gallons, with 1' in the ground, with the remaining 2' above ground,
I have 4 of tanks as a DIY filter, with different plastics and foams,pumped by a aquamax
10000 pump,With a UV , And 2 off airstones in the pond with 1 off airstone in each of the filter tanks,
I have done numerus water changes, and this has brought this back to 7.5, BUT,....
After 2 weeks, its back down again,
I have no plants in the pond,
But i do have Bamboo overhanging the pond,In fact there are 3 of different sorts,
What im wondering is, could bamboo leaves corrupt the water,
I have the pond covered by polythene frames,
Im always vacuuming the bottom of the pond,
But i do have the odd bamboo leaves on the bottom, for a couple of weeks, untill i vacuum them out,
Im absolutely stumped, as i havent a clue what is causing my pond water to go acid,
Any ideas please
Many thanks
Mark..
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PREMIERKOI
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Hi Mark,
First things first, what is the PH of the water BEFORE it goes into the pond.
Have you also got hard or soft water where you live.
The Bamboo leaves will have no effect whatsoever on the pond ph providing there are not millions of leaves in, and as you say you vac out quite regular.
What does concern me though is the DIY Filters and the different foams/plastics you are using, where I am coming from Mark is whether or not some form of Toxin is being released into the pond eco system and having an adverse effect on the PH.
How much water are you changing at a time when you say that the PH is then stabalised back to 7.5 and how long does it stay at that before dropping back down again, I am not trying to be negative but just trying to eliminate as many things as possible to strive for answers for you.
Keep me posted.
Martin
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markterry70
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Good morning Martin,
I have had these DIY Filters for 18 months and have never had this problem before,
And had the pond for 6 years,
I extended the filters, due to my koi getting bigger, and as ive been told you can never have to much filteration,
Basically water is pumped into the first Filter tank, via a aquamax 10000 through a UV Light, into round plastic pieces, same as used by easy, just on a bigger scale,as in normal water purifying company,then into another tank the same, then into another tank, with proper filter foams, then into a final tank which is a Bio system as in different grades of foam,Then back into the pond,
Like i say i have never had problems with water quality before, using these filters,
I only do part water changes,about 20% , the water, which i put in is 7.5 as checked , and this lasts for roughly 2 weeks, then slowly goes down,
The only reason why i say about the bamboo,
Is i took 3-4 leaves poped them into a container, and left them for two weeks, and the water has gone the same !!!,
Now i dont know whether this is the problem or not,
This is why i asked if bamboo leaves could cause a problem ??,
Look forward to your reply
Mark.
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PREMIERKOI
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Hi Mark,
Im finding it very hard to beleive that the PH can be a slow as 4.0!!! the fish should be dead, normally 5.5 is the lowest for the fish to tolerate.
What is your KH reading, it seems you are very low on Alkalinity.
You can buy a product called Lithaqua with will bring your PH back up, I do not know what the exact dosage rate for this is but if you google it you may be able to find out.
I also can get hold of some KH up from a collegue of mine, you use that at 44grams per ton but I would have to ask him to send me some, or better still I could get him to send you some direct.
Do you want to give me a ring on my mobile; 07775 890583
Cheers
Martin
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markterry70
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Thanks, but with doing water changes, that brings the PH back up to normal,
It was just what was causing this,which is causing me concern,
Have you any more ideas what may be causing this,
Ive asked lots of different people, and they just dont know,
Cheers
Mark..
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PREMIERKOI
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Mark,
Give me ring at the shop on Saturday morning, I have anther job so I wont be back until then, or, email me a telephone number so I can ring you.
Martin
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