Water Quality

High Quality Pond Water

 

High quality pond water is the lifeblood of your pond environment and is the major determining factor in the health of your pond fish. There are many factors that affect the quality of your pond water and it is an absolute necessity to test your pond water on a regular basis in order to properly monitor the status of your pond environment.

 

Pond Water Testing:

 

The overwhelming majority of pond fish disease is caused by problems with pond water quality. Testing kits are readily available for purchase and most are not very complicated to run. Testing frequency should vary throughout the year, with weekly tests performed during pond opening season and slowly transitioning to monthly tests mid-season.

 

Of course, more testing may be needed if you are experiencing problems and health issues with your pond. We feel strongly it is necessary to have a strict schedule of testing water quality or to hire a pond maintenance service to do it for you for the best results.

Pond Health Facts

  • Ammonia
    Ammonia can be deadly to pond fish, which is why regular Ammonia testing is so important.
  • Nitrite
    Nitrite can bind the red blood cells of fish, which can cause gasping along with brown blood disease.
  • Nitrate
    Nitrates are a naturally occurring by-product produced through the removal of Ammonia and Nitrite from your pond.
  • Koi Pond pH
    pH can suddenly change in the course of one night. pH levels can be very unstable and have a tendency to “crash,” potentially creating severe problems in your pond.

Pond Health Facts

  • Carbon Dioxide
    CO2 is able to exist within water independent of dissolved oxygen. If levels get too elevated, illness can occur.
  • Dissolved Oxygen
    An abundance of fresh oxygen in your pond water is essential for keeping your pond fish healthy.
  • Hydrogen Sulfide
    Has an odor similar to rotting eggs and can significantly harm pond fish.
  • Please remember: 70% of your fish health problems are related to your pond water quality.

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The Core Elements of Poor Water Quality and How They Affect Pond Fish

There are several  core elements that contribute to poor water quality issues, each one with its own characteristics and potentially dangerous effect on pond fish. Each individual element requires its own testing kit and should be monitored to ensure their presence in the pond water is within acceptable parameters.

 

Poor quality pond water is responsible for a large majority of the disease, sickness and health problems pond fish experience. However, to fully understand the subject of quality pond water, you need to understand how certain individual elements affect the health of pond fish.

 

Core Elements of Poor Water Chemistry

 

  • pH
  • Nitrite
  • Ammonia
  • Water Hardness
  • Chlorine

 

Having a better understanding of each individual element allows us to learn how fish behave and respond when negatively affected.

Nitrite – Ideal Value in Pond = Zero

 

Nitrite transforms haemoglobin to methaemoglobin, which has no capacity to act as an oxygen carrier. This means Nitrite is very toxic to pond fish, as they need haemoglobin to carry out its oxygen carrying functions within their blood. Therefore, as nitrite levels rise in the pond water, oxygen capacity in the blood of the pond fish dramatically reduce. This results in a lack of oxygen for the fish and leaves them gasping for oxygen at the pond surface.

pH – Ideal Value in Pond = 7.0 – 8.0

 

Koi can withstand some variance in pH levels outside of their preferred range of 7.0-8.0, but long term exposure to pH levels outside of acceptable parameters can cause serious health issues. pH levels under 6.0 cause severe erosion of sensitive areas on the pond fish such as the gills. This creates high levels of irritation and discomfort for the fish, ultimately leading to severe infections. This condition is called acidosis and is very dangerous for Koi. If pH levels elevate over 9.0, it can create a condition called Alkalosis, which is a form of metal toxicity and very harmful to Koi. Koi fish with Acidosis or Alkalosis, become very active and excited, even thrashing around at the pond surface.

GH and KH – Ideal Values in Pond = GH of Above 10° dH, KH of Above 6° dH

 

The level of particular dissolved minerals determines water hardness. General hardness (GH) is a total of particular dissolved minerals in the water and represents the total water hardness.

 

Carbonate hardness (KH) is a measurement that represents the contribution of the minerals to alkalinity. The KH is the most important factor for Koi, as it determines how much resistance a pond has against a crash in pH levels.

 

Koi fish add to acidification of pond water because they release carbon dioxide, much like we do. The carbon dioxide ultimately turns into carbonic acid when it dissolves in the water, which puts downward pressure on pH levels.

 

There are some dissolved minerals which can absorb acids, which counteracts the downward pressure on pH by the acids. The minerals are responsible for the alkalinity of a pond and are primarily carbonates, bicarbonates and hydroxides.

 

Chlorine – Ideal Value in Pond = zero

 

Chlorine is very toxic to pond fish and causes severe erosion of gill tissue, eventually causing pond fish to stop breathing and die. Tap water is full of chemicals that are dangerous to fish and must go through a thorough purification process before being used.

 

Poor quality pond water can make pond fish behave as if they are infected with bacteria such as gasping for air at the surface of the pond. However, their behavior may be a result of low oxygen levels in the water, which can be caused by low pH levels or ammonia and nitrite poisoning.

 

If your pond fish are behaving in a strange manner, it is extremely important to determine the quality of your pond water before attempting to apply a treatment of any kind. Water quality must always be corrected before any treatments are added to the pond.

 

Because of the issues mentioned above, water quality is very important to managing a pond of healthy fish. Frequent water tests and water changes, along with staying on a strict maintenance schedule will help you maintain quality pond water for your Koi.