larz1
Koi Kichi
Jul 19, 2007, 7:54 PM
Post #15 of 26
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Re: [pvonbarg] Problem with green water and high ph
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Take a deep breath and stop beating yourself up for a minute Starting up a new pond isn't a cakewalk for anyone, but when you've invested a lot of time and money based on bad advice it makes it just that much harder. Koi ponds are for enjoyment and relaxation, not stress.
You're getting some good advice and I think everybody involved understands your frustration. In one fashion or another most of us have been there and done that ourselves. Lets start at the beginning and walk through it step by step.
1. You have a good sized pond with good sized pumps to move your water. Two 1 1/2hp pumps is a LOT of water movement assuming your pond installer plumbed them properly. So far so good.
2. None of the Pond Installers mentioned bottom drains, but they did fill your pond with Rocks. That means you have an ADI/Aquascapes or possibly style pond. Great for water features and plant ponds, not ideal for Koi or ease of maintenance. They TELL you it is natures way, but you will not find a closed system in nature, filled with rocks and fish. A Lined pond is a closed system and keeping in clean means you have to have a good filtration system and not fill the bottom with obstacles to good water flow to sweep away debris. As I'm sure you are finding out, Rocks in the bottom of a pond cease to be recognizable as Rocks when they are submerged in green water. They also disappear when they are covered with carpet algae (normal and healthy) or fish poop (not normal or healthy). They also require an annual pond drain, rock removal, power wash, all at a hefty price. That is another reason these type ponds are popular with some installers. Annual return visits with a payday attached.
3. You can have a retrofit bottom drain installed that will help, without tearing up the yard/pond. It can be done with flexible black pipe so it doesn't look bad, and once your pond is healthy and mature it will become coated with carpet algae and become virtually invisible. It won't work well until the rocks are out of the pond (next time you have it cleaned out) but it will help some. And the rocks won't go to waste as they can be reused for landscaping elsewhere if you want.
4. Ammonia will continue to show on your tests even though you are using Amquel or Chloramex. They do not remove Ammonia, they bind it into a harmless form that will still show up on test kits and still be available to feed your filters.
5. Baking Soda is a ph buffer and source of Carbonates (kh). It is indiscriminate, in that it's stable ph is 8.3. If your ph is low it will bring your ph up. If it is high it will bring it down. It's use is for the purpose of stabilizing your water at a safe level to minimize stress on your fish and filters. As the ph of your water tries to go up or down it will precipitate carbonates into the water as a reaction and stabilize it back to 8.2-8.4 when properly dosed. It is always a good idea for any ponder to have some on hand just in case. Your pond is large, but those with small ponds can experience a sudden ph crash after a heavy rain (acidic).
6. You have told us a little about your pond, but no real details about filtration other than it has skimmers. Post your pond dimensions, filter types and sizes, and some fresh water readings. One set first thing in the morning, another set before sundown. We need Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ph, Kh readings. It will give us a lot more information to work with to help you get through this with minimal frustration and expense.
7. Take another deep breath and smile
Thanks, I did read it. But I don't understand the kh and gh and is the baking soda to lower or raise your PH. Gosh I feel like an idiot.
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So, until I can figure out what/how/when I can do something different, is there any healthy way to keep the fish healthy and my pond NOT green? And can I ask you something else? Even though I have no string algea and no algea on the rocks, is the "green" water due to algae? I had a smaller pond (about 1500 gallons) with no bottom drain where these big Koi have lived for the last 5 years - happily and healthy. Not one single fish problem. It was a pond with waterfall and plants. The pond had algea, but the fish were healthy. Any ideas about a temporary solution will be appreciated. 
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