Water testing is extremely important. It allows you the opportunity to detect the presence of potentially toxic substances before fish behavior indicates there is a problem. You can then immediately rectify the situation before it starts to seriously affect fish health. Unless you are extremely experienced, by the time you visually notice something is wrong with fish behaviou it is likely too late to prevent a disease state
As is often stated, succesful hobbyists are water keepers first |
Any experienced hobbyist will tell you that good water quality is the key to ongoing fish keeping success. Testing the pertinent water parameters and interpreting the results is what's pivotal. The first thing to do if you fish look "off" is to test the water
Proactive testing on a regular basis, 2-3 times per month, is recommended. It is critical to have a grasp of the nitrogen cycle and the basics of water chemistry if you are to properly act upon the results
Test kits usually come complete with informative booklets which provide valuable info as well as the testing procedures. Read them to glean what you can
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It is generally more economical to buy a complete test kit which would include reagents to test pH, ammonia, nitrite, GH and KH. These are the most important parameters to test. Also deserving strong testing consideration are Salinity, ORP, Oxygen and Nitrate. Test kits derive results by mixing reagents with the pond water. Add drops as directed and compare colours with the provided colour chart. Very simple. With some tests such as GH (general hardness), a simple titration is performed to an end point (colour change)
It's important to realize reagents have a shelf life. pH is purported to last the longest at about 2 years, but readings from other reagents this old cannot be taken as accurate. Bottom line, purchase a fresh test kit every year
Serious hobbyists should consider meters, of particular value are salinity meters which help when treating for disease or reducing the effects of excess nitrites. Once you use a meter you quickly appreciate the ease and accuracy they provide
ORP meters (oxidation reduction potential) are also popular with the more serious enthusiasts as they provide an accurate snapshot of your water quality. The higher the reading, the greater the oxidation potential, the cleaner the water. Abundant organics, low dissolved oxygen and poor filtration will reflect with a low ORP reading. ORP meters are also very useful in the correct dosing of Potassium Permanganate, particularly for the 2nd. and 3rd. treatments when properly judging the water colour becomes difficult |
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| pH Positive Hydrogen |
| Although the optimum may be 7.4, it is more important to have a stable pH rather than continually adjusting it to the so called optimum. 7 - 8.5 is desired |
It's important to note that in reality Ammonia will never be zero as the fish are always producing ammonia and the turnover rate is a function of the ponds volume and pump flow. Ammonia is hard on fish and needs to be closely monitored, particularly with new systems |
Poor Reading
Improper readings can cause acidosis and alkalosis in fish, afflictions that will cause death. Fish may refrain from breeding at out of range readings and a high pH will cause ammonia to be more toxic. If the buffering is exhausted and the pH crashes, fish will sit listless on the bottom |
Poor Reading
High ammonia will cause the fish gill distress and burning and ultimately disease and/or death of fish. If there are high ammonia readings present, you need to take action immediately |
Remedy
pH is best controlled by providing buffering to the water. As a natural effect of nitrification, water will become acidic. The most economical way to rectify this is to add baking soda (not baking powder) or oyster shells. These add carbonates to the water which stop the pH from dropping too low. Calcium Carbonate in the form of oyster shells also adds general hardness and will dissolve as needed, maintaining a stable pH. Your pH will read 8.4 when you use these buffering methods which is perfectly fine. They will also lower a high pH down to 8.4 |
Remedy
Immediately cease feeding the fish. A large water change of up to 50% should be done. Lowering the pH closer to 7 will also help as this will convert ammonia into the ammonium ion, a much less toxic version of Nitrogen. Additionally, there are products that will lock up toxic ammonia but they should not be used more than 2 successive times without a water change and they do cause faulty readings with most test kits. Zeolilte is another option in smaller systems, it chemically bonds with ammonia (adsorption) thereby removing it from the water. The ultimate answer to resolving an ammonia problem is a mature filter, more filtration and / or less fish |
| N02- Nitrite |
| Nitrite readings should also be negligible. If your trying to cycle your filter system, nitrite readings will indicate your half way there. Trickle towers really help with nitrite reduction |
GH is general or total hardness, mainly calcium, magnesium and other minerals and salts. KH, or temporary hardness or buffering are elements excluding calcium and magnesium. The tolerance levels are high, any reading between 100 - 200 ppm will be okay for either readings. Although there can be effects on the koi's bone and cartilage development to chronic exposure to low levels, the more important immediate factor is the possibility of a pH crash |
Poor Reading
High nitrite content interferes with bloods ability to carry oxygen so the fish experience a slow asphyxiation - hence the moniker " brown blood disease " |
Poor Reading
High readings would require water changes with softer water or running water through a water softener. Low readings, below 100 ppm, will eventually cause the pH to crash to about a 5 pH. This is a real problem in vats and show tanks that have no rock (natural buffering capacity) |
Remedy
Adding salt to the water, to a level of 0.3%, will allow fish to extract oxygen from the water. Reducing feeding and performing water changes will also help alleviate these high readings. Maximize aeration and correct the problem as quickly as possible |
Remedy
Adding baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) or oyster shells (calcium carbonate) will increase kH and GH+KH levels respectively which will buffer the pH. Buffering is an extremely important parameter, perhaps the most because it dictates the pH which in turn controls the free ammonia |
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Pictured left are both Oxygen and ORP meters
We utilize both of these instruments during our pond servicing and consulting visits
see the our services page for more info |
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