Friday, July 24, 2015

Healthy Pond Water

You may think that your first priority as a pond builder is to design a water feature that brings beauty and value to your living space. However, it is just as important that you pay close attention to the quality of pond water in your system in order to make sure that it is healthy and sustainable. With some basic knowledge you will know everything you need to help you keep your pond water, and the life it supports healthy.

pH Levels in Pond Water

Your basic measure of pond water health is your pH level. pH is an abbreviation for "potential of hydrogen" and it describes how "acidic" or "basic" your water is. The level of pH is measured on a scale of 0 to 14 with 0 representing the highest concentration of acid and 14 representative of a base solution. Seven is considered neutral and means that your pH levels are in balance. Generally speaking, aiming for a pH level of 7 is ideal, however a typical pond can do well with a pH level ranging from 6 to 9. Be aware that higher pH levels can promote algae growth.

What Affects my PH Levels?

Many factors influence pH values in your pond water. A pond's pH will change naturally from time to time over it's life. A mature pond will tend to be more stable, while a new pond should be measured frequently to ensure the pH level is not swinging to far to either end of the pH scale. Low pH can be caused by rainwater, decaying aquatic plants, carbon dioxide from fish metabolism, plant respiration, pollution and organic acids in the water. Higher levels of pH can be caused by lime that is leaching out of a concrete pond bed or concrete dust as well as excessive algae growth.

Macronutrients

It is also important to monitor the levels of Macronutrients in your water. These macronutrients are nitrogen (N), phosporus (P) and potassium (K). Simply put, nitrogen and phosphorus are good for plants and algae, but they are toxic to fish. They are the result of fish waste, dead fish or frogs, decaying organic matter, left-over fish food and in some cases they can be caused by the runoff from a fertilized lawn. These elements should be kept at extremely low levels if possible.The addition of beneficial bacteria can greatly contribute to the reduction of these elements. Potassium is good to both plant and fish metabolisms and is not problematic, even at high levels.

In Conclusion

A well-designed system will often produce water that is balanced in terms of pH and nutrient content. When algal blooms or other water-quality issues arise, don't hesitate to seek help in determining treatment regimens that can correct the situation.