Ph & KH levels in your pond

PH & KH Levels,

The Koi season and summer is well and truly over now. As the season slows down we tend to sit back and not be so proactive in checking our water parameters, cleaning filters and doing water changes. Many of us heat our ponds during the colder months to stabilise the temperature and help maintain our Koi's immune systems at a level to prevent them from completely shutting down. Many fish keepers also cover their ponds to help keep the windchill off the water surface in an attempt to hold onto a little warmth as well as preventing falling leaves blocking filters and bottom drains. The importance of a regular water testing routine cannot be underestimated at this time of year to ensure your living jewels stay healthy. KH levels have an impact on your pH level and without adequate KH levels your PH can crash at an alarming rate. An ideal KH level is 5° dKH (German degrees hardness), and this needs to be maintained to prevent acidic PH levels in the water. Many thing can cause a crash in PH, a few examples being acid rain, condensation from covers and rotting leaves. Plastic media such as K1 and beads consume large amounts of carbonate hardness and this can deplete KH levels very quickly. Without an adequate KH level to buffer the PH, you become susceptible  to fluctuating PH levels. Low PH levels can also be more harmful if Ammonia is present in the water environment and can lead to sick or dying fish very quickly. At Elite Koi, we use the Exact iDip Smart Digital Water Tester for measuring all our levels. The kit is very easy to use and records your readings via Bluetooth to your mobile phone or tablet. The custom pond kit comes with 7 tests which cover the important parameters to be checked regularly. We have noted that we test our water parameters much more frequently with the i Dip due to the ease of use. This piece of equipment is a must for devoted Koi keepers and would make an ideal Christmas gift.

Passes the Ronseal test

Last week we noticed a significant drop in the KH levels in our main pond and quickly rectified this by using Aqua Source GH / KH Buffer. This prevented a harmful PH crash.

GH / KH Buffer. 

If your pond is covered it is very important to allow fresh air to access the water surface to enable deleterious carbon dioxide gas exchange to take place and allow your pond to breath. All products mentioned in the blog have full descriptions and are available in our Shop Elite Koi will be running our Christmas giveaway competition very soon, keep checking for more details of how to enter.