Water Care

It is imperative that the water in your pond is kept healthy, there are many things that can be tested for from temperature to ammonia levels here are in my opinion the most important.

PH

The pH of a pond can should be maintained between 7 and 9. However ideally 8 to 8.5, this can be tested using a test kit from your local aquatic store either in the form of a test strip or a liquid that you add to a sample of your pond water.If the pH is too high then the pond water should be treated by adding a chemical buffer (an acid) if the pond water is too low then a adding limestone or calcium carbonate to the filter outlet is the most sucessfull method of treatment.

Ammonia

Ammonia is excreated by your pond fish this can be tested using a test kit from your local aquatic store either in the form of a test strip or a liquid that you add to a sample of your pond water. The ideal level in your pond should be zero, if a positive reading occures then you should cease feeding the pond fish immediately and carry out a partial water change, the use of zeolite will also help bring the level down.

Nitrite

This is what the ammonia in your pond is broken down into, it is still very toxic to fish again an ideal reading in your pond water should be zero and it should be tested and treated as if it were ammonia.

Nitrate

Nitrate is regarded as a 'nitrogen bank' it is here that all nitrogen from ammonia and nitrite is eventually desolved. It is only harmful when readings are above 50ppm and can be removed through plant growth in your pond or through regular partial water changes to your pond/fish tank.

Temperature

There are two scales of temperature used when measuring the water in your pond, Celcius °C and Faranheit °F

To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit we use the calculation….
Temperature in Celsius Multiplied by 9 divided by 5 then plus 32
     Example (10° C ´ 9 = 90) (90 ¸ 5 = 18) 18 + 32 = 50° F
                So we know that 10° C equals 50° F

To convert faranhiet to celcius we use the calculation....
Temperature in °F minus 32 then times by 5 and divide this by 9
                  Example (50° F - 32 = 18) (18 ´ 5 = 90) (90 ¸ 9 = 10)
                          So we know that 50° F equals 10° C

Every pond owner should own a thermometer to determine when the fish should be fed during the colder months, here is a rough guide….

Water temp below 10ºC (50ºF) switch to a wheat germ food and monitor the fish/koi for any signs of diesese (treat promptly) your fishes immune system will be weakened during the colder months leaving them susceptible to an attack.

Water temp below 5ºC (40ºF) cease feeding completely, your koi/fish will be in a state of hibernation and will probably not take any food that you offer, if they do there is a chance of health problems due to the fact your fish/ koi ‘s metabolism will not be working 100%. On warm sunny days during the colder months your fish may become a little more active if you choose to feed them offer small amounts of a wheat germ type food.

Density of water

Generally water is measured in Specific gravity (SG), and water pond water samples are compared with the weight of distilled water. Distilled water has a weight of 1.000SG therefore if we took a sample of salt water that weighed 1.025 it would be 1.025 times denser than distilled water. The density of pond water  becomes expecially important during the winter months, this is due to the fact that fresh water becomes heavier as it cools but only down to 4 degrees C after this it becomes lighter again and rises to the pond surface. During the winter months providing the pond is deep enough there will be a perminant layer of warmer 4 degree water at the bottom of your pond, providing a better environment for your fish to live in during the winter months.

Phosphates

Phosphates in pond water are derived from the koi or pond fishes food. They are either excrited by the fish or are a result of mineriliastion of uneaten food.

The main problem for a pond or koi keeper with phosphates in the water is they promote the growth of algae and therefore must be kept to a minimum if water clarity is to be maintained. If however you have a pond which is well planted and wish to encourage the growth of plants phosphates combined with nitrates will act as a fertiliser, they will help plants grow infact without phosphates in your pond water you will see little growth of pond plants at all.

Typically as previously mentioned phosphates are produced from the minerillisation of uneated food and faces from the koi/fish, they can also be attached to organic matter lying in your pond (decaying plant life etc) or most likely from the mulm in your filter. 

Phosphates can be reduced in your koi / fish pond in the following ways;

1-Removal of decaying organic matter
2-Regular water changes
3-Use of an ion exchange material (ie carbon)
4-growing of plants (they will use phosphates from the pond water to grow)
5-Keeping the mulm in your filter to a minimum

Oxygen

Oxygen is incrediblly important to fish, without it they cannot breath. Dissolved oxygen in your pond must be kept as high as possible preferably above 3ppm.