How to treat High pH in a pond
What does it look like?
- Alkaline - high pH test results pH above 8.5
- Invisible issue
What are the fish doing?
- Acting irritable - 'scratching', jumping, twitching, shimmying
- Breathing at the water's surface
- Fish appear pale or dark
- Flicking against objects
- Gasping, rapid gill movement
What should I do?
- Treat with pH Adjuster for Alkaline Ponds to bring down the pH level
- Consider a water change if pH is particularly high - try testing your tap water before a water change to see if regular pH adjustment will be needed
- For ponds with fish, support them with a treatment of Stress Away and Pond Guardian Pond Salt to alleviate the stress factors of poor water quality
Why does this happen and how do I prevent it?
pH is a measure of whether water is acid, neutral or alkaline and is measured on a scale of 1 -7=acid 7=Neutral and 7- 14 =alkaline. Variances in pH can have dramatic affects on the health and well-being of your pond. Changes in pH are invisible so without regular testing, changes can have an effect before you even notice something is wrong.
pH is measured in a logarithmic scale which means for every unit of change in the scale the concentration changes tenfold e.g. pH8 is 10x more alkaline than neutral pH7 and pH 9 is 1000x more alkaline than pH7. So relatively small changes in pH are actually quite significant.
Ponds are an open environment and are therefore susceptible to environmental pollution which can affect the pH of your pond. For example, lime leaching from concrete or soluble rock can create high pH so it is important to be aware of the environment around your pond and either eliminate these factors or be prepared to regularly treat your pond’s pH.
Some biological factors can affect pH like very strong algae growth which can raise the pond pH rapidly.
The pH in your pond may also be affected by the tap water in your area. If you are noticing frequent and significant high pH issues you may benefit from testing your tap water to see if regular pH treatment is necessary.
If you are keeping a pond with fish we would advise supporting your fish when water quality is bad, using Stress Away and Pond Guardian Pond Salt. These products will help to reduce the impact of the stress caused by water quality issues and prevent outbreaks of disease.
What treatment should I use?
Use with any of the above
Blagdon Tap Water Fresh Start
Blagdon Wildlife Pond Tapsafe
For ponds without fish
Blagdon Stress Away
Blagdon Pond Guardian Pond Salt
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