I put a cinder block in my filter sump on my pond because I heard from the Phenoix koi rescue site that if you have a full PVC filter system your pond can have a ph crash. It's been about a week and a half and my water has gone from thin green to a transparent brown type like when you add the Tetra black water extract to your discus tank. I am happy that I can actually see the fish now but I am worried what type of affect its going to have on my fish. A local koi supplier I asked said that cinder blocks leech lime into the water which is "not so good'' for the fish. I haven't checked my ph on that pond ever so I wouldn't know what type of swing in ph. Gotta try test it this weekend hopefully. Does anyone know more about this and which one is true?
Need some input
- Thread starter Fatmantechno
- Start date
Update: The filter sump has become very dirty like the debris in the water is getting heavier and sinking all into my sump. Its like a coat of dirt after my filter media on my scrubbies.
Concrete does leach into ponds. It would be good to test the water asap to get a base reading. That way you will be able to determine pH swings. The brown dirt may be the algae dying off in the water. If the water is getting clearer, just keep cleaning all filter media and probaly rinse the scrubbies every so often so they don't get clogged.
Have any idea why the algae would start dying off so drastically just because I put a brick in the water? What does that brick do that makes that happen?
i use bricks in my tanks but never had a problem before. Infact one of my ponds is made of bricks and concrete. I tested ph and its about 8.0. I've been monitoring the fish also and none have died and they are all eating. Only diffrence is the water came clearer. Maybe Dr.Joe could explain this to us.
Did you build the concrete pond, or did it come w/the house? If the previous owner built it, they may have sealed the concrete, which would make for the stable, or non-swinging parms. I have used both bricks and cinder blocks in tanks, but never my pond. Had no problems with them to my knowledge.
concrete blocks are ok, cinder are not.
you need a kh reading from your source water...ifit's relatively high and you do your weekly water changes,you should not have a problem.the filters and the fish consume the carbonate hardness from the water that will cause the pH to crash if the hardness is not replaced
you need a kh reading from your source water...ifit's relatively high and you do your weekly water changes,you should not have a problem.the filters and the fish consume the carbonate hardness from the water that will cause the pH to crash if the hardness is not replaced