Ph Levels

[Ryefish]

I have been trying to find the recommended PH levels for goldfish but i can't find it. If anyone could let me know, it would be appreciated

Thanks

 

[mark4785]

According to an aquaatic book that I have, the recommended level is 8.0. As goldfish are quite hardy there wouldn't be anything wrong if the PH level reached 8.8 in an aquarium. You don't want this kind of PH in a pond as it will prompt the growth of unslightly algae.

 

[Ryefish]

do you know what type of PH there should be in a pond?
Ive just done a water test on my pond (the first one, EVER!) just out of curiosity and the readings are:

PH: 6.0 (possibly lower but the chart doesnt go that low)
AMM: 0
Ni: 0
Na: about 30-40 ppm, cant really tell, its just very very red

 

[mark4785]

From what I've learned from fish-keeping (during the past 2 years) is that a PH of 7.5 - 8.5 is most desirable level. Anything significantly lower or higher than this can cause fish to become stressed.

A PH of 6.0 is too acidic and usually comes about as a result of excess carbon dioxide in the water from pond plants (i.e. Algae, Lillies etc) which excrete it during the night time. If you have an excess of plants it may be worth oxygenating the water during the night time by installing a pond air stone in the water attached to an air pump to increase the oxygen concentration of the water.

If you have Goldfish or Koi within the pond you should be aiming for a Alkaline PH level as it isn't a part of their natural habit to be swimming in acidic waters. I suggest testing the PH of your tap water (this is often alkaline to begin with). If your tap water has a PH of 7.0 or above I'd go about replacing the water in the pond with fresh (de-chlorinated) tap water to adjust the PH. The PH shouldn't change by more than 1.0 units in 24 hours as a sudden change may also constitute stress to the fish.

 

[Ryefish]

The PH of the tap water is 7.5, and the reading of lower than 6.0 is a little worrying to me.
We have about two lillies that are just bulbs at the minute (fish destroyed them last summer), and we bought a UV filter last year to get rid of any algae. The water pump we have in there is designed for a larger pond than we have, the water comes down a rock waterfall so i thought this would oxygenate it enough?

Its all a bit baffling. Thank you for your replies though Mark You've helped us to understand a lot