Detailed Water Testing

[hippo]

Hello Everyone ,

Can anybody recommend somewhere that can carry out tests of my pond water for toxic substances , metals ect .

Ive posted previously about issues with my koi being lethagic , not eating , flashing ect .

Ive done lots of scrapes and found nothing and tested all the perameters I can

This issue has been going on for over a year , the fish outwardly look ok with no ulcers , or fin rot ,ect , just one or two looking a litle pink .

I`m now going to try and look at the possibilty of toxicity either from my trickle - in , or as a result of materials used during construction .

I`m also going to carry out a 50% water change over the next few days , to see what difference it makes .

Any help and advice much appreciated .

[john1]

Hi Colin, I had a lot of problems with my pond and just getting over with it,Paddy kindly came up to mine to check things with his Hanna testing kit.

We find parasites and I was amazed we found chlorine in the pond, I said to Paddy I allways use loads of sodium thio mixed freshly every time.
Paddy had some of his own s/t so we put that in and carried on scraping fish.

We then checked again for chlorine and it was zero,so we thought maybe a bad batch of s/t or they were putting in loads of chlorine in the supply.

Just a thought Colin and maybe not that.

[davethefish1]

i don't know any Uk labs that do that kind of work,
the only person i've heard mention it is Ricky and i believe he uses a company in germany.
most likely connected with Jos Derks...?

if you strongly suspect toxins you could try LFH pond detox formula?

[hippo]

Hi Colin, I had a lot of problems with my pond and just getting over with it,Paddy kindly came up to mine to check things with his Hanna testing kit.

We find parasites and I was amazed we found chlorine in the pond, I said to Paddy I allways use loads of sodium thio mixed freshly every time.
Paddy had some of his own s/t so we put that in and carried on scraping fish.

We then checked again for chlorine and it was zero,so we thought maybe a bad batch of s/t or they were putting in loads of chlorine in the supply.

Just a thought Colin and maybe not that.

Thanks John . Sorry to hear you`ve had problems . Looks like your getting on top of it , so that`s good .
Looking at the fish , you`de think parasites , but cant find anything . Again with the chlorine , Ive checked using a hanna tester and also DPD tablets . I do occasionaly get something passing through the big blue , but the pond always reads zero . Will keep checking , though !

[hippo]

i don't know any Uk labs that do that kind of work,
the only person i've heard mention it is Ricky and i believe he uses a company in germany.
most likely connected with Jos Derks...?

if you strongly suspect toxins you could try LFH pond detox formula?

Cheers Dave . Ive been speaking to a chap who`s an expert in Aquarium fish . He recommended a couple of places that do it . One was a company called ZLEMENTS . Think the`yre in Peterborough . They do a test called an ICP-OES test for trace elements of metals ect . I need to speak to them , but I think you buy a kit with test tubes and labels ect and send them the sample . I`ll let you know more , once Ive contacted them .

[hippo]

Just wanted to update this , for information .

So I got in touch with a company called Reef Zlements . They do water testing , mainly for saltwater reef tanks . But when I spoke to them , they said they can do fresh water - they just need to alter their machine settings .

I bought the kit containing the test tubes and labels , registered on their website and then sent off samples of my pond water and my trickle in water . Cost comes in at £35 + postage .

I got the results back within a few days . The main thing that stood out was a high level of Zink which was in my pond water , but not in my trickle in . Also showing high levels of Mercury and Silicates .

Ive had contact with a local aquatic consultant , and he thinks it might possibly be the Zink that is making my fish lethargic , so Im taking steps to try and get it down - including water changes and adding some activated carbon into the filter .

As said before , though , my fish have been like this for two seasons , now , without any outward signs of illness , like ulcers , or mortality , so its turning into a bit of a mystery .

If you want any more info on the water testing , let me know !

[davethefish1]

Just wanted to update this , for information .

So I got in touch with a company called Reef Zlements . They do water testing , mainly for saltwater reef tanks . But when I spoke to them , they said they can do fresh water - they just need to alter their machine settings .

I bought the kit containing the test tubes and labels , registered on their website and then sent off samples of my pond water and my trickle in water . Cost comes in at £35 + postage .

I got the results back within a few days . The main thing that stood out was a high level of Zink which was in my pond water , but not in my trickle in . Also showing high levels of Mercury and Silicates .

Ive had contact with a local aquatic consultant , and he thinks it might possibly be the Zink that is making my fish lethargic , so Im taking steps to try and get it down - including water changes and adding some activated carbon into the filter .

As said before , though , my fish have been like this for two seasons , now , without any outward signs of illness , like ulcers , or mortality , so its turning into a bit of a mystery .

If you want any more info on the water testing , let me know !

good info there mate,

https://www.reef-zlements.com/icp-oes

what level of zinc did they say was in the pondwater?
thats really strange that your trickle in has no zinc, but the pond does?
where do you think it is coming from?

[Andy1671]

I'm sure manky sanke does this for you.
I know he offered this service at the koi show in Coventry

[NikLiverpool]

Are you adding clay in your pond? Zinc can well be found in it.

[john1]

Very informative Colin, but as said where is the Zinc coming from?

[hippo]

Are you adding clay in your pond? Zinc can well be found in it.

I have used Koi Masters Advantage , but not on a regular basis . I seem to remember reading that Cloverleaf Blanket Answer contains it . I have used it in the past , but switched to the Aquasource Resolve a while ago . As to what else could be causing it , and whether its this that`s upsetting the fish - only time will tell . If the data is correct , then hopefully I should be able to lower it by water changes - as its not showing up on the trickle in .

[hippo]

good info there mate,

https://www.reef-zlements.com/icp-oes

what level of zinc did they say was in the pondwater?
thats really strange that your trickle in has no zinc, but the pond does?
where do you think it is coming from?

Yes it does seem odd , Dave . I just hope the data is correct . If it is , then its obviously something unrelated to the water supply . Cant lay my hands on the figures right now as I`m at work . I`ll post them tomorrow . I`ll see how it goes with the water changes and the activated carbon , and then maybe get it retested in a few weeks ,

[john1]

At least your finding out what it is Colin so a step forward really.

I would stop putting anything in your pond except food,tricle in and water changes and see if it eliminates it.
May take a while though.

[hippo]

At least your finding out what it is Colin so a step forward really.

I would stop putting anything in your pond except food,tricle in and water changes and see if it eliminates it.
May take a while though.

Thanks John . Hopefully I'm getting somewhere, but to be honest, it's more hope than expectation. Just had somebody round and he suggested water changes and adding carbon , which I've now done , so we'll see what happens. I still need to find out where the zinc is coming from , if that is the cause. Just to answer Dave's question, the pond zinc level was 178ppb and the trickle feed was too low to register. The desired level , apparently, is 2.5ppb according to the data sheet I received.
At least the fish look ok ,apart from the lethargy , so it's more frustrating than anything

[NikLiverpool]

Hi Colin,

I was about to ask but just read through your post regarding the level of Zinc detected.
Have they shared any information with you regarding the calibration range of the method they used?
Also if the calibrants were matrix matched for the sample in question? I am bit wary by the fact that they specialise in salt water analysis and for 35£ I am rather dubious about them changing their calibrants to matrix match pond water.
Also the 2.5ppb limit that they mention; is this the zinc concentration that should be present in the pond or is that the detection limit of their method/instrument?
If this is the desired concentration then the LOD should be lower and I am rather dubious of an ICP-OES method that can go that low without significantly concentrating the sample volume and further enhancing the matrix effect.

[hippo]

Thanks Nik . I did speak to them before sending the samples and they assured me that they could recalibrate their machine for fresh water , so I can only take their word for it . For now I'm assuming the data is correct and taking steps to get rid of it . That being said, I've previously done water changes and added Pond Detox , without any changes in the fish behavior, so I'm not confident it'll work . Will give it a try, though