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  1. #1
    Senior Member Rank = Jussai Tom Koi's Avatar
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    Raising PH level

    Hi All, just filled my QT with filtered water KH is around 2 and PH around 6.5, how much bicarb would I need in around 350 gallons of water to raise PH to around 7.5 - 7.8, anyone know, water in my area is softer than soft


    My water meter measures in m3 which is a pain, its a VuAqua Wras single jet flow meter


    Last edited by Tom Koi; 12-10-2020 at 10:12 PM.

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    Moderator Rank = Supreme Champion Feline's Avatar
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    With a KH of 2 the pH once it’s settled is likely to end up at around about 7.2
    I would add approx 40g of bicarbonate to it initially then retest to see where you are at.
    It is possible to calculate it accurately see Alkalinity
    However easier to chuck some in and rested then add as required.

    Once the tank is in use with fish you will need to regularly add bicarbonate to keep levels up as water changes will dilute it out and the biofilter bugs will use it up. The only way of working out how much and how often is just to keep an eye on the KH.

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    Senior Member Rank = Yonsai jphamill's Avatar
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    I discovered that our water was also very soft the kH was approx 2.
    You cant do any harm with bicarb it cant raise the pH much more than the mid 8s.
    Its non toxic in solution even a saturated solution. It just wont dissolve any more.
    As @feline says add and test, I'd be more generous, but shes very scientific, "Chuck"half a pot from Aldi to start , 200g. You might like me find it takes a load to start to bring it up then a steady bicarb feed to maintain your kH and feed the happy filter.

    Re: your meter are the red digits not the litres then the first black digit the cubic metres, the small dial 100ml units?

    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Koi View Post
    Hi All, just filled my QT with filtered water KH is around 2 and PH around 6.5, how much bicarb would I need in around 350 gallons of water to raise PH to around 7.5 - 7.8, anyone know, water in my area is softer than soft


    My water meter measures in m3 which is a pain, its a VuAqua Wras single jet flow meter

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    Moderator Rank = Supreme Champion Feline's Avatar
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    I actually wouldn’t recommend taking a new system up to a higher pH than is really necessary- because any ammonia spike you get whilst maturing the system will be many times more bothersome to the fish.

    A KH of 4-6 is a good compromise level to give you a bit if a safety margin if you forget to test for a few days. I wouldn’t go higher than that if I were you.

    Your water is actually highly desirable for koi keeping, congratulations
    I have to spend considerable sums of money to have a KH of 2 in my pond, which is where I run it. My mains KH is 8-10. Hard water is bad for koi skin and growth rates, and a high pH prevents you really pushing feeding because of free ammonia being pH linked.

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    Senior Member Rank = Yonsai jphamill's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Feline View Post
    I actually wouldn’t recommend taking a new system up to a higher pH than is really necessary- because any ammonia spike you get whilst maturing the system will be many times more bothersome to the fish.

    A KH of 4-6 is a good compromise level to give you a bit if a safety margin if you forget to test for a few days. I wouldn’t go higher than that if I were you.

    Your water is actually highly desirable for koi keeping, congratulations
    I have to spend considerable sums of money to have a KH of 2 in my pond, which is where I run it. My mains KH is 8-10. Hard water is bad for koi skin and growth rates, and a high pH prevents you really pushing feeding because of free ammonia being pH linked.
    See scientific ! , but I thought this was a quarantine tank not a main pond or growing on set up thing ?
    I

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    Moderator Rank = Supreme Champion Feline's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jphamill View Post
    See scientific ! , but I thought this was a quarantine tank not a main pond or growing on set up thing ?
    I

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    If it’s for fish to actually be in doesn’t make much difference what size of body of water it is for optimal water quality choices?
    I would assume Tom is going to filter this and try to mature the filters since he has filled it.

    Of course matching it to the pond values will be important if fish are going to be moving back and forth at any stage.

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    Senior Member Rank = Jussai Tom Koi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Feline View Post
    If it’s for fish to actually be in doesn’t make much difference what size of body of water it is for optimal water quality choices?
    I would assume Tom is going to filter this and try to mature the filters since he has filled it.

    Of course matching it to the pond values will be important if fish are going to be moving back and forth at any stage.
    Yeah, grow on stroke quarantine, biggest thing I've learnt from the forum on this issue is on the other PH thread I read and that's about the speed of the flow through the big blue, which I had no idea of, just assumed that I could fill tank on full bore as its filtered, I don't know now if there's chlorine of chloramine in the water and how much, I intend having a constant trickle of larger flow into pond and tank, but don't know, how much flow I can safely use.

    Got an easy pod to filter Tank, which will be heated as well.

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    Moderator Rank = Supreme Champion Feline's Avatar
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    The daily maximum is 25%. But you shouldn’t really need to go quite that drastic unless going through NPS or it’s really heavily stocked.
    Something like 10% would be more like it.

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    Senior Member Rank = Jussai Tom Koi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Feline View Post
    The daily maximum is 25%. But you shouldn’t really need to go quite that drastic unless going through NPS or it’s really heavily stocked.
    Something like 10% would be more like it.
    got a leak somewhere on the pond in the upper depth, could be around the inlets need to sort that out somehow, as a centimetre x 4.5 x 3.0mtrs is around 38 gallons that's a lot of water escaping that's got to go somewhere and its probably a lot more over 24hrs

    Its a new pond and not up and running as of yet, got fish waiting to go in as well, they're at dealers at the moment notsure if Im prepared to risk putting them in a 350 gallon tank for over a period of time
    Last edited by Tom Koi; 13-10-2020 at 09:13 PM.

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    Senior Member Rank = Yonsai jphamill's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Feline View Post
    The daily maximum is 25%. But you shouldn’t really need to go quite that drastic unless going through NPS or it’s really heavily stocked.
    Something like 10% would be more like it.
    I'm lost on the 25% point, is that a total volume replacement?

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    Senior Member Rank = Jussai Tom Koi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jphamill View Post
    I'm lost on the 25% point, is that a total volume replacement?

    Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
    100% volume and change 25% of total volume great for fish growth, although I think if its 25% you'd need it to be around the same temp of the existing pond water, how you achieve that I don't know

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    Moderator Rank = Supreme Champion Feline's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jphamill View Post
    I'm lost on the 25% point, is that a total volume replacement?

    Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
    Yes, Tom asked how much water he could change daily.

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    Senior Member Rank = Yonsai jphamill's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Feline View Post
    Yes, Tom asked how much water he could change daily.
    Raising PH level

    Here's a good read.

    https://koiorganisationinternational...g%20in%20Japan.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Koi View Post
    100% volume and change 25% of total volume great for fish growth, although I think if its 25% you'd need it to be around the same temp of the existing pond water, how you achieve that I don't know
    If you have a heater on with a thermostat then best way is to have your water change set as a constant trickle in, with water overflowing to waste. That way your heater will keep the temperature consistent regardless of incoming water temp.
    If you keep your big blue indoors or in filter house then it can help the water warm up a bit since it takes a while for water to go all the way through in a trickle.

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  25. #15
    Senior Member Rank = Jussai Tom Koi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Feline View Post
    If you have a heater on with a thermostat then best way is to have your water change set as a constant trickle in, with water overflowing to waste. That way your heater will keep the temperature consistent regardless of incoming water temp.
    If you keep your big blue indoors or in filter house then it can help the water warm up a bit since it takes a while for water to go all the way through in a trickle.
    my blue is down by house its basically been built in with the front and top open, Ive got to make a front and top cover for it, its wrapped in bubble wrap and sitting on a square piece of 50mm thick insulation board, thought it a good idea to save space in filter house, maybe that wasn't such a good idea now then, typical.


    here it is, its all plumbed up now and bricked up on left hand side, its a bit dark to photo now, post update tomorrow
    Attachment 34817
    Last edited by Tom Koi; 13-10-2020 at 09:51 PM.

 

 

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