Got my analysis back today. I haven't studied it too much because I'm at work. I think it is as a feared. Very low alkalinity, which has caused pH to drop after each rain. This sample was taken a day or so after a rain. The test strips I was using showed something similar and this analysis verified it.

Looks like I'll be liming in the very near future. Before the rain we had a 2 or 3 weeks of dry weather. At that point my pH was in the low 8's. Since it will go back up...and rain (acidic) makes it go down, will the lime add the alkalinity to buffer and hold my pH at a steadier spot? I'm hoping I'm understanding all my reading so far. Pretty new at this. I still haven't read enough to understand the rest but will be studying more tonight. Even though I'm sure I'll do whatever our experts here tell me.

If anyone else on here has questions to ask the experts feel free to use this thread and this analysis to ask them. Do not feel as if you are hijacking it. You may ask a question that someone else is needing an answer to!

Thanks in advance guys!!


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Did a little research over lunch. According to what I read from TAMU publications, I have a lot of work to do. Do you think that the need of lime is binding up many of the minerals? Could liming release these if so or will they need to be added through fertilizer or such?

Ag lime (with as much Ca as possible)is needed. I have seen lots of water in much worse condition than this. You do have alkalinity over 20 ppm. Do you have a bloom? Will post another test so you can compare.


Ideally, an aquaculture pond
should have a pH between 6.5 and
9 as well as moderate to high total
alkalinity (75 to 200, but not less
than 20 mg/L) and a calcium hardness
of 100 to 250 mg/L CaCO3.
Many of the principles of chemistry
are abstract (e.g., carbonate-bicarbonate
buffering) and difficult
to grasp. However, a fundamental
understanding of the concepts and
chemistry underlying the interactions
of pH, CO2, alkalinity and
hardness is necessary for effective
and profitable pond management. There is no way to avoid it; water
quality is water chemistry.

See this from LSU

See this that has ranges in the Water analyses

Thanks for response! Have not used a disk yet, but will try to today. I would say yes I do because I do have a green color to the water...but will make sure with the disk today I hope. Fish seem healthy...but I'm assuming right now my water is a limiting factor. I have ag lime available and will back spreader truck to pond to put out. $36/ton $2/loaded mile.

Here is pic of the pond. Its around an acre or so. I do not know for sure. Its probably 10ft in the deep end and 3 in the shallow. I need to go out in a boat and get an avg depth of it. I was thinking starting with 3 tons ag lime in the pond and a couple in the watershed. How does that sound? That is just from reading and getting examples from other threads. I'm sure anything will be better than nothing. From the analysis does is the lime the first thing, give it a few months then recheck? Do you think any of the others elements will change much after the lime application? Sorry for all the questions. I'm researching this, but really like to hear the expert opinions. No one ever said this stuff was so addictive. I love fishing, but I'm enjoying growing the and building a better habitat for the just about as much!

Thanks!

Its lower than that now, but we have gotten a couple days of rain so we are looking better...it had gotten bad dry as of last week.

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Peach, I'd try applying about 5 ton per acre in the water shed, and 5-8 ton per acre in the pond itself, spread as evenly as a slinger truck can. Also concentrate ag lime in your inflow areas to help buffer incoming water during rain events.

At $36/ton plus travel, it won't be the cheapest thing you can do, but will help your pond and fish for 10-15 years to come. Looking at your picture, the best thing is you can get a slinger truck in easily for both pond and watershed application.

A lower pool is actually a good thing to let the truck get lime further from shore, assuming the soils are solid. Ag lime in the water itself will always help, yet liming the watershed well, can help even more, and increase the effective life of the ag lime in the pond.

As for numbers changing, yes, they will. Alkalinity, hardness, and pH should raise considerably, along with CaCO3, Carbonate and Magnesium.

Right now, your "hardness" is due more to mineral salts other than Calcium. Adding Ag Lime will bring the hardness and alkalinity numbers much closer to the same total.

You want your water's hardness and alkalinity to come from primarily, calcium

I'm pretty sure the lime is calcium carbonate. I think I asked him about that after speaking with you guys on here a couple weeks ago.

Is my phosphorus bound up right? I read that on a pub from Clemson. Looks as though that would happen from my analysis and what I read there.

Is there a chance of an explosion of plant growth or algae if I have phosphorus bound up then is released by the lime changing my hardness and alkalinity?

I'm beginning to see how it all goes hand in hand but is also different.

What about my sodium? I haven't read where that will be correlated with the addition of lime. Mine is very low from the example.

I'm sure I'll have more questions as the night goes on and I read more. lol

Thanks!!

See what size truck they will use (often 10 tons). That is usually the best way . Put as much of that as possible in the water .