Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry Water chemistry and strange "coating"

We have a couple of mud ponds and a whole lot of tanks. They all survive on rainwater.
Since we raise fish in them we check the water parameters frequently.
All the tanks except one are running about 7PH with all the other parameters in normal range. Fish are happy. Plants are healthy.
We have been having massive amounts of rain for the last month so all tanks SHOULD be pretty much the same. They all are except one.
The bad one is CONSISTANTLY
PH 10+
alk 180
hardness 75
nitrates,nitrites and ammonia ZERO

Did a water change.
Every thing went to normal 7PH
2 days later it was over 10 again
We moved this fish
The plant roots (water hyacinth and water lettuce) don't hang down. They clump up on the surface.
The entire hard surface of the pond is coated with a thick brown plastic-like substance. It is the same color and feel as brown kelp. It peels off like rubber cement.
Here is a picture. Yes it looks like brown algae but it is a solid rubbery sheet.
Any ideas on the glop or the PH problem? Remember I have 20 tanks of various sizes in the same environment. Being doing this for 15 years and never had a problem like this

What's really strange is your flashing avatar. It created sunspots on my eyeballs. Seriously!

It's also strange that your avatar only appears when I view your post while I'm logged out. When I log in, it isn't there.
Has anyone else noticed this? If not, try logging out, and then revisit this post. Warning: don't look directly at the flashing avatar for too long.

Oh yeah, welcome to the forum, ribbit.............I think?

Ok did the log out long in thing and wow is that tripy!

Sorry I can help with the creepy alkaline blob you got growing there.

How fast dose this thing grow?

Cheers Don.

Looks like dead blanket algae that has floated to to me. Additionally intense photosynthesis by filamentous algae, and/or phytoplankton, and/or macrophytes can increase your ph to high levels later in the day in full sunlight.As far as zero ammonia and nitrates in a pond that is not unusual due to denitrification and aerobic autotrophic bacteria. Also if you do have a liberal amount of plant life in whatever form it will assimulate your nitrates. Anoxic conditions perhaps in deeper will assimulate nitrates by changing it to nitrogen gas.

Something about that tank is different than all the rest. What is that tank made from, and is it the same as the rest of the tanks? What does the water run thru that feeds that tank? Is there anything in that tank that is not in the other tanks?

I'm confused if this is actually a tank or a smaller pond. As we all know some use the word interchangeably.

Doesn't sound like the tanks are kept very clean. Letting waste build up in tanks is just asking for water quality issues.

Is the last tank or the first tank in the series the problem tank?

This stuff does not float. It is exactly the same texture as kelp. Rubbery. and it's not floating. It coats everything and has to be scraped off with a putty knife.
I have no idea how long it took to get there. But like I said I have several tanks, all planted, all outside being serviced by the same rain water. None of the other tanks have this.
Because of the rain water all of the tanks should have the same PH but this tank creeps up quickly and kills fish.
Don't think ONE pond. Think TWELVE and only one has this problem.

I've already tried to explain it to you. Moving on.

The way I read it there is a plastic tank of some sort that this is growing in and not the rest of the plastic or fiberglass tanks.

This is a rubber lined tank about half the tanks are rubber lined the rest are plastic stock tanks. I feel the the high PH and the substance growing on all the hard surfaces are related because none of the other tanks have either.
Since they are all fed by rainwater they should all be the same.
When I say fed by rainwater I mean it rains into them...not pumped into them

If truly rainwater, you probably have very little PH buffering so the PH can swing wildly depending on many factors. I would check your hardness and alkalinity of the various tanks, and see what numbers come up. I would be willing to bet this tank is lower on both counts than any other.

As for the scuz, it may be iron bacteria. We get that in our well water and it is like gelatinous crud. In soft water with a bit of iron, they thrive.

It mitigate this you can add salt/lime products/etc to buffer the PH. I think your water is simply too soft.