Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Fertilization ph and alkalinity

i just tested my pond with some strips from the swimming pool supplier and my ph is 8 or higher and the alkalinity is 60 or more ppm. is this good?

i fertilized with 13-13-13 about 3 weeks ago and added about 2 tons of lime. my pond is about 3/4 acre.

my bream were stocked tuesday and that night we had about 4" of rain. due to the water shed, my pond rose 19". yesterday i started seeing bg die. any idea what might be going on?

is the chemistry of my water bad?

pH changes a lot during a day. Your alkalinity is good. Without a soil test it is hard to tell if 13-13-13 is what you should use. A normal pond fert is 0-46-0 or 8-52-10.

How many fish did you stock and how many died?

i stocked about 800 bg, cnbg and res...

i just checked the water this morning and the ph was still the same. in the 8 range..

locals here use a 20-20-05 fertilizer. is this good?

In most cases that is to high a % of N (first #)for ponds. But with out a soil test you don't know . High N #s can cause problems with FA and plant growth and water quality.

What are ideal numbers for Ph and Alkalinity ?? And when this is off does this make fish not as agressive ? I have algae bloom and a little duck weed and water is kinda clear see down about 3 to 4 feet . All my fish seem to be healthy and have great color . I want to keep everything in the good so fish reproduce when they are suppose to . Plus i have put huge LMB in this pond and a few thousand Bg and Hbg and thredfin shad .

And is a pool tester good for pond or lake testing . And do you check just one area or more the bigger the water . Thanx for the help fellas the HOA wnts me to start checking the ponds and report if there is a problem . Alot of kids Seem to like fishing so i figure that at least 1 good way to entertain . Oh yeah i am in Myrtle Beach , South Carolina .

pH 7.4 and alkalinity 200 for BG and LMB as per SRAC. Most pond fish are about the same.

I don't check pH as it fluctuates to much. I check alkalinity it does not change much or fast. Good alkalinity reduces pH swings.

See this SRAC 464 Interactions of pH, Carbon Dioxide, Alkalinity
and Hardness in Fish Ponds - http://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm?catid=25