Dan, I'm a lot more comfortable dealing with the Health Dep't than I am doing my own tests for bacteria. As I recall, they were pretty inexpensive and I'm enamored with the idea of being able to sleep nights.

I have a Hach kit that I'm not wild about. It involves addition of a chemical agent(?) to determine color change for alkilinity. Just how pink is pink? What shade am I really looking for? I am of the opinion that alkilinity doesn't really change that much since it is dependent on soil. The qualification is that my area is not alkilinity challenged. Pine tree country is a another matter and takes continous monitoring and periodic doctoring. Lab analysis confirms that a swimming pool test kit pretty well approximates my actual pH.

I have, on several occasions, almost purchased a DO meter. However, they are expensive and I figure that this would only tell me what I know in an after the fact manner. I figure aeration is a good tool to prevent a DO crash instead of a meter that tells me I've had one. Dead fish seem to be a good meter and by that time, it's too late and I wish I had aerated. The disclaimer is that I generally learn things the hard way. My DO crashes have been Mother Natures way of telling me that I have pushed the limit too far without taking proper precautions.

It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP Grandpa