Pond Boss Magazine
https://www.pondboss.com/images/userfiles/image/20130301193901_6_150by50orangewhyshouldsubscribejpeg.jpg
Advertisment
Newest Members
Shotgun01, Dan H, Stipker, LunkerHunt23, Jeanjules
18,451 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums36
Topics40,902
Posts557,113
Members18,452
Most Online3,612
Jan 10th, 2023
Top Posters
esshup 28,417
ewest 21,475
Cecil Baird1 20,043
Bill Cody 15,112
Who's Online Now
9 members (anthropic, Boondoggle, Fishingadventure, phinfan, jpsdad, Brett B, catscratch, jbird5986, Freg), 644 guests, and 171 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,892
Likes: 144
C
OP Offline
C
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,892
Likes: 144
Can someone review this basic explanation of water alkalinity vs hardness and tell me if this is correctly applied to our pond management?

I found it interesting to try to understand how hardness and alkalinity measure different things, and importantly how hardness doesn't tell you which element is actually making up your hardness. Acid/base balance comes in to the equation as well.

Some of the tips (like testing your soil as well as your water) is new to me.

is the advice/rule of thumb to add 5lb of ag gypsum per acre foot to bring the hardness up 1 unit (ppm) still a good rule of thumb?

I'm researching if crayfish, scuds, and shrimp (crusty critters) would do better if I raised the calcium content (hardness) of my pond and then how that relates to alkalinity. I need to figure out an easy to use test kit for water quality tests.

I just fertilized my lawn on Saturday with a zero phosphorous, slow release nitrogen, and low percent potash fertilizer. It comes preformulated with biosolids taken from reprocessed chicken manure to help with the 'micro-nutrients'. But we had a much needed but rather heavy rain today that sent a deluge of street and lawn run off into the pond. I now have a very turbid pond and assume had more than usual nitrogen load run into the pond. I expect a massive bloom and want to stay ahead of water quality if I can. I already have more than normal floating FA mats covering about 10% of the pond ready to be raked out.

Here is the link to the short article that I found even me the novice could read.

Alkalinity and Hardness in Production Ponds

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,475
Likes: 264
E
Moderator
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
E
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,475
Likes: 264
The article is good. See these 2.

https://srac.tamu.edu/fact-sheets/serve/262

https://srac.tamu.edu/fact-sheets/serve/112

Most times it is not good to add N (other than in small amount after testing) to ponds.

Last edited by ewest; 06/08/21 10:30 AM.















1 member likes this: Stressless
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,892
Likes: 144
C
OP Offline
C
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,892
Likes: 144
Thanks for those articles!
Is there a test kit (maybe on Amazon) that will better spell out the alkalinity and hardness than a standard pool test kit?

Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,285
Likes: 288
Moderator
Offline
Moderator
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,285
Likes: 288
CC, look at the LaMotte test kits, as they have lots of very accurate options. I'm slowly replacing all my existing water testing stuff with LaMotte products.


AL


Link Copied to Clipboard
Today's Birthdays
cro, HC1968
Recent Posts
Relative weight charts in Excel ? Calculations?
by jpsdad - 03/28/24 09:45 PM
pond experience needed
by jbird5986 - 03/28/24 09:39 PM
Alum vs Bentonite/Lathanum for Phosphorus Removal?
by FishinRod - 03/28/24 08:28 PM
New pond middle TN: establishing food chain?
by Bill Cody - 03/28/24 07:57 PM
Happy Birthday Bob Lusk!!
by FireIsHot - 03/28/24 07:33 PM
Working on a .5acre disaster, I mean pond.
by PRCS - 03/28/24 06:39 PM
Fungus infection on fish
by nvcdl - 03/28/24 06:07 PM
Can anyone ID these minnows?
by Dylanfrely - 03/28/24 05:43 PM
1 year after stocking question
by esshup - 03/28/24 04:48 PM
Yellow Perch Spawn 2024
by H20fwler - 03/28/24 04:29 PM
New 2 acre pond stocking plan
by LANGSTER - 03/28/24 03:49 PM
Paper-shell crayfish and Japanese snails
by esshup - 03/28/24 10:39 AM
Newly Uploaded Images
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
by Tbar, December 10
Deer at Theo's 2023
Deer at Theo's 2023
by Theo Gallus, November 13
Minnow identification
Minnow identification
by Mike Troyer, October 6
Sharing the Food
Sharing the Food
by FishinRod, September 9
Nice BGxRES
Nice BGxRES
by Theo Gallus, July 28
Snake Identification
Snake Identification
by Rangersedge, July 12

� 2014 POND BOSS INC. all rights reserved USA and Worldwide

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5