Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry Water Test Kits and Test Advice

Folks:

I need advice on three topics. First, can anyone recommned a water test kit to use? I know recommendations have been to go to a pet store and buy one of their's. Will any kit generally do? And what tests should the kit perform as a minimum?

Second, what should I test for in my pond? I see where a lot of our PondBoss members test for various things, but what are the basic tests that most anyone should perform? What are the recommended readings for each type of test? Are temperature readings important?

Finally, what test can I perform that will halp me to determine if I am receiving any leakage from a septic system? The system is about 250-300 yards away. I have no reason to believe I am getting anything from it, but..... There is a pipe which empties into my pond, which someone has told me is from the surrounding field's tile systems, which was installed many years ago to help carry away ground water. The water coming from the pipe is a steady trickle, contains no evidence of man-made wastes, and results in only a small amount of algae and slightly discolored bottom near where it empties into my pond. It also keeps the ice open near where it comes in.

Thank you for your input and help, members!!

Mark, The best water quality discussion I have seen is in Bob Lusks book "Raising Trophy Bass".
I think I would have the water from the pipe tested by a qualified lab.

Thanks, Dave, for the reference source and your prompt reply. Bob is a great person to get information from and I have watched his posts constantly. He has been an invaluable resource to me.

But I am also looking for some more direct responses to my questions, including any recent information on kits, a quick reference "chart" or guide on the readings I should look for and try to attain, the meaning behind temperature readings, and any suggestions besides a lab on the pipe effluent. I'm hoping some additional members, including Bob, can chime in.

here's my quick answer. get a catlog from aquatic ecosystem. most important to test for fish productivity is alkalinity, it controls pH. Lamotte kit is about $22 your reading should be above 20 ppm if not add lime lots of talk here about that. pH, dissolved oxygen, hardness can also be checked and kits are avail. Get the water teseted for fecal coliform for the leaky septic by a qulaified lab about $25-$50 bucks for one test.

Greg:

Thank you for the advice. You and Dave have been both very helpful. I looked up Bob's book and it looks like something I should have for my library. I'm going to get it.

I will have a lab do the test of the pipe water. I honestly don't believe there is a problem, but it's better to be safe. I just don't want to contribute to any more weed growth with a pipe leaking heavy nutrients.

I will also use Greg's guide on the Ph factors. Are nitrites or ammonia anything to be concerned with? And, beside weed chemical effectiveness, does water hardness have an impact on ponds?

Thanks again, to both of you for your advice. And, if anyone else out there would like to offer some advice or imput, I would be very grateful.

I have never seen high nitrite, nitrate, or ammonia in a sportfish pond. This is normally only a problem in the aquaculture or ornamental pond industry. If checking your pH a pH pen is worth the money in the long run. Good luck!

Mark, in our part of the country Alkalinity and Hardness are never in question...I'm not sure what the case is in Pennsylvania, but I'd bet you have higher Alkalinity and Hardness values than the southern states.

Hardness is mainly a measure of calcium and magnesium in the water. It is important to have some hardness because it reduces the susceptibility of fish to ammonia, nitrite, heavy metals and several other toxic substances. I would guess that your water is fine, but if you want to test anyhow, we sell 2 multi-parameter water test kits (Laborette $18, Koi Analyset $49) on our web site that include calcium hardness tests (KH).

The only time that I have seen Ammonia or Nitrite cause toxicity problems in recreational ponds is as a result of agricultural run-off or massive weed/algae/fish die-offs. However, they can occur in measurable amounts and are an important component of total nitrogen measurements.

If you are going to test for feccal coliform, I would recommend that you hire an aquatic biologist to come out and do the sampling, because they can give you better recommendations on how to correct any problems than most labs could. Also, they would help you interpret the results of the test. When we sample ponds we do the following: Secchi Disk Readings, Dissolved Oxygen (at various depths), Temperature (at various depths), Total Suspended Solids, Alkalinity as CaCO3, Nitrate/Nitrite, NH3 Ammonia (toxic), Total Phosphorous, pH, TKN (Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen), Fecal Coliform/Fecal Streptococcus (Multiple Dilutions). There are other things that we test for if we have reason to expect problems, but those are on a case by case basis. Expect to pay $200-$300 for all this with an explanation/recommendation from the biologist.

Good Luck,
Mike Robinson
Keystone Hatcheries.