emme
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Posts: 4
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Post by emme on Aug 4, 2017 12:12:15 GMT -5
Hi there,
I have a 10,000 gallon outdoor koi pond. I have buffered KH to 100-120 with baking soda, GH to around 180-200 with Epsom salts and pH is 7.5-7.8. (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate are all low-negligible) My tap water is innately low in minerals so my KH and GH measured from tap are below 80. Unfortunately there is a leak in this pond, so we have to top up with tap water daily or we can lose up to 2 inches of water each day. I learned about wonder shells when I came across your website and ordered the shells. I've read some of your articles relating to GH and I've noticed that you seem to support the use of different types of calcium over the use of magnesium to maintain GH, although GH is composed of both magnesium and calcium. I read the part where you mentioned magnesium from Epsom can cause osoregulation issues, but it does not specify the duration of use or the magnesium concentration that can cause that. What if the GH of the pond water is extremely low? Can Epsom then be used to keep the pond water at 200 until the Wonder Shells arrive? I think it's standard that GH fall in the range of 200-400?
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Post by Carl on Aug 4, 2017 17:01:03 GMT -5
Hi and welcome to Everything Aquatic. First GH, is made up more than just calcium and magnesium, albeit these are major components. I would never recommend the use of Epsom Salts for GH maintenance (nor would I Plaster of Paris either). This should only be used in small amounts that would not affect GH reading much ad better just for therapeutic reasons, not ongoing Here is a quote from my Fish Bath article that I think addresses your question "As for magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), while I have not specifically know the mechanism, what I do know from experimenting around is that it works well in a bath, but is actually detrimental “in-tank” for freshwater. My guess is magnesium is more of a controlling osmoregulator like sodium chloride can be as well, not something the fish need much of. As an analogy, think of how our atmosphere is mostly nitrogen, yet it is oxygen that we utilize. Ditto magnesium sulfate in water, especially marine aquariums, but over loading in freshwater long term seems to have a negative affect, while a short term bath of magnesium sulfate seems to help draw fluids though the fish in a therapeutic way"Reference: www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2009/07/fish-baths.htmlOngoing use of Epsom salts, especially for bringing up GH can be quite detrimental as per my experience Related: www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2007/02/plaster-of-paris-aquariums.htmlCarl
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emme
New Member
Posts: 4
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Post by emme on Aug 4, 2017 20:10:09 GMT -5
Hi Carl,
Thank you for your response. I feel that I may need to keep using the Epsom until the Wonder Shells arrive. That would probably be for another 1-2 weeks. The reason is because there is a hole in my pond and water along with the Epsom and baking soda is lost in large amounts daily, causing KH and GH to drop if nothing is added to the water. Water loss along with topping up water is like a 5% daily water change. How long is "ongoing use"? And does "in-tank" mean in an indoor fish tank or does it also apply to outdoor ponds?
Thanks,
M
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Aug 7, 2017 13:00:39 GMT -5
Does the pond loose water in the base, when the water just sits? Or when a water feature is on? That would tell you where the leak is to maybe fix it.
Welcome to the group!
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Post by Carl on Aug 8, 2017 12:46:16 GMT -5
Water loss along with topping up water is like a 5% daily water change. How long is "ongoing use"? And does "in-tank" mean in an indoor fish tank or does it also apply to outdoor ponds? In tank applies to ponds or aquariums. I still would not recommend the use of Epsom salt to bring maintain GH, even plaster of paris is a better choice here In other words, the 5% water change is not all that unusual, I have had many ponds with such flow through. The problem is your exceptionally low GH & KH coming from the tap, but I would still recommend small amounts of Epsom Salts that would not make much of a dent in GH Carl
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emme
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Posts: 4
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Post by emme on Aug 14, 2017 13:03:18 GMT -5
@devon: Is a water feature the pumps/waterfall? If so, they are on 24/7. The pond loses water when the pond sits. The pond is 5ft deep into the ground but the pond walls extend above the ground about 1 ft. We think the leak is somewhere on the pond wall near the ground because from time to time, there is a puddle/small stream of water that comes out of the side of the pond.
@carl: The Wonder Shells arrived today. I will be adding 4 of them under the waterfall
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emme
New Member
Posts: 4
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Post by emme on Aug 14, 2017 16:13:33 GMT -5
Also, I just noticed that the "Super" size shell I ordered is 1 shell per 10-20 gallons. My pond is 10,000 gallons. Do you sell the "Giant" size shell?
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Aug 15, 2017 13:03:10 GMT -5
Does sound like the leak is at the base.
I would add the wonder shell in a gentle area of the pond, to help it disprove slowly.
AAP does sell the giant, they just call it Large. I would add a couple for that size pond. The idea is not to have a bunch of cal/mag in the pond or to raise the GH a bunch, but to just have a constant release of the electrolyte salt to help the osmoregulation of the fish. The salts release a electrical charge you can see in a GH reading. So, just have some shell in the pond at all times is best. Or it can dissolve and they can be replaced in a couple weeks, as you know the mineral is still in the water.
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