Pond pH Crash

Here's how to prevent a deadly pond water pH crash!

Basic Koi Care

What are the two life supporting elements in your koi pond that can be related to your home?

A home without a solid foundation will fall. The pond water pH in your koi pond will fall without a solid foundation of carbonates (KH). Good koi care means keeping the (KH) at a safe level in your koi pond. A safe KH (carbonate hardness) reading would be 140 to 180.

A fall of the pond water pH in your koi pond can stress your koi and pond fish and if it drops low enough can even kill them, which is called a “ph crash”. pH is measured on a scale of 1 to 14. A reading of 7 is neutral, below 7 your pond water is "Acid" above 7 your pond water is "Alkaline". Koi and pond fish thrive in alkaline water. A good reading for a koi pond water pH is 7.5.

The carbonates (KH) in your koi pond determine how stable your pond water pH is. Your koi fish and the good bacteria in your pond filter, need and use up the carbonates in your koi pond everyday. Without a good carbonate base in your pond water, your pond water pH will fall below 7 and your pond water will be in the "Acid" range. If the pond water pH falls way below 7 your have a “pH crash” that can be deadly.

If you are in a middle of a pH crash, you can raise the pond water pH in your koi pond quickly without hurting your koi fish, however, if your pond water pH drops even two points, from 8 to a 6 (pH crash) over a few hours, your koi and pond fish will become VERY stressed and could even die. note: A high pH in a koi pond with a high ammonia reading can be a problem, because ammonia is more toxic with a high pH. But dropping your pond water pH will not solve your problem and can be deadly to your koi and pond fish. A massive water change to bring down the high ammonia reading is the answer to your high ammonia problem not a pH reducer.

For good koi care: You want a high enough reading of KH in your koi pond to maintain your pond water pH at 7.5 or higher between pond water changes. If your pond water pH is dropping below 7 you must add a buffer like Aqua Meds Buff-it-Up which contains life supporting carbonates and more to give your pond water pH a good foundation of KH. A good solid foundation of carbonates will keep your pond water pH stable (protect it from a deadly pH crash) and your koi, pond fish and your "good bacteria" healthy.

Good Koi Care means keeping your KH and your pH stable in your koi pond.

Aqua Meds Buff-it-Up keep your pond pH in a safe range and boost KH (carbonate hardness) in your pond water.