Catfish Success

 What is Ammonia Ammonia is excreted by the fish as a waste product. It is extremely toxic to the fish, and is broken down into less toxic nitrite by the beneficial bacteria in the filter of your pond. Why test for ammonia? Any ammonia present in the pond water will cause major health problems for the fish. Toxic ammonia can build up in ponds where there are not sufficient beneficial filter bacteria to deal with the total waste from all the fish in the pond. This situation can arise in new ponds, when new fish are added, when the filter bacteria have been disrupted (e.g. during cleaning), or during accidental misdosing of pond medications. What is the correct ammonia level in my pond? There is no occasion where any ammonia is tolerable in a fish pond. A level of zero mg/L (PPM) must be maintained at all times. What do I do if the ammonia level is wrong? If a level of 0.2 mg/l (PPM) is recorded then add a filter booster such as Koi Care Filter Bugs or Koi Care Actizyme. If a level a...

  What is nitrate? Nitrate is produced by the beneficial bacteria in the pond and filters as they break down the fish's toxic waste products (ammonia and nitrite). Nitrate is not toxic to pond fish, but excessively high levels can affect their reproduction. Why test for nitrate? Nitrate is a plant nutrient. The more nitrate is present the greater the potential for plant growth. If insufficient plants are present then algae will begin to dominate in the pond. Ponds with high levels of nitrate frequently have problems with algae and blanket weed. What is the correct nitrate level in my pond? The level of nitrate in your pond depends on the nitrate level of the tap water (or spring water etc) feeding into the pond, the number of fish and the amount of food fed. High nitrate levels will lead to algal growth. A nitrate level of zero is ideal and implies a balance between waste produced by the fish and nutrients taken up by the plant life. Remember this plant life does include algae! Wha...

What is nitrite? Nitrite is produced by the beneficial bacteria in the pond and filters as they break down the harmful waste ammonia excreted by the fish. Although not as toxic as ammonia, nitrite is still very damaging to the health of the fish. Nitrite itself is broken down into nitrate which is virtually harmless to pond fish. Why test for nitrite? Any nitrite present in the pond will be very damaging to the health of the fish. Toxic nitrite can build up in ponds where there are not sufficient beneficial filter bacteria to deal with the total waste from all the fish in the pond. This situation can arise in new ponds, when new fish are added, when the filter bacteria have been disrupted (e.g. during cleaning), or during accidental misdosing of pond medications. What is the correct nitrite level in my pond? There is no occasion where any nitrite is tolerable in a fish pond. A level of zero mg/L (PPM) must be maintained at all times. What do I do if the Nitrite level is wrong? If a lev...

  What is pH? pH is the measure of the acidity or alkalinity of the water in your pond. The pH scale runs from 1 to 14. Very acid water is pH 1, and very alkaline water is pH 14. Neutral water that is neither acid nor alkaline is pH 7. Why test for pH? Pond fish prefer the pH of the water to be between 7 and 8. Fluctuations outside these values can cause stress to the fish. If the water becomes too acid or alkaline, the fish soon die. It is important to regularly test the pH, as new ponds can occasionally rise in pH, and older ponds tend to acidify over time. Also, check the pH in the morning and evening as daily fluctuations are common, especially in heavily planted or algae-infested ponds. What is the correct level in my pond? There is no definitive correct pH for pond fish, although the ideal values lie between 7 and 8. In a healthy pond, the water pH will be the same as that of the tap water (or spring water etc) that fills the pond. It is important to ensure the pH is a consta...