Is a high pH bad for my Phoenix pond?  Pretty much everything you read regarding pH for backyard ponds is focused on a perfectly controlled environment for the fish. Here in the Arizona Sonoran desert, with our hard, alkali water sources, attempting to keep the water in your backyard pond at a neutral pH is impossible. People will drive themselves crazy with this effort, when in fact the pond fish can handle a wide variety of water conditions, including our high pH. Yes, even Koi. We are not, however, talking about raising show Koi. We are all about wet pets here at The Pond Gnome. Show Koi require a very different environment than what we build & maintain. But I tested the pH!  Just like a blood test is simply a snapshot of a small moment in your life, if you test your pH in the morning, and then again in the evening, you will get two different readings. Whaaaaa?!?! This phenomenon is due to the photosynthesis activity by plants and algae, just like your blood test is dependent on when you last ate, and what you consumed. Honestly, ain't nobody got time for that! AND large sudden swings in pH can be detrimental to your pond fish's health. What's the right pH for a Phoenix pond?  We have seen fish do well in pH values ranging from 7.2 all the way up to the mid 9's. The fish do not like rapid swings in pH; however, they have the ability to acclimate to our high, and naturally fluctuating, pH environment just fine. Should I try to adjust the pH in a Phoenix pond?  We never recommend attempting to adjust your pond pH with acidifiers, as the rapid pH swing is a potential fish killer. Buffers are a different story. Buffers can help control pH swings and are probably (theoretically) helpful to fish health and happiness, although we have no proof of this. Most of our clients just leave it to Mother Nature and she seems to do OK with it on her own. :-) OTHER POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY: USING SALT IN PHOENIX PONDS HEALTHY PONDS HAVE FILTRATION FOAM IN PHOENIX PONDS NEED HELP WITH YOUR POND OR WATER FEATURE? Comments are closed.
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