Koi Water Monitoring

Water Monitoring

Its often said by experienced seasoned hobbyists and professionals that we are water keepers first and Koi keepers second. We agree completely and in this section we want to highlight the key areas its vital to pay attention, and not just part of the time – but all the time!
From the outset its important to appreciate that it is the very nature of water that the chemistry will change and vary. The key to success in Koi keeping is to understand and manage these variations within an acceptable range. This range is specific to your system and your source water, and by understanding and defining them you can take control and manage them to your advantage. Well at least thats the theory, and just like many other aspects of Keeping Koi the theory might be relatively straightforward, but the execution rarely is, and this one is no different!

In an effort to make this challenge a bit less complicated we split it into three core areas for you to pay attention to:

1 – Pond Water Parameters

The Big Four! The very nature of dynamic, vibrant Koi systems where there’s lots going on both physically and biologically, means that the environment is constantly in a state of flux. Our objective is to bring some calm to the mayhem, some stability to the chaos. Our primary tools are our filtration system and our maintenance regimes. To work most effectively both functions need to be harmonised and complimentary with the core aim of achieving water quality stability.

Koi can cope with a degree of variation, but only a small degree and any significant (5%+) changes in any of the four core parameters of: Temperature, kH, pH and Oxygen are likely to be problematic directly or indirectly. Of course its important to monitor all the other parameters especially ammonia, and especially nitrite, but it is variations in the big four core parameters that cause the biggest issues for our water quality.

The good news is that the big four are also the easiest to correct, the bad news is that it gets much more complicated when more than one of the big four conspire together! But we’ll explain in more detail in the read on section.

It’s also important to consider that when it comes to water quality there is often a time lag between time and effect. For example, big feed = ammonia spike = nitrite spike = potential pH dip. However, by managing the big four of your systems within your established parameters you can avoid or at least mitigate most of the ensuing issues!

So what are the parameter ranges for the big four?

	Minimum	Maximum
Temperature	10˚C/50˚F	24˚/75˚F
kH	5˚/90mg/l	25˚/450mg/l
pH	7.0	8.5
O2	5mg/l	Saturation (temp dependent)

Note: Its absolutely vital to appreciate all the above affect each other!

2 – Source (tap) Water Parameters

Its important to consider that everyones source (tap) water differs slightly. To find out whats in yours, you can go to your local utility suppliers web site insert your post code and get a specific readout for your individual supply. We recommend everyone does just that so you can optimise your source purification kit to suit your specific challenges.
Its even more important to consider that if your source water is sub standard or worse contaminated, you are going to have a big problem managing your Koi system. Given that the biggest problems relate to dissolved metals, pesticides, bactericides and supply production chemicals, our best advice is to fit the best water purifier and dechlorinator within your budget, that way you design out the cause of any potential supply problem.

3 – Observation

Your Koi are effectively permanent online water quality test kits, but they are only such if you know how to read them. By getting to know your individual Koi and their individual habits, and behavioural traits, you also spot any variations which might be early warning of a problem.

Get to know the look, feel , smell and texture of your pond, and source water. This will sound strange to newcomers but experienced Koi keepers have long used such observational skills to avoid, or early manage many a water quality issue.

This also applies to your system water. If it changes it will have changes for a reason. Sometimes these changes are benign or temporary, sometimes they can be more sinister, but one things for sure if your not looking you wont see much!

..one things for sure if you’re not looking you won’t see much! Paul White

More About Water Monitoring

It’s often said in this bonkers hobby that ignorance is never bliss. There can be few other areas of Koi Keeping than water monitoring, where this adage is more applicable. The complex fragile interface that is our system water might be a simple element, but maintaining it at the quality and level required for successful Koi Keeping, is very far from simple.

Properly understanding the starting point is an important first step but in many ways that’s actually the easy part, learning how to create and maintain optimum water quality for Koi is a journey that challenges us all, captivates many, and becomes a total obsession for a few. In common with many other elements of Koi Keeping, high-quality information is a big part of the key to success, in this section that’s the good news. The less good news is that in Koi systems optimum water quality is a dynamic, constantly moving target. So are you up for the challenge?

The first order of business is to understand just what we are trying to achieve. Great water quality is three simple words that mask a lifetime of complexity, however using our combined experience and understanding in this information resource, we have condensed and where possible simplified solution-based information, with the aim of helping you do better than we did during our roller coaster journey on the Koi learning curve!

There are of course literally dozens of elements and parameters in water, however, not all are born equal and absolutely some are more important than others to Koi Keepers. We discuss the ‘what to test’ elements in detail in the Water Quality section of this information resource. In this section we want to discuss the how-to test options or to be more specific ‘what to test with’.

Reagent Kits & Reagent Kits

The basic entry-level of water monitoring is the use of reagent water quality test kits. These are simple and quick to use and offer colour chart indications of the results. They are notoriously inaccurate and even the best of them really only have any value in general indication terms and comparability. That’s the bad news. The good news is that they’re relatively cheap, simple to use and do deliver a reading that you can read and record. Over the years we’ve tried them all and identified the best, which are the only ones we sell.

Digital Test Equipment

The next level up from the reagent kits is our range of digital test equipment. These are available in various levels of sophistication, and deliver more accurate readings and instead of a colour chart, you have to read and interpret these devices via a specific digital result reading. The more accurate of these devices often require regular calibration. They are more expensive, but they’re also significantly more accurate.

Electronic Test Equipment

While this laboratory-grade equipment was once the domain of Koi professionals, increasingly sophisticated manufacturing and reductions in component costs have driven the price of such equipment much lower, and today many serious Koi Keepers opt for this level of test equipment sophistication. In addition to extremely accurate readings, this equipment offers real-time and in-line testing. Increasingly this level of equipment is also now linked up to remote recording and monitoring kit, often also with alarm function, so if for example your pH goes out of a preset range, the equipment sends you a text. While some may regard this degree of gear as excessive, actual owners would often not part with theirs, and many will recount cautionary tales of how it saved their bacon on many an occasion… As with all things, different strokes for different folks!

What to test?

Traditionally, water from the pond is used for water quality parameter testing. While this is fine, it’s not the full story, and as a minimum we recommend you also regularly test your tap water, as an absolute minimum for: kH, O2, pH, Chlorine, Nitrite and Ammonia.

Keep Records

When it comes to Koi Keeping, guesswork is a great big NO NO. So at the risk of pointing out the obvious, please record the results of you chosen water monitoring activities. It’s also a good idea to keep them, and keep them permanently. If you don’t like paperwork record them on a spreadsheet on your computer, iPad or even your phone. While they’re always useful they come into their own when the proverbial hits the fan and something goes wrong. This information assumes an entirely new level of importance, as its often the case that without it your chances of identifying and solving whatever problem you may have, is significantly reduced.

Trade Secret…

While it’s dangerous to generalise, it’s vital you check everything, the nature of Calcium Carbonate and its importance to so many important functions in our systems, kH is always a great test to start with. It needs to be above 100 ppm = mg/l or around five reagent drops to turn it blue, if that’s what you’re using. If it’s below 100 it needs buffering with kH up buffer or at a push as a short term fix, you can use bicarbonate of soda. We recommend proprietary buffer simply because bicarb contains all kind of anti-caking agent, an additives that can degrade beni! We can’t prove that but our empirical experience indicates it to be the case.