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Sat, Oct 8, 11 at 14:09
| We are in stage 3 water restrictions and have been all summer here in south central Texas. I haven't been able to do a good cleaning or do any water changes since early Spring. No rain and 100+ temps have made our pond pretty cruddy. The muck is too fine to get out with our net and makes it impossible to see what your doing. I was reading about calcium bentonite/montmorillonite clay. It is supposed to be very sticky and will collect fine particles and clump them together making it much easier to clean the pond. The pond water is reading a Ph of 9 on the drop color chart. I am wondering if adding the clay will make the ph too high for our fish. We have always had pretty hard water here but I have never tested for hardness. Any info on this would be truly appreciated.
Thanks, Michelle |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| I use koi clay but usually for algae and I don't think it affects the PH but it is supposed to remove harmful minerals. I'm wondering if Microbelift Autumn Prep might be better? |
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| It depends on how much calcium bentonite clay you add and which brand you purchase or have. If you go by the recommended dose for the clay it will have no effect at all on the pH. Some of the calcium bentonite products have a high pH and some have a lower pH. I think it is best to have one with a pH between 7-8, but if I had water source that had a low pH I'd use one with a high pH. Calcium bentonite doesn't really collect suspended particles it actually magnetically attracts and absorbs toxins in the water. It also replaces minerals and trace minerals that have been leached out of your pond water and adds some that may have been lacking in your water source. |
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| Thanks jalal and gene, we had about 3 inches of rain so maybe things are looking up for us down here. I think I will try some of the low ph clay. Sounds like it will help the water quality if nothing else. |
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