Can you put baking soda in a fish pond?

Can you add baking soda to a fish pond? The first thing to ask yourself is why you would add baking soda to a pond.

It is not recommended to add baking soda to a pond, especially if you overdo the dosage. We recommend that you first perform a water test on your pond.

There are often three major problems that you may one day encounter if you are the lucky owner of a garden pond.

• Green water (solution right here)
• Cloudy water (or brown)
• Silt buildup
• Algae

These are the 4 issues we solve most often with our teams (on-site or remotely). In this article, we explain how to perform a water test, solve pond problems, and enjoy a perfectly clean pond with clear water.

Test the pond water

Before using a product in a pond, we recommend checking your water hardness (GH+ & KH+). These two values are essential before performing a treatment in the water. You should also check the pH and nitrites, which are essential elements to check before using a treatment in your garden pond.

To find out how to take samples and read your results, follow our method: how to perform a water test on your pond or pond.

Determine the source of the problem in the pond & use a solution like biobooster if necessary

Use a biobooster to limit algae. This solution is less risky than using baking soda. Above all, it will allow you to reduce some of the algae and silt present in your pond. Biobooster is an excellent alternative to baking soda.

• You can order it by clicking right here.

If you follow the dosages correctly and have tested the water, there is normally no danger to your fish. It is a product we have been using for over 14 years with many customers and which has proven itself.

Bicarbonate

Warning, before using bicarbonate in a pond, we recommend seeking the advice of a specialist. Historically, bicarbonate is used in aquatic environments as a neutralizer and pH regulator. Bicarbonate is also used in emergencies to neutralize the effect of a treatment or medication poorly tolerated by fish.

Bicarbonate conditions the water when filling new ponds, especially when the regional water is soft, low in minerals, or treated.

Usual dosage: 10g./m3 with fish and up to 30g./m3 without fish

Use in chemical swimming pools

Sodium bicarbonate is an economical solution used by many pool owners as a supplement to obtain clear water after winterizing, control the TAC, limit algae, and clean the pool filters and accessories.

To limit algae and debris, you must sprinkle the white bicarbonate powder on the waterline at a rate of 40 to 50 g of sodium bicarbonate per cubic meter of water. You must then allow the bicarbonate time to dissolve by observing a waiting period of about ten hours.

What baking soda really does in pond water

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is neither an algae treatment nor a remedy for silt. In water, it increases the carbonate hardness, KH. However, KH plays the role of a buffer: it limits pH variations between day, when plants and algae consume carbon dioxide, and night, when they release it.

When KH is too low, the pH can vary greatly from one time of day to another and even drop sharply. It is these variations, more than a precise value, that stress the fish. A correct KH also helps the filtration bacteria, which need carbonates to function.

Baking soda, on the other hand, only provides sodium: it does not increase GH, that is, the total hardness related to calcium and magnesium, useful for fish and plants.

When and how to correct the KH of your pond?

Only correct KH if a measurement shows that it is too low. This is common after heavy rains, with filling with rainwater or in a very populated pond. If KH is correct, adding bicarbonate brings nothing and can unnecessarily increase the pH.

Rather than kitchen bicarbonate, whose purity and particle size vary by brand, we recommend a product formulated for the pond, whose dosage is indicated by volume. According to the Aquipond KH+ sheet, an optimal KH is between 6 and 12°, and one scoop per m³ increases KH by 1 to 2 units.

1. Measure pH, KH, GH and nitrites, and write down the values.
2. Calculate the actual volume of the pond to dose correctly.
3. Start with a partial dose, spread over the entire surface of the water.
4. Wait at least 24 hours before measuring again.
5. Adjust if necessary, always in small steps, by monitoring the behavior of the fish.

Is GH too low too? Water hardness products allow you to correct each parameter separately. A pond clay can then complete the mineral supply: see our guide pond clay: benefits and choice.

Bicarbonate and algae: why this is not the solution for the pond

The paragraph about the chemical pool above concerns water disinfected with chlorine, without fish or plants. In a living pond, bicarbonate does not act on nutrients or light that favor algae. Green or cloudy water is solved by acting on filtration, UV, plants, bacteria and the amount of food.

If the water turns blue-green or forms a film like paint, it may be blue algae: read our article cyanobacteria in ponds: how to recognize and limit them. And if the bottom gets covered in black deposits, see how to remove silt from a pond or pond.

Common mistakes with bicarbonate

These seven mistakes often come up in the questions we receive.

To go further: how to increase the KH of a pond or pond, and our complete kits to test the water.

Do you own a pond? Discover how to solve most of the small issues you may encounter if you create a body of water one day.

List of questions asked in the comments with the answer from the Foudebassin team.

X: "Hello, my water is green, the water in the pond where there are fish is green. I changed the UV lamp I put bacteria and product for algae. It is still green! What should I do. I have had the pond for a very long time and I am used to it. Thank you for telling me what to do."

Foudebassin's answer about green water: The first question to ask yourself is whether the water test is correct, namely: pH, GH, KH & NO2. These are the essential parameters you will need to test. Then, check if the UV lamp is properly adapted to the volume of water.

We recommend 4W/m³ of water if the pond is exposed to the sun. 3W/m³ of water may be sufficient if the body of water is poorly exposed. If despite all that it was not clear, you need to check the power of the pump. Everything must pass in two hours in the UV filter + filtration system. Despite all that the water remains green? There is the flocculant solution that you can find right here.

Frequently asked questions about baking soda in the pond