thanks for explaining it like that.
whats the difference between sterile and live? one is clearly better than the other.. and if I pick the lesser one It will alwaysssss bug me haha.
Alright, let's clear up an obvious misconception. There is no "better". The "better" part comes down to the grower, and what works for their situation.
Live res is where the grower inoculates their reservoir with beneficial bacterial cultures and enzymes
as part of a preventative maintenance policy.
Sterile res is where the grower applies chemical solutions to eliminate any and all bacterial cultures
as part of a preventative maintenance policy. Some explanation is needed on how this works. Chlorine works also as an oxidizer like H2o2, but a bit differently. Running H2o2 with enzymes is acceptable as H2o2 doesn't negatively impact the functions of enzymes, which are organic compounds, whereas chlorine does, and will nullify the positive effects of enzymes.
I'm not an organic chemist and cannot elaborate on why this is the case, but it is "law".
The differences between the two are vast
with the biggest is cost of operation. Sterile is bar none cheaper than live. Live requires a ton of additional equipment (chillers, pumps, additives, patience) vs sterile, where you can nearly disregard many of the variables that others consider to be of utmost importance.
A bottle of shock is like $7.
A cheap chiller? $200.
An additional water pump? $20 at minimum
Additives? Range in price, average $30 - $100 per gallon.
Patience? priceless.
In the words of one of the greats *cough*
@Aqua Man *cough*, beginners should start sterile. Sterile eliminates 95% of your issues as H2o2 or Pool Shock will not throw your pH all over the place and will have minimal impact on EC (2ppm chlorine is not notable in 800ppm of solution). It's downright easier. Easy is the key to success when starting into hydro, and even moreso for new growers in general.