I've read about dissolved Oxygen several times in this thread but nowhere does anyone explain how to test for it or anything more than that. I've googled it and I find nothing. I have heard a lot about Reggiebaseball though..
Can someone kindly tell me how me what I need to know about dissolved Oxygen, how to test for it, and how to dial it in?
I understand your confusion on this point, so allow me to be a bit Zen on this point: you don't measure this parameter, you set the conditions for optimization of it and then let the system tell you it is adequate.
The conditions are:
1. Keeping your water temps low, because the lower the water temperature is, the MORE dissolved oxygen it can hold in solution- this is the reason why trout need cold water; they're a relatively primitive species and don't have efficient enough gills to survive in warm water. 62-64 is what I run and often see others here saying is ideal.
2. Actively oxygenate your water, with airstones, waterfalls, mazzei injectors or what have you. If the water has lots of bubbles emanating from the equipment you're using to add O2, then you're succeeding. For 24 5 gallon buckets in RDWC, I run a 200 liter per minute air pump.
3. Monitor the health of your plants- they'll tell you very quickly whether your water is sufficiently oxygenated. If they're standing tall, good tension, white roots, you're on the right track.
4, Monitor all the other essential parameters necessary to good growing outcomes, like good lighting, proper air temps and humidity, water pH and EC.
