Trying to make my life a tad easier...

[tobh]

@Aqua Man for sure set you straight. I experienced similar swings before I started using potassium silicate as my buffering agent. Since you're using cal mag, your new process will look like:

RO -> alkaline buffer -> pH down -> cal mag -> rest of nutrient line

The most critical step I've learned is to allow whatever your alkaline buffer is to mix THOROUGHLY before moving forward. I tend to let it mix with the water for ~30 minutes before proceeding simply to ensure that whatever astronomical pH it's going to hit, is achieved and stable before bringing it back down to 6.5 and proceeding. Sure, it makes res change outs an hour long endeavor when all is said and done, but it eliminated 95% of my issues in hydro.

 

[Aqua Man]

@Aqua Man for sure set you straight. I experienced similar swings before I started using potassium silicate as my buffering agent. Since you're using cal mag, your new process will look like:

RO -> alkaline buffer -> pH down -> cal mag -> rest of nutrient line

The most critical step I've learned is to allow whatever your alkaline buffer is to mix THOROUGHLY before moving forward. I tend to let it mix with the water for ~30 minutes before proceeding simply to ensure that whatever astronomical pH it's going to hit, is achieved and stable before bringing it back down to 6.5 and proceeding. Sure, it makes res change outs an hour long endeavor when all is said and done, but it eliminated 95% of my issues in hydro.

Yeah if PH is over 8 it's a good idea to ph to 6.5 before adding enything else. With silicate it need to mix well at high PH for some time before you PH it down then add nutrients. And always PH down again at the end to desired level.

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

Someone tell me why the RO is necessary please.

 

[Aqua Man]

Someone tell me why the RO is necessary please.

Because his ppm is 400 at this level of unknown and likely unfavorable makeup it will effect nutrient ratios, salinity ph stability.

The most important part of nutrients are the ratios.

It's not that it absolutely won't work... it that it's likely to have an impact negatively on the grow. Just because a plant grows does not mean it's not effecting the growth or health of the plants

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

Because his ppm is 400

And a basic carbon filter won't clean it?

 

[Aqua Man]

And a basic carbon filter won't clean it?

No.... carbon filters remove organic compounds like VOCs. They do not remove things like inorganic nutrients and dissolved minerals and will hardly if at all lower ppm by themselves. Basically they do nothing to lower ppm

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

No.... carbon filters remove organic compounds like VOCs. They do not remove things like inorganic nutrients and dissolved minerals and will hardly if at all lower ppm by themselves. Basically they do nothing to lower ppm

Interesting.

 

[chemistry]

50% Tap water at 400ppm and 50% Ro water should balance out at around 210ppm, you shouldn't need much PH solution of either up or down.

 

[Aqua Man]

Interesting.

How many ppm do you think those makeup?

Read what it does not remove.

What does activated carbon filters remove from tap water?

Activated carbon filters are pretty miraculous in terms of their abilities to remove contaminants, odor and bad taste from tap water. But how do they work

www.google.com

Which is why RO units are used.

Just for reference I wouldn't trust product claims by a company set to profit by sales. They often exaggerate claims and somehow make products out to be some magical fairy dust

Notice 3x more than Brita? Maybe Britain removes 1ppm of Iron and they remove 3ppm lol... thats marketing for ya

 

[Aqua Man]

50% Tap water at 400ppm and 50% Ro water should balance out at around 210ppm, you shouldn't need much PH solution of either up or down.

I agree it shouldn't. And would likely be ok. Still best to know the makeup of that ppm but I'd say a starting ppm between 100-200 should almost always provide adequate PH buffering while not so much ppm as to influence ratios negatively.

Of course using pure RO provides the most accurate control of these but not atleast imo absolutely necessary.

 

[NairnM16]

My tap water is 95/105ppm
Should I buy a Ro unit
Even tho I have access to soft water?

 

[Aqua Man]

My tap water is 95/105ppm
Should I buy a Ro unit
Even tho I have access to soft water?

I wouldnt that's dam near perfect and many would kill to have a nice starting ppm like that. Unless it's high in sodium I'd be thankful.

If you want to post your water report I can break it down and see if anything may be of concern but I doubt it.

 

[NairnM16]

I wouldnt that's dam near perfect and many would kill to have a nice starting ppm like that. Unless it's high in sodium I'd be thankful.

If you want to post your water report I can break it down and see if anything may be of concern but I doubt it.

I’ll look it out, I believe all my water has is small doses of chlorine controlled by the company, I’ll get back to you with the report

 

[Aqua Man]

I’ll look it out, I believe all my water has is small doses of chlorine controlled by the company, I’ll get back to you with the report

No more than 4ppm and I would bet less than 2ppm is used.

4ppm is the legal maximum allowable. It's not at all a concern and believe it or not chlorine is actually a micronutrient like iron, zink and others.

 

[NairnM16]

No more than 4ppm and I would bet less than 2ppm is used.

4ppm is the legal maximum allowable. It's not at all a concern and believe it or not chlorine is actually a micronutrient like iron, zink and others.

I believe this is what your after

 

[Aqua Man]

I believe this is what your after

Yeah but the whole list. Eq. Iron is 52 ug/l that equates to 0.056ppm. So you understand how to read the reports. Most are in milligrams per L but your are in micrograms per L.

 

[NairnM16]

Yeah but the whole list. Eq. Iron is 52 ug/l that equates to 0.056ppm. So you understand how to read the reports. Most are in milligrams per L but your are in micrograms per L.

That was the whole list I’ll look for more but I believe that’s all

 

[Aqua Man]

That was the whole list I’ll look for more but I believe that’s all

If you can find the sodium and caco3 those will be the important ones. Caco3 is also listed sometimes as water hardness.

 

[NairnM16]

If you can find the sodium and caco3 those will be the important ones. Caco3 is also listed sometimes as water hardness.

Okay I found it,

 

[Aqua Man]

Okay I found it,

Yeah your blessed with a very good water supply.

I can't see the hardness but if anything g you may need to add a touch if your in hydro or coco and finding your PH is raising a bit to fast.

Ideally a 0.2 increase per day is a good place to be stability wise.