PH Levels

[stinkyattic]

NO baking soda! (sodium bicarb) Sodium bad!
Use pH up (potassium hydroxide). Potassium good!

Do you have untreated hydroton or RW in your system? that's usually the culprit, and it's not anything to get overly worried about.
Add your pH down slowly and set to 5.8; if it swings back up just set it back down. It should stabilize and require less fidgeting once the system and media equilibrate.

[blink_inc]

I will continue to experiment.
I slightly remember ph from grade 10 chemistry but need some more practice. I was into other chemicals at that age...

By the time I get this thing balanced it will be time to change the res...

thanks for the sodium tip.

now further on ph levels, if I am adding up or down to my res and the bubbler is on, does the additive actually mix well with the whole solution? Or, does it merely "float" on the top of the water and evaporate quickly?

so in taking a ph reading, I am only reading the top portion of the solution and not getting an accurate reading.

should I be stirring and take a reading 5 minutes later?

[JaySin]

The bubbles will stir the solution. The water that is pushed to the top by bubbles is replaced by water that is pulled down from the surface to give it more water to push to the surface again.

[blink_inc]

thanks for all the info.

Picking up PH up today and the ph has stabalized after three days at 5.4. I won't touch it until I change the res.

Added some botanicare grow today at 12mL for the 4 gallons which I am hoping will give the the .3 up that I want.


Can someone explain the 10x rule. When lowering or raising PH I need 10x the additive to raise the ph by the second point. i.e raising for 4-5 requires x, raising 4-6 requires 10x.

[Weedhound]

You aren't going to be able to say the X drops of ph up or down will change the solution X amount. it's not algebra blink.....they are living plants and each one is a bit different. Think of it has having a couple children...they're ALL going to be different from each other and act a bit differently accordingly.
You may be able to feed both kids the exact same thing (and I mean EXACT) but they will respond differently. So do plants.

The only real way to do it is with a dropper, your ph adjuster, and a good, accurate meter. The amount of nutes in your system will also affect ph, as will the amount of 02 in your water (raises ph) so you just don't get to preplan some stuff like how much ph up or down you will need.

Hydro should IDEALLY be checked twice a day but can get by on once a day if the system is stable.

One last thing....almost ALL hydro nutes LOWER ph.....if you added some grow your ph is most likely LOWER now than it was so check ph OFTEN.

[bloodbrother]

i use aluminum sulfate to lower pH... like 1/4 tsp or something gets its about right in a 3 gal res for me.. but i mean add al ittle let it mix and dissolve before adding more. I tried pH down but it took like 20 drops to lower pH by 0.1 and did not stabalize really.

[blink_inc]

if I add 4 drops of PH down to a 5 gallon res it lowers the PH by 1.0.

What were you using?

[bloodbrother]

It was some aquarium pH down stuff so maybe with nutes it didnt work. Active ingredient was sufuric acid.