Hello there guys I have a 10gallon fish tank res filled w/ 4 1/2 gallon of water/ ferts. I am doing an aeroponic grow using 1/2 strength Fox Farm GB,TB, and BB + Hydroguard. My sub. pump is rigged to go off for 15 minutes every 45 minutes, my timer is for 15 minute increments only. This whole thing is taking place inside two rubbermaid totes stacked on one another. My problem is that my PH continuously rises higher and higher if left uncorrected. It may be because the frequency of the watering, or something else I really have know idea. I don't even know what to start suspecting it to be. So can you guys please help me figure this shit out and fast. Ask any questions regarding something I may have left out due to my stoner ways. Thanks you fellas.
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PH On the rise what the hell?
- Thread starter Villain
- Start date
what does your PPM do while ur Ph rises?
ur ec/ppm strength could be too low that plants are drinking up nutes faster than water leaving ph to rise
and what additives are you using? non abbreviated please
if you ec is staying stable, ur ph should go up a little, but if ur having to constantly having readjust it something is wrong...its not good esp. if your having to phosphoric acid as ph down as it can cause a build up and lock-out certain nutes
ur ec/ppm strength could be too low that plants are drinking up nutes faster than water leaving ph to rise
and what additives are you using? non abbreviated please
if you ec is staying stable, ur ph should go up a little, but if ur having to constantly having readjust it something is wrong...its not good esp. if your having to phosphoric acid as ph down as it can cause a build up and lock-out certain nutes
oh yeah i forgot to ask....after you mix your final nute solution together what is the Ph of it b4 adding ph dwn?
how long do you wait to check ph after mixing nutes (b4 adding ph dwn)?
how long do you wait to get ur ph reading after you add ph dwn (or however you adjust it)?
and what Ph are you starting with, what is it rising to, and what ph are you trying to go for?
how long do you wait to check ph after mixing nutes (b4 adding ph dwn)?
how long do you wait to get ur ph reading after you add ph dwn (or however you adjust it)?
and what Ph are you starting with, what is it rising to, and what ph are you trying to go for?
I get my ppm pen in Mon. or Tues. so I will have to wait till then to get a reading but trust me I have been dieing to know. My Tap water is about 7.2 from the tap and about 7 even after sitting out for a day. I add in my nutes it goes to like 6.8 or so, very little drop. All I have added was Grow Big, and Big Bloom, I add in hydrogaurd, and H2O2 and thats it. After I add in my nutes I wait about 5 minutes then I set the PH to like 5.5-5.8 and I wait till I get a stable reading before I adjust if needed. After like 4-5 hours my PH will rise up to about 6.2 or so then I reset it back to about 5.5-5.8.
if ur nute solution only brings its down to 6.8 from 7.2 maybe ur not adding enought...what is ur tds/ppm??
oh yeah hydroguard + h202 = death to hydroguard, making it useless...
why u adding the h202 anyway?? either choose one or the other...i would go for hydroguard.....and maybe the h202 inbetween runs to clean the system
i know ur prob thinking the roots will be protected by hydroguard while the h202 gives them extra oxygen, when really its going to cause more problems.
i always make the mistake of not waiting long enough for the rez to stabalize, even when i think it has....so for me the ph wasnt really going up a huge amount...it was just that amount to beggin with, i just thought it was lower because thats the reading i would get 5-10 min after adding ph dwn...
so maybe wait like 30 min after adding nutes and let the circ pump mix up the solution..ph it...wait 30 min....re adjust if necc and wait 30 more min until you get a stable reading
i use to hate to wait, but now i just use an airstone and circulate it while its stabalizing because i tell myself its making the mix better, by adding more oxygen or whatever..maybe not really, but it makes me happy...but if ur recrulating you have time to adjust later, its more important to stabalize right away for drain to waste so you know for sure what they are getting
oh yeah hydroguard + h202 = death to hydroguard, making it useless...
why u adding the h202 anyway?? either choose one or the other...i would go for hydroguard.....and maybe the h202 inbetween runs to clean the system
i know ur prob thinking the roots will be protected by hydroguard while the h202 gives them extra oxygen, when really its going to cause more problems.
i always make the mistake of not waiting long enough for the rez to stabalize, even when i think it has....so for me the ph wasnt really going up a huge amount...it was just that amount to beggin with, i just thought it was lower because thats the reading i would get 5-10 min after adding ph dwn...
so maybe wait like 30 min after adding nutes and let the circ pump mix up the solution..ph it...wait 30 min....re adjust if necc and wait 30 more min until you get a stable reading
i use to hate to wait, but now i just use an airstone and circulate it while its stabalizing because i tell myself its making the mix better, by adding more oxygen or whatever..maybe not really, but it makes me happy...but if ur recrulating you have time to adjust later, its more important to stabalize right away for drain to waste so you know for sure what they are getting
You could possibly stabilize your pH by adding an airstone bubbler to your tank.
Water is made up of two Hydrogen ions and one Oxygen (sometimes called H2O). If you leave water alone, it naturally starts to drift into two sets of ions: an 'H ion' and an 'OH ion'. ("Ion" just means "charged particle".) The H ion splits off the water molecule it was hooked up with and floats around until it finds an OH ion which will have an opposite magnetic charge. Opposites attract, and so the H ion has found a new mate. pH stands for "potential Hydrogen". It is a measure of free Hydrogen ions in a solution. The airstream in the water creates both circulation and introduces more fine Oxygen molecules for the H ions to get it on with.
Contrary to what some people think, pumping air through the nutrient solution does not CHANGE the pH--it only stabilizes it.
Water is made up of two Hydrogen ions and one Oxygen (sometimes called H2O). If you leave water alone, it naturally starts to drift into two sets of ions: an 'H ion' and an 'OH ion'. ("Ion" just means "charged particle".) The H ion splits off the water molecule it was hooked up with and floats around until it finds an OH ion which will have an opposite magnetic charge. Opposites attract, and so the H ion has found a new mate. pH stands for "potential Hydrogen". It is a measure of free Hydrogen ions in a solution. The airstream in the water creates both circulation and introduces more fine Oxygen molecules for the H ions to get it on with.
Contrary to what some people think, pumping air through the nutrient solution does not CHANGE the pH--it only stabilizes it.
Alright I think I know what I need to do now... I need to let my water sit around longer, and lay off the H2O2. I realize that I need to let the water stand longer after adding my nutrients before I take a PH reading. If I need to readjust the PH wait ~30 minutes for the sub. pump to mix it up a bit before adjusting again. Ok I am going to fill up my rez with plain water for right now and let it sit out with a pump for a few days. Thank a lot fellas I would be more than happy to rep you but I can't ATM. At any rate thank you so much fellas I will post back in a few days to let you all know how it worked out.
Well as far as that goes I am using an air pump rated for 20-40 gallon and It's being used on no more that 5 lol... I think I have plenty of air. As of right now my PH is exactly... I mean exactly were it was three hour ago : ). I really think I need to leave my water out for like three days before I could use it. I will however need to buy and air pump for the container holding the water.
I am wondering... if I buy a 130 GPH sub. pump can I use that to replace the air pump in the res with nutes in it? If not about how big of a pump will I need?
I am wondering... if I buy a 130 GPH sub. pump can I use that to replace the air pump in the res with nutes in it? If not about how big of a pump will I need?
Rellikbuzz
Active member
Hello Villain! One other thing to consider is that if you are using Hydroton as a medium, it also has a tendency to raise pH as well. This, as well as the air stone, could be why you're seeing you pH jump like that.
Switch to Coco Coir as a medium and you'll say bye bye to your pH issues. Once rinsed really well with pH'd water, Coco will be one of the most stable mediums you can use in Hydro and the plants just fricking love the stuff. They go nuts in Coco! You'll see twice the growth rate of any other medium. Period! You can still use an air stone in the res in Coco and it won't adversely affect pH. Give it a try, bro!
RB
Switch to Coco Coir as a medium and you'll say bye bye to your pH issues. Once rinsed really well with pH'd water, Coco will be one of the most stable mediums you can use in Hydro and the plants just fricking love the stuff. They go nuts in Coco! You'll see twice the growth rate of any other medium. Period! You can still use an air stone in the res in Coco and it won't adversely affect pH. Give it a try, bro!
RB
Well I started the seeds in Coco but I then went and stuck the cubes in clay pellets for better support. If I were to eliminate the pellets what would I use in its place or are you saying just use the Coco Coir. As of right now my PH is fluctuating MUCH less than before. I think it has a lot to do with the water that I start out with, plus these stupid pellets now lol. At any rate I will look aroung the grow shop today and see what they have around.
SensiMilla024
Member
Villain said:
It's cause your only running 1/2 strength. I was running half strength nutes
in 10 gall rez and found myself adding ph/down daily. I set it at 5.9 and come
home from work to 6.5.
Once i started running 1000PPM ph would stay the same for days.
That really good to know... right now my PH is 5.75, and my PPM are at 310 or so. They have been holding strong there all day today sense 8:00AM. I actually finished up my dresser for the most part and I would really like to hear what you guys have to say. Please feel free to check out my gallery too for more pics
open front shot
open front shot
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