Resevior

if i use nutes perfect as directed on bottle and empty res every 2 weeks do i really need ppm,ec,ph meters? just wondering before i go buy them. cause i heard as long as you empty every 2 weeks and fill it with water when needed i cant go wrong. here is my setup YOUR CHOICE HYDROPONIC SYSTEM ONLY BONSAI HYDROPONICS - (eBay.ca item 190205763983 end time 09-Apr-08 22:09:54 EDT)

If you measure your nutes well and change it like you said, you can do without the EC meter, but you will need a pH meter, or a good method of testing pH.

HTH

ok i know that its where you get ph+ and ph - any idea what perfect ph is i was told 5.5-6.8 but i dont know if its right. what about tds i heard thats how you know how much nutes are eaten if thats what it does ill definatly get that cause ive over nuted plants in soil before its no fun lol thanks for help

Like potroast said.. get a ph meter.. I look at it as who cares how much they take up for nutes.. if you set the ph where it needs to be 5.6-5.8, then change out the tank every week and try to follow a grow schedule and you'll be all set

A lot of times the chart on the bottle is way too strong.. Like I know if I used the chart on BC Bloom or General Hydroponics they balance at over 1600ppm when my plants can only take 1200ppm...

some people say change res every week and some say every 2 weeks which one is best i think every week might get over nuked

ganjaking187 said:

some people say change res every week and some say every 2 weeks which one is best i think every week might get over nuked

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I do every week, so the water doesn't funk and the nutes are still balanced

Spend the 60$£€ on an EC meter, would will have much better controle and can lern how much nutes your plants need/use.
Remeber that nute strenth can incrase as the plants drink the water, you might not know you have a problem untill it is to late.

I love mine any way.

LERecords said:

Like potroast said.. get a ph meter.. I look at it as who cares how much they take up for nutes.. if you set the ph where it needs to be 5.6-5.8, then change out the tank every week and try to follow a grow schedule and you'll be all set

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this is the best advise you got so far..... keep it at 5.5-5.8 and get the ph meter.

potroast said:

If you measure your nutes well and change it like you said, you can do without the EC meter, but you will need a pH meter, or a good method of testing pH.

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When my tapwater is pH 6.5 (sometimes wanders to 7.1), the pH buffers in the Canna nutes I use set the pH to 5.8 when I mix for 1400ppm (400ml A&B in 125L rez), requiring no further adjustment.

However, soon after we've had some heavy rain in the catchments, the water co treats a bit more strongly for pathogens that get washed into their reservoirs. pH jumps to 7.1, occasionally to 8.0. The pH buffers in the nutes don't cope as well and I need to correct down.

I'm with pottie, a pH meter is an essential. You can get away without a nute meter if you know someone using your nutes who has verified the mix quantities. However, as your tank of nutes is consumed by the plants or evaporated, nute strength will bump up if the plants don't eat the nutes as fast as the water is used. Without a nute meter, I'd top up frequently. Nute concentration can't do anything but drop if you top up frequently.

anybody know how to use ph+ and minus ive never used it lol must say on bottle anyway

ganjaking187 said:

anybody know how to use ph+ and minus ive never used it lol must say on bottle anyway

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Most times you will be adjusting your tanks downward. About 10ml of pHDown (phosphoric acid based) will shift my 125L tanks about 0.2-0.3 lower.

However, sometimes you need to correct upward- usually after overcorrecting downward! pHUp (potassium hydroxide based) is much stronger in effect on the pH than the pHDown. It will only take about 1ml of pHUp to shift my 125L tanks 0.3-0.4 upward.

The key is to use very small, closely measured amounts. Buy a 10ml syringe to measure pH adjuster solns, makes getting it right much easier.

Check your pH after adding nutes to water. Many nutrient mixes include pH buffers which set the pH very close to 5.8 and no adjusting is needed.

my nutes say ph balancing whatever that means? you got a idea theres noway it makes the ph perfect just from nutes too good to be true lol

If it says 'pH balancing' it probably will do most of your correction for you- your pH meter will tell you for sure. I can't speak for other brands, but I know Canna nutes have pH buffers, sets my tanks to 5.8 with tapwater pH up to 6.5 when mixed to 1400ppm.