Those running a sterile system
- Thread starter shawnery
- Start date
foliage2018
Well-Known Member
Which one you check with your kit? Total chlorine or free chlorine?
Free chlorine can react with amonium nitrates and make combined chlorine which is not as sterilizing as free chlorine, but you can have it up to 20ppm.
I bought ORP meter few days ago and now I am testing what it reads when reacting. This could be more accurate to tell how much sterile your res is.
I will be more clever after a week.
Free chlorine can react with amonium nitrates and make combined chlorine which is not as sterilizing as free chlorine, but you can have it up to 20ppm.
I bought ORP meter few days ago and now I am testing what it reads when reacting. This could be more accurate to tell how much sterile your res is.
I will be more clever after a week.
graying.geek
Well-Known Member
Yup, used 35% H2O2 last year with good results. If it weren't 10x the cost of Ca(ClO)2, it'd still be in my rez.
All that said, I know there are dudes here running pool shock as both preventive and treatment, but getting the concentration and processes nailed down seems to be more challenging, at least for me, because the byproducts can be persistent and reactive, and I just don't know how much of a concern it is.
Hey, @Thundercat and @rkymtnman, what are your methods for running pool shock in your respective rez's? I know you bring it up to <= 3 PPM once or twice a week, but how often do you change out your rez? See any evidence of chloramine or other byproduct buildup?
Thundercat
Well-Known Member
I change my res every 3-4 weeks and never see any issues from the chlorine at all. I dose it with solution about ever 3-4 days.
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
i change mine weekly and only add HTH when i mix a new res batch.
i don't run sterile anymore. always wanted to try bennies and now i use southern ag garden friendly fungicide (same as hydroguard but cheaper and more concentrated).
both ways work equally well.
graying.geek
Well-Known Member
Thanx, Dude.
How much do you add, and how often for the Friendly Fungicide? Is this your preferred method?
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
i grow in waterfarms (2 gal res) and i give them 1mL once a week. which is probably overkill. some people here use 1mL per 20 gallons. it's a million times more concentrated than hydroguard.
honestly, it's a coin flip for me. each way is really easy, hth is by far cheaper but the GFF is only 19 bucks a pint so it's pretty cheap too.
foliage2018
Well-Known Member
I tried GFF this run and guess what - root rot just few days after transplanting new clones. I also tries to add a lot more GFF to kill that root rot. Then I made a research and found that Bacillus in GFF is working against Pythium. That is OK unless you have other type of root rot. In my case (most probably) - Phytophtora. Then I googled some research where Phytophtora was successfully keeped back when using Bacillus Subtilis.
I also found few researches that tell to keep ORP level +-600mV to keep your res sterile.
I also found few researches that tell to keep ORP level +-600mV to keep your res sterile.
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
how did you figure it was not pythium? is it something you can see with the naked eye?
foliage2018
Well-Known Member
I suppose that GFF is working. My statement could be wrong if the GFF is not working.
Gquebed
Well-Known Member
Say...
Do you dilute your 30% h2o2 to 3% before adding to your res? Or just dump the 30% straight in the res?
Also, what is your dosage?
foliage2018
Well-Known Member
Have you ever tried H2O2 stabilized by silver? https://www.growell.co.uk/pest-control-plant-health/disease-control/silver-bullet-roots.html
If it stays in the res tank for 5 weeks as they say, it could be much more efficient. The biggest question is - will the silver be properly flushed from the plants?
If it stays in the res tank for 5 weeks as they say, it could be much more efficient. The biggest question is - will the silver be properly flushed from the plants?
shawnery
Well-Known Member
I don't like to predilute the h202 because it starts to loss it's efficiency immediately. I put it in a dropper and add 5ml at a time. I do this right at the inlet from the water pump. It takes a lot of patience to do it this way but I don't mind.
5BY5LEC
Well-Known Member
I think the combination of a few types of bacteria would work best. I squirted in some Orca with the res changes, and just dumped some Hydroguard in the res every few days. Try bleach too if you want. People who know what they are talking about will recommend it.