G
GROWINHYDRO.COM
Guest
Hello all,
I feel I am about finished testing this new PrimeAgra, and the following is my conclusion and suggestions:
It is evident that this media should not be used straight out of the bag and requires some preparation; not unlike removing the salt from CHC. The media has enough residual ions from processing to take the TDS well over 1000 ppm. Washed and soaked, the TDS can be cut in half to under 500 ppm and I would surmise a drop in ppm over a period of use.
After some research and a few articles on-line (http://www.water-research.net/totaldissolvedsolids.htmhttp://www.water-research.net/totaldissolvedsolids.htm) and Ray himself even suggests this on his website in preparing the new media; it is suggested to soften the water with magnesium sulfate (Epsom Salts) 1 tbs/gal. I'm not going to delve into anons and cations, but the magnesium sulfate can remove these unwanted ions, thus reducing the TDS.
I have done this, and the results are promising. Here is what is recommend to prepare the media for use.
1.) Wash the PrimeAgra several times to remove the residual ions.
I put 5 liters into a 2 gallon container and flushed it until the water ran clear, agitating the media a few times to get out the dust/dirt.
2.) Add about 1 tablespoon of magnesium sulfate (Epsom Salts) per gallon of water. I used rain water which had a TDS of 18.
3.) Leave the media to soak for at least a day.
I say at least a day because I only have a day's worth of data so far but recorded results under 100 ppm so I felt justified in reporting this to you all at this point. I'm hoping the longer the soak, the more ions that will be removed.
The TDS of the softened water was 637 and I left it to soak for 24 hours. I rinsed the media a few times and refilled with rain water (TDS 18 ppm) I stirred up the media a bit and tested. The TDS was 33 ppm.
Now after soaking for 6 hours in fresh water the TDS is 68 ppm and the pH is 5.5
I'm going to leave it to soak and record the change in TDS and and pH until I feel it is pretty much stable and I'll share those results at that time.
In the interim, I would suggest that everyone follow the softened water soak and clean to prepare your new PrimeAgra; so far the results are promising.
Best regards,
Jesse
I feel I am about finished testing this new PrimeAgra, and the following is my conclusion and suggestions:
It is evident that this media should not be used straight out of the bag and requires some preparation; not unlike removing the salt from CHC. The media has enough residual ions from processing to take the TDS well over 1000 ppm. Washed and soaked, the TDS can be cut in half to under 500 ppm and I would surmise a drop in ppm over a period of use.
After some research and a few articles on-line (http://www.water-research.net/totaldissolvedsolids.htmhttp://www.water-research.net/totaldissolvedsolids.htm) and Ray himself even suggests this on his website in preparing the new media; it is suggested to soften the water with magnesium sulfate (Epsom Salts) 1 tbs/gal. I'm not going to delve into anons and cations, but the magnesium sulfate can remove these unwanted ions, thus reducing the TDS.
I have done this, and the results are promising. Here is what is recommend to prepare the media for use.
1.) Wash the PrimeAgra several times to remove the residual ions.
I put 5 liters into a 2 gallon container and flushed it until the water ran clear, agitating the media a few times to get out the dust/dirt.
2.) Add about 1 tablespoon of magnesium sulfate (Epsom Salts) per gallon of water. I used rain water which had a TDS of 18.
3.) Leave the media to soak for at least a day.
I say at least a day because I only have a day's worth of data so far but recorded results under 100 ppm so I felt justified in reporting this to you all at this point. I'm hoping the longer the soak, the more ions that will be removed.
The TDS of the softened water was 637 and I left it to soak for 24 hours. I rinsed the media a few times and refilled with rain water (TDS 18 ppm) I stirred up the media a bit and tested. The TDS was 33 ppm.
Now after soaking for 6 hours in fresh water the TDS is 68 ppm and the pH is 5.5
I'm going to leave it to soak and record the change in TDS and and pH until I feel it is pretty much stable and I'll share those results at that time.
In the interim, I would suggest that everyone follow the softened water soak and clean to prepare your new PrimeAgra; so far the results are promising.
Best regards,
Jesse