ppm x 10

On my HM TDS-3 I get a reading of 186, but to the right it is blinking "x 10". Does this mean that my ppm is 1860?? If so then I should probably replace the water in my 12 gallon tank don't you think?? One plant is a bit droopy but I have an aphid infestation too that I just sprayed for using Neem mixture.

Your math is correct and 1860 ppm is pretty high ! Could simply dilute with water to obtain a lower number but do adjust and compensate with pH

OK. So, I bought some API Up and some Down today from my local pet store and followed directions. 1/2 teaspoon for 25 gal. Since mine is a 12 gallon tank I put 1/4 teaspoon in first, no change... then 1/2 teaspoon and the test strip did not change at all. It remains dull orange with the other test spot a bright green. There isn't even a bright green on the comparison chart on the bottle now I don't know which way to go from here. I had topped out the tank with water as suggested above. any ideas??? Are fish more sensitive than pot plants!

Dude, you are killing me. And probably your plants, too. I would suggest starting with a new res and 1/4 of the nute recipe you are using.

superstoner1 said:

Dude, you are killing me.

Click to expand...

Gosh, I hope not Yes, that's what I thought in the original post, but it doesn't help me to try and understand what is going on with the ph... perhaps the ppm is so far out of whack that I would have to use a lot (and I mean a lot) of up or down to try to figure out where the ph is at this point. Oh well, off to the store tommorrow for some good RO H2O. By the way the neem seemed to work and the plants newer growth looks ok!

Best of luck with the grow or fish , not sure which lol .. Thanks for the new signature as well .

usually ph solutions work with in a 12 hr time span. ph up and down takes hours to adjust you water.. but doing that to fast will kill what ever your growing.. empty the entire res and re-fill with a standard water fill then check the ph.. if its out of wack then add as directed by the bottle..WAIT for a few hours befor checking the ph.. it will adjust it with in 4-6 hrs...ppm meters will help you help yourself.. staying under 1000 ppm's is best unless your plant/'s are very aggressive eaters. then ppm's up to 1500 is about max.. but your ph is the most important.. get rid of the test strips and get a cheap ph tester.. there as cheap as the strips and solutions that you have already bought.. go online and search for meters you will see there cheap..

So, tonight I changed the water to the RO and the ppm now is .2 However, I took a ph reading and dammed if it doesn't show the same reading as the previous water! Yes, I think I will invest in a ph pen. I did not add any nutes yet but will wait until tomorrow then use 1/2 of what is recommended.

Yo, no smoke. Its my understanding that if you bought the same cheapo EC meter as me you are not using it correctly.

A reading of 186 x 10 = 1860 EC x .64 = 1190 ppm
1000 EC = 1000 µS/cm = 640 ppm (parts per million)

I think some people on here got you all excited over nothing.