everytime i try to check my ph, my meter wont stop bouncing around. it will go from 5.8 to 6.9 and back down again?? i dont know what the deal is. could it be my ph meter is broken or something is causing my ph to go out of wack in the resivor!?? HELP PLEASE!!!
Has your meter been calibrated? You're probably fine but I'd go get some pH 7.0 solution and recalibrate just to eliminate that factor. Mine does the same thing, especially when I test two different solutions. No need to panic. I just keep taking readings until they stabilize, sometimes it'll take 4 or 5. If your meter has been in another solution, or just simply sitting around with the cap on this happens.
alright sweets its defiently just been sittn around with the cap on for a while now. how do i go about recalibrating it?
Go to a hydro store or possibly somewhere that sells aquarium supplies and get some pH 7.0 solution (they make it just for calibrating). They come in packets for like a buck or you can get a bottle for a few bucks. Dump the solution into a cup, take a pH reading, and see what you get. If it's not 7.0, then adjust. There should be a little screw on the back on your meter, turn it with a screwdriver to adjust calibration by +/- .01 pH.
Placing the pH pen under the CFLs can make it go crazy! I found this out not too long ago when I had the exact same issue. I had an Oakton meter that works fine but would jump up and down and all around when I took readings but only when I took them from the room with CFL lights. I thought I needed a new probe or something because I calibrated it like 5 times. Try taking a reading with the cfls off or the pen completely blocked from the CFL light and see if that works better. Even though it will be dark and harder to see lol.
Yeah I went into my local hydro shop and the guy there told me that so I tried it and BAM! all good. It really is weird. I would like to know if that works for you too.
yeah dude thats crazy it worked i still think my pen still needs to be calibrated but when i turned the cfls off it stoped jumping in huge numbers. but it still is jumping i got it to get between 5.70-5.85
yeah thanks again man i have a question on nutes to if you dont mind answering it. i read your formula thing in your signitare and was wondering what should my ppm be when i first start feeding my girls and when should i start?
if you have an airstone in your res it can sometimes fu@k with the ph pen, try turning your airpump off when testing if you have one. my airstones caused me all kinds of grief with my pen!
I usually just start with the bottle recommendations as soon as the plants are rooted. Then adjust according to the instructions in that thread.
alright sweet just wondering.. it seems everyone useally has something diffrent to say lol thanks again for the help man hope my girls will turn out as beatiful as yours