Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

What are the street names for these things?

Is it a case of going into a hydro store and asking for it? Amazon? Or can I get something like bi-carb soda and add that?

Hello chiming in here a little late, I have this morning picked up a 1 litre bottle of KOH from a hydro store. I am battling with low pH at the moment around 6.2-6.3. A 1 litre bottle of 48% was $20. Just trying to work out now how much to add to around 3000 litres

BTW. If I can add the amount of information and knowledge here is amazing

I typically use 50+g of 50% KOH in my system (6000l water), I'd suggest you add about 10-15g to start, and make sure it is well mixed before the fish encounter it. I add mine to the ST, so it is well mixed through the GBs before it gets to the FT. Measure the pH again after it is well mixed, ie a few pumping cycles in F&D or a few full volume turnovers if pumping continuously.

street names? You make it sound like we're drugging the poor plants.

It'd kind of feel like that if I walked into the dodgy local hydro store and asked for potassium nitrate. Sounds like I'm asking for bomb making materials.

I was hoping there was a normal product on the shelves like eco oil I can buy.

KNO3 = Potassium Nitrate = Saltpetre, used in gunpowder

HCl = Hydrochloric Acid = Muriatic acid

MgSO4 = Magnesium Sulphate = Epsom Salts

Yes, the first time i bought potassium nitrate they did ask if I was making bombs. I think i made some joke about bomb-ass lettuce. If they ask question, just say you have sons, and want to help suppress their urges.

I got my potassium nitrate from an Ag supplies store, probably much cheaper than a hydro shop.

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Ag Supplies... that's all right for you at coolupville. :-) I wonder where that would be near bloody Hurstville...

And more seriously, I do like the idea of the safety of the simple Pot-nitrate, but does that not pose it's own issues .... nitrate.????..
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Only if you mix it with diesel, otherwise it is safe to store. Surely the big B store has it?

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NITRATE... no GG, that was a typical brian-fog moment. .
I was thinking Sodium, and even then, that would be inconsequential with a salted system that has it's usual accidents, reducing the salinity anyway..
Is pot-nitrate still used in agriculture ..?

The BIG. B store... no, I seriously doubt that ANY store would have it anywhere, other than under security.... given the potential for it's use.. I have never in my life, had ready access to it and justifiably so..

Can you think of a Potassium compound that will lower the Ph...
I know that Phosphoric Acid could be useful, to give a phosphorus boost...
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KNO3 should be readily available, common name saltpetre. I might even have some of it in a jar somewhere now.

Potassium, and Sodium, are at the wrong end of the Periodic Table to make acids.
Feed your fish more food/get more fish, if you want to acidify your system water.

Ammonium Nitrate is what is used to make explosives in the mining industry (with diesel, what I was thinking of above), and as fertiliser - lots of Nitogen in it.
Potassium Nitrate is used in making gunpowder, which can be fun too

Hey Guys,

Quick question. For the Potassium Nitrate powder, can we assume that there is a standard concentrate? I managed to obtain some from a local drug store but they have no idea what the concentrate is. If so what is a safe dosage to be used in my FT per liter of water to fix my deficit problem?

Regards

If you purchased saltpetre/Potassium Nitrate crystals, it should be close enough to pure KNO3.
What are you suffering a deficit of?

I would try these guys - 21km from hurtsville according to yellow pages.

http://www.tandwgreenhouse.com/

Yes, it does increase nitrate, but increases potassium more so.... and the nitrate can be readily used by the plants. Another option would be potassium Chloride - useful if you need to 'salt' the system to help protect the fish.