Proper Water Parameters for Mushrooms?

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I just mixed some saltwater fresh from rodi.
Fritz says I should be reading in the range of 8.0 and 9.0 and I got a 14.2 on the screen.

What screen?

 

[LRT]

Just ran it again getting same 14.2 reading on hanna alk marine checker.
Mixed fresh fritz with rodi to 1.026
According to fritz it should be reading between 8.0-9.0.
Must have gotten a bad checker?
New out of the box

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Might be bad salt mix, alk in the source water, or bad salinity measurement too. Something is bad, but hard to know what without more testing.

 

[Hemmdog]

Sounds like your salinity is high. Calibrate your refractometer with calibration solution.

 

[LRT]

Just ran the hanna calcium checker brand new out of box as well.
reading a 512 and fritz claims it should be reading between 400-450.
Calibrated refractometer before I ran test.
Maybe salt is bad idk

 

[LRT]

Sounds like your salinity is high. Calibrate your refractometer with calibration solution.

Just dbl checked the refractometer its reading at 35ppt right on with calibration fluid

 

[Hemmdog]

Just ran the hanna calcium checker brand new out of box as well.
reading a 512 and fritz claims it should be reading between 400-450.
Calibrated refractometer before I ran test.
Maybe salt is bad idk

Or the calibration solution is bad. Those numbers together definitely make me think it’s high salinity. If it’s just high calcium or something, yeah, off batch, but both sounds like it’s mixed too concentrated in your water.

 

[Hemmdog]

Just dbl checked the refractometer its reading at 35ppt right on with calibration fluid

That’s very strange. Hmm.

 

[Hemmdog]

How long has the new water been mixing?

 

[LRT]

How long has the new water been mixing?

I let it sit for a half hour after mixing. I think ill wait a cpl hours and re check the ppm and run another calcium check. I was thinking maybe to fresh as well.
Doesnt explain whats going on with alk tester.
Going to check if storefront is open today maybe they can verify my results!

 

[LRT]

Alright so lsf verified my results as correct. Salt mix is bad! Looks like I have to do a water change with good salt and start over!

 

[Spare time]

I just mixed some saltwater fresh from rodi.
Fritz says I should be reading in the range of 8.0 and 9.0 and I got a 14.2 on the screen.

You have the regular fritz and not red fritz correct?

 

[LRT]

You have the regular fritz and not fritz pro correct?

Reef pro mix
Several things may be a factor here.
1- Even after calibration my refractometer may be 1 point low. My lsf checked it a few times and read 1 point higher than what mine is reading.
2- It is possible my RODI may be jacked up. Bought new salt mixed a new batch and its reading 14.3 again. This time red sea commercial salt that I was told mixes to 7.0 alk?
Not sure what is going on but I'm going to get a bunch of distilled water and order a 5 stage rodi.

Just dont understand how I'm getting such high alk readings and its consistent to new salt so it cant be the salt.
It has to be water source?

 

[Spare time]

Reef pro mix
Several things may be a factor here.
1- Even after calibration my refractometer may be 1 point low. My lsf checked it a few times and read 1 point higher than what mine is reading.
2- It is possible my RODI may be jacked up. Bought new salt mixed a new batch and its reading 14.3 again. This time red sea commercial salt that I was told mixes to 7.0 alk?
Not sure what is going on but I'm going to get a bunch of distilled water and order a 5 stage rodi.

Just dont understand how I'm getting such high alk readings and its consistent to new salt so it cant be the salt.
It has to be water source?

My bad I meant do you have the red box as it has a higher alk. You can check your rod unit with tds meter.

 

[LRT]

My bad I meant do you have the red box as it has a higher alk. You can check your rod unit with tds meter.

I did its reading 118 and should be at zero!
Now I used that water as well as cheated with top offs for last couple weeks with our tap faucet brita filter...
Could this explain such high alk numbers its driving me crazy.
One thing is certain. I'm getting same alk reading with 2 different batches of salt.
The fritz is in blue box.
Red sea is commercial mix my lsf gave me.

 

[Spare time]

I think you need to replace your ro membrane and the other cartridges.

 

[LRT]

I think you need to replace your ro membrane and the other cartridges.

I have a brand new 6 stage on the way.
Never liked this leaky, cantankerous, high maintenance 3 stage I have.
Bought it barely used it was super cheap.
Get what you pay for I guess it has been ok for a few months...