A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners
CF meter
How does one go about measuring the nutrient levels in an AP system on a regular basis. How do you know when your system is balanced as I have heard so many times in this forum? Has anyone used a CF meter? If so what are the benefits of using such a meter? Tom
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Permalink Reply by Jon Parr on
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A CF meter reading is irrelevant in aquaponics (more commonly known in my neck of the woods as an EC meter), because it measures the Conductivity Factor, or salts, in a solution. Since AP relies on biologically chelated ions and nutrients, and not salts, the reading is simply pointless. AP gets great results on reading lower than tap water, which shouldn't be possible by hydroponic standards.
It is not practical to measure AP nutrient content at home, but a soil's lab will do a complete spectral analysis for a chunk of your wallet ($80 here). Odd as it may seem, both deficiencies and toxicities are rare in AP systems kept on the acid side of neutral, which is probably best explained that it is an ecosystem, and there are natural checks and balances in place.
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