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jvision
02-17-2014, 04:53 PM
In my Kitchen Herbs (http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/showthread.php?1996-Kitchen-Herbs) set up, I'm getting some white mold on the surface of the media - its a mixture of 3/4" lava and K1 medai (biological media sold for ponds & aquariums). Is there something I can use/do to get rid of the mold?

Thanks for any help!

Apollo
02-17-2014, 10:09 PM
Are you sure it's mold? The surface of your media should always be dry, your water level should be about 1" below the top of your media. Could it be calcium or sodium - white soft metallic chemical element? Left behind when hard water evaporates.

jvision
02-18-2014, 07:22 AM
I'm running the water pretty high b/c I just seeded it. I figured when the plants get a bit more established, I'll lower the water level. I'm thinking next time, I'll use rock wool; then I don't have to run the water high at all.

Roger L.
02-23-2014, 08:18 AM
Apollo, will the residue from evaporating hard water hurt anything? I have the same residue and it looks just like what accumulates in the faucets. Should I occasionally gather the top media and wash it?

Apollo
02-23-2014, 12:52 PM
Roger, You may not be asking the right person about this...I'm kind of new to all this AP stuff.

I'm using rain water in my AP with no hard water build up. I don't think that you will be able to wash off your media. I've been told to add egg shells to buffer the PH level up...PH will dissolve the shell which are calcium. Isn't hard water residue just a build up of calcium? If so can we not just stir them down into the GB an let the PH in the water dissolve it.

Roger L.
02-24-2014, 07:44 AM
Sounds reasonable to me. Any one have a seasoned veterans opinion?

jvision
02-24-2014, 08:39 AM
Apollo is basically correct, and your idea of turning the substrate will essentially remove it. While I'm relatively new to AP, I've been keeping fish for well over 20yrs anf have seen my fair share of hard water staining. :)

Apollo
02-24-2014, 11:50 AM
I have a drinking glass with hard water cloudiness, got so bad you couldn't see though it. I place it into my FT for about 1 week, pulled it out and 90% of the hard water deposits were gone. I'm going to put it back in for a while longer.

Aloha Don
01-09-2015, 11:18 AM
AP - good for fish, plants and washing dishes :lol:

JCO
01-10-2015, 08:33 AM
Only you would have come up with that Don. You've lived in paridise too long :mrgreen: