Foam in my res! Could really use some help

[chief greenleaf]

Whats happenin my fellow farmers, as some of ya might know this is my first run in hydro and everything has been goin fine but when I went to check the PH/PPM of the res I noticed a bunch of sudsy lookin foam and what kinda looked like yeast floating around with it. The foam is white/clear and really looks a lot like soap suds and the other stuff is yellow/tan and was floating on the surface amongst the foam.

Im running an ebb & flow system w/a 20 gal res. PH stays between 5.2-6.2 and the water temp is steady at 67 deg. Im in the first week of bloom. Im using the complete Advanced Connoisseur Line:

A&B, Mother Earth Tea, Bud Candy, SensiZyme, Voodoo, Piranha, Tarantula, Bud Blood, Rhino Skin, and Bud Factor X.

Ive been reading up on foam in the res and I think it could be from the introduction of beneficial bacteria. Ive read that foam can be normal and cause no problems at all and Ive read that its very bad! Ive also read that using a strong air pump can cause foam build up. Im using a 40 gal air pump with 2 10 inch long air stones.

Ive been growin for a long time now but like I said this is my first run in hydro so a lot of hydro specific problems are pretty new ta me.

ANY help yall can shoot my way would be greatly appreciated!

Let me know if I need ta add any more info on set up etc. to help in solving this problem.

 

[M.S.T.]

I've had similar problems. I have let it go a full week and the reaction stopped and cleared up, but the bottom line is some nutes run fine with airstones and some don't (mostly organics, enzymes and beneficials). I don't know much on the nute line you are using but try a week with no airstones. Depending on your medium you should still get plenty of O2 when your table floods and drains. Or try an extra pump in res just for circulation and cut out airstones, see if res still foams. Keep checking PH, as long as it's stable you are mostly fine. Watch plants for signs of improvement or not. If PH is unstable, change res and start over. If you really want to bubble those stones, try GH Flora series or H&G nutes. That's my experience so far. Best of Luck!

 

[chief greenleaf]

Thanks for the advice MST, I checked out your thread and it doesnt look like the foam gave any issues man! I am using beneficials and I think thats whats causin it, Ive read in a couple threads that Voodoo Juice can cause this when the water has high levels of disolved oxygen. My pump is for a 40 gal tank and I have 2 10 inch air stones so I might take one out or try just runnin a water pump in the res instead. But the plants are lookin great so far and the roots are nice and white so hopefully it stays that way!
Really off topic man but you seem ta know whats up with the SCROG, was hopin you might shoot some advice my way??? Im runnin 32 plants in a 2x4 table, the canopy is nice and even and has filled out nice but Ive noticed that some spots are kinda packed with branches and others are more open. I think I could really benefit from a screen just to give each branch an equal amount of space and really get this canopy even and full. Im in my first week of flower tho, would there be any way I could work a screen down over em this late in the game? If so around what height would you recommend putting the screen; halfway, 1/3 from the base??? I was thinkin I might be able to work the screen down over em one plant at a time ya know. It would probably take awhile but I think this grow would def benefit from it since theyre so packed in there.
What you think? Possible, good idea, bad idea???

 

[chief greenleaf]

Well it looks like I was worried over nothin. I got in touch with Advanced and my buddy that runs a local grow shop who's been usin AN since they first came out and they both said the exact same thing. AN uses a wetting agent in their base nutrient which causes a sudsy foam build up that looks like you dumped dish soap in the res! Bud Factor X, Scorpion Juice, Voodoo Juice, Wet Betty (obviously) and a few other AN products are notorious for causing foam in the res, especially when using a strong air pump/air stone. My dude also told me that as long as your res doesnt smell rotten or sour foam is a good thing, its a sign of a high level of dissolved oxygen in the water which the roots love. BUT if your res has a rotten smell along with foamy build up that usually means youve got an algae or fungus problem. I was a little skep of ANs answer just because I feel like if one of their products was causing problems in peoples gardens they might just be tellin people its normal ta avoid having to refund our money ya know. But Ive been dealin with my buddy for years and he's def proven himself worthy and honest so I have no doubt that his info is accurate. Besides he uses the same AN line that I do and he described how my res looked to a T before I even went into detail about how it looked!
So I guess the moral of the story is dont freak out if youve got foam in your res, especailly if your usin AN!

 

[MASSES 420KING]

my friend you have a yeast infection flush system with 20% bleach solution plain water flush plants go to hydro store and buy hydroguard follow directions or start over from scratch depending how far long you are it mite be better recovery time is several weeks and no guarantee plants will recooperate i hope this helps good luck

 

[Malachi]

my friend you have a yeast infection flush system with 20% bleach solution plain water flush plants go to hydro store and buy hydroguard follow directions or start over from scratch depending how far long you are it mite be better recovery time is several weeks and no guarantee plants will recooperate i hope this helps good luck

i would NEVER use bleach in a system that is up and running, and be careful what you introduce because you could kill your beni's

 

[MASSES 420KING]

maybe your misunderstanding what im trying to convey so hear it goes 1st take plants and put them in plain water 2nd take system and dump it out clean it out 3rd run a 20% bleach solution so it gets every nook and cranny 4th go to hydro store and buy hydroguard 5th get system back up and running put your nutes in add hydroguard [follow directions on back] add plants now as to hydroguard it contains benis that kill off the baddys ive had this issue hit my rainforest and this is what worked for me

 

[altitudefarmer]

I'd recommend Great White over any other beneficial supplement, having tried every single damn one I could get my paws on. I do use a little hydroguard in my cloning/seedling solution, along with Great White. The stuff ain't cheap, but it's top notch.

 

[Malachi]

maybe your misunderstanding what im trying to convey so hear it goes 1st take plants and put them in plain water 2nd take system and dump it out clean it out 3rd run a 20% bleach solution so it gets every nook and cranny 4th go to hydro store and buy hydroguard 5th get system back up and running put your nutes in add hydroguard [follow directions on back] add plants now as to hydroguard it contains benis that kill off the baddys ive had this issue hit my rainforest and this is what worked for me

Yea I know Hydroguard contains beni's but some stuff can actually kill the beni's. I think like defend and a few others. I still wouldn't use bleach though, maybe some H2o2 if he had a yeast problem. I think he is right though it is just his nutes.

Chief, I was thinking of your issue when I came across this thread so I figured I would share. Take care - Malachi

 

[labud]

I had some foam in my aero usin GH nutes....normal
...no worries...

 

[jammie]

listen to advanced and your hydro guy. if it doesn't smell bad, ignore it, but don't get bleach any where near yer plant.

 

[MASSES 420KING]

never use bleach on plants thats not what i was saying

 

[chief greenleaf]

my friend you have a yeast infection flush system with 20% bleach solution plain water flush plants go to hydro store and buy hydroguard follow directions or start over from scratch depending how far long you are it mite be better recovery time is several weeks and no guarantee plants will recooperate i hope this helps good luck

What about my last post would make you think I have a yeast infection? Havent you ever used a wetting agent before, coco wet or wet betty etc? I was confused about the foam because I hadnt added any kind of wetting agent to the res that would cause foam. But the base nute having a wetting agent in it makes perfect sense. My plants are in perfect health, no deficienies of any kind at all. My roots are freakin gleaming white, and couldnt be any healthier. Thats what was really confusing me at first, normally if you have some kind of infection goin on your plants will show it really quick but theyre fine and its been well over a week and theyre healthy as can be. So I def dont have any kind of infection or anything goin on thank the lord! And Hydrogaurd isnt necessary if your using Piranah and Tarantula, they have the same stuff in them and more that protect your plants from infections. I think Voodoo does as well if Im not mistaken but either way adding Hydrogaurd would be pointless.
Masses420King you gotta be careful what you tell people on here ta do man, I mean Ive been doin some research and foam in the res can be alot of dif things and theyre not all bad. Besides a wetting agent there's other ingredients commonly found in nutes that can cause foaming when used in a res w/a high amount of dissolved oxygen. Dont get me wrong man I appreciate you tryin ta help out but you gotta get a lil more info before you jump ta serious ass conclusions! If I was a nube that didnt know any better I mighta killed my crop with bleach or ditched all my plants and started over when there was actually nothing wrong with my plants at all. I coulda just killed a potential $5k crop for nothing, and then started over and had the same foam in my res all over again! Im just sayin man, you gotta be more careful befor givin advice like that w/out enough info ta properly diagnose the problem.

 

[chief greenleaf]

I'd recommend Great White over any other beneficial supplement, having tried every single damn one I could get my paws on. I do use a little hydroguard in my cloning/seedling solution, along with Great White. The stuff ain't cheap, but it's top notch.

Ive heard some really good things about the Great White altitude, I was actually just recommending it to Malachi about a week ago. Its made by Plant Success right?
And I agree that it aint cheap but compared ta Voodoo, Piranah, and Tarantula its cheap as hell! Im plannin on tryin it in place of them in my next run.

I had some foam in my aero usin GH nutes....normal
...no worries...

listen to advanced and your hydro guy. if it doesn't smell bad, ignore it, but don't get bleach any where near yer plant.

I agree fellas, just the nutes no problems at all with the plants, theyd def be showin some signs of infection in the roots by now if there was a problem. Everything Ive read about infections in the res claims that there will be a rotten smell present. But AN smells awful to begin with so its hard ta tell! But its not a rotten smell at all, more like that strong chemy nute smell that reminds me of a grow shop! Dont worry bleach never goes anywhere near my plants, common sense would tell anybody that, but I do use a 5% solution to disinfect my tables, res, etc between cycles. Its fine as long as you rinse REALLY well.

 

[MASSES 420KING]

What about my last post would make you think I have a yeast infection? Havent you ever used a wetting agent before, coco wet or wet betty etc? I was confused about the foam because I hadnt added any kind of wetting agent to the res that would cause foam. But the base nute having a wetting agent in it makes perfect sense. My plants are in perfect health, no deficienies of any kind at all. My roots are freakin gleaming white, and couldnt be any healthier. Thats what was really confusing me at first, normally if you have some kind of infection goin on your plants will show it really quick but theyre fine and its been well over a week and theyre healthy as can be. So I def dont have any kind of infection or anything goin on thank the lord! And Hydrogaurd isnt necessary if your using Piranah and Tarantula, they have the same stuff in them and more that protect your plants from infections. I think Voodoo does as well if Im not mistaken but either way adding Hydrogaurd would be pointless.
Masses420King you gotta be careful what you tell people on here ta do man, I mean Ive been doin some research and foam in the res can be alot of dif things and theyre not all bad. Besides a wetting agent there's other ingredients commonly found in nutes that can cause foaming when used in a res w/a high amount of dissolved oxygen. Dont get me wrong man I appreciate you tryin ta help out but you gotta get a lil more info before you jump ta serious ass conclusions! If I was a nube that didnt know any better I mighta killed my crop with bleach or ditched all my plants and started over when there was actually nothing wrong with my plants at all. I coulda just killed a potential $5k crop for nothing, and then started over and had the same foam in my res all over again! Im just sayin man, you gotta be more careful befor givin advice like that w/out enough info ta properly diagnose the problem.

from past experience if you have frothy foam its a yeast infection to be honest its actually common and goes undiagnosed the customers that come into the store that i work at part time who happen to run into a foamy [frothy]rez thats what i recommend and when they come back they say it worked so i think you were just alil outta line even if u dont have a yeast infection you still have a concern with your rez and i gave you sound advice hydroguard is a plant saver i have never used the other product so i cant say to use it or not to have a nice day and i hope your issues become apparent for you to fix goodluck:420:

 

[chief greenleaf]

Masses all Im sayin is that suggesting that someone cut down their plants and start over because they have foam in their res is a little extreme especially after they say that their base nute contains a wetting agent. If you work at a grow shop you should know that a wetting agent causes sudsy foam right? If my problem is sudsy foam and my plants and roots are 100% healthy wouldnt your first thought be that its being caused by the wetting agent and not an infection???
You might wanna start askin your customers what nutes there using before suggesting that they have an infection because in my case there is no problem or issue what so ever. Its just wetting agent plus water and airstone or water pump equals foam.
If anybodys out of line it might be you for jumping to conclusions so quick and suggesting something as drastic as killing my plants! You know how many noobs depend on this site for solid info man, and most of dont know any better. I coulda just takin your advice to heart and chopped my plants and then when I start all over with the same nutes plus hydrogaurd I woulda had the exact same foam because it was coming from the wetting agent in my base nute, not an infection.
I appreciate you tryin ta help man, Im just sayin you gotta be careful when suggesting ta do something that serious. At least get a lil more info before you tell somebody they might as well start over.

 

[Kpezzy]

Masses, Chief greenleaf is right on this one bro, wtf were you thinking? bleach and start over jeez dude LOL, idk man your a cool guy but advice like that will have people ignoring you after a while, if I remember correctly you gave me similar advice and the big dogs on this site told me to switch out the hygrozyme for multi-zen, and that's all it was my stuff is rockin right now, I think this is good advice bro, just try and think out the help you are giving because alot of newer people hang on every word and you could really jack someone up with bad advice and they would then be without their Medication

Good lookin out Masses you know I like you man.....Kpz

 

[billybadazz]

I don't think masses was saying cut the plants down what I think he meant was REMOVE the plants from the system and flush it while the plants were elsewhere in plain water while the system was flushing THEN when the system was CLEAN and VOID from the bleach place the plants back in the system............anyways not pickin a fight but that's how I interpreted it......or maybe I'm just high and dumb which is the case I have found many times in my life. IMO this removing of the plants wouldn't work in all systems as in some the roots get entangled and there may be no removing the plants i.e. the aeroflo tubes...make sense??

 

[Malachi]

I don't think masses was saying cut the plants down what I think he meant was REMOVE the plants from the system and flush it while the plants were elsewhere in plain water while the system was flushing THEN when the system was CLEAN and VOID from the bleach place the plants back in the system............anyways not pickin a fight but that's how I interpreted it......or maybe I'm just high and dumb which is the case I have found many times in my life. IMO this removing of the plants wouldn't work in all systems as in some the roots get entangled and there may be no removing the plants i.e. the aeroflo tubes...make sense??

Yea like a ebb and flow system setup SOG style with about 30 pants crammed in a 2x4 tray with rockwool cubes on top of coco mats?? I wonder what would happen if you tried to rip those things out right now??

 

[MASSES 420KING]

I don't think masses was saying cut the plants down what I think he meant was REMOVE the plants from the system and flush it while the plants were elsewhere in plain water while the system was flushing THEN when the system was CLEAN and VOID from the bleach place the plants back in the system............anyways not pickin a fight but that's how I interpreted it......or maybe I'm just high and dumb which is the case I have found many times in my life. IMO this removing of the plants wouldn't work in all systems as in some the roots get entangled and there may be no removing the plants i.e. the aeroflo tubes...make sense??

that was exactly what i was trying to express i would never suggest using bleach on plants remove them from system and run a disinfection flush in system while plants are in a different location and let them sit in water and again i was assuming your resevoir was frothy like a beer head because thats what i call foam any misunderstanding is simply that and K my dude reread what i wrote my dude