Hydroponics Questions - Algae, Beneficial Bact, Enzymes, Sterilization, etc

[chemistry]

I suppose this scenario is quite possible..

- abundance of algae matter residual from last grow cycle
- Physan20 did its job and killed all algae
- leftover dead algae matter is the tan colored slime we see in pics
- it begins to cake itself everywhere with nowhere to go
- buildup on roots starts to choke them out (score one for @chemistry)
- I mistakenly blame Physan 20 for doing it’s job

- Physan20 works, but Enzymes or Beneficial Bacteria would be better solution longterm because they eat this dead matter as opposed to letting it build up?

That's it in a nut shell.

 

[RFT]

Enzymes would eat the slime and other debris like dead roots, the green algae is down to light getting into your NFT and feeding on your nuits, your problem is doubled by the fact that you have white fitting which collects light, thus gives the algae the ideal home, and this is what blocks your feeder pipes.

Im starting to think Physan did it’s job

Gonna use enzymes to eat away all this dead matter.

Then switch to FloraShield to keep things sterile.

If that doesn’t sound viable, Im open to criticism.

 

[RFT]

That's it in a nut shell.

Can I over feed with enzymes? Or just go by the bottle recommendation? I want this stuff eaten away immediately.

 

[chemistry]

Can I over feed with enzymes? Or just go by the bottle recommendation? I want this stuff eaten away immediately.

I think Cannazyme equates to one ppm per mil, you would have to be quite rich to over feed. I run two 25ltr NFT's in veg, and I love them, no sludge, no algae, I change the solution once a month and that's it until the next round, then a thourough clean out inbetween runs. Go by the instuctions on the bottle.

 

[Aqua Man]

Ok now I feel not having experience with this is leaving me at a disadvantage. Sorry @RFT for derailing but @chemistry any experience with this in a res? Over 20 yrs in aquatics (not working experience just personal experience) I thought I had shit figured out.

Fucking love this place and thank you for starting this thread.

 

[RFT]

Ok,

System has been Fully Flushed, 350+ gallons of fresh water added

All feed tubes checked and at maximum flow rate

Beneficial Bacteria (HYDROGUARD) has been added, 1 quart

Enzymes (CANNAZYME) has also been added, 5 liter

Auto Dosing System set to slowly add nutrients back into system, EC set to 1.2

I'll give the system the next 9 days to let the enzymes do their job and eat everything up, then start in with the FloraShield each week as a preventative measure (post resi flush)


Once determined that this is safe/working, will repeat protocol in remaining zones:

1. Sterilize via Fungicide > Physan 20 > Flush System
2. Eat Dead Matter via Enzymes > Cannazyme > Week > Flush System
3. Maintenance via Beneficial Bacteria > FloraShield > Weekly

If that doesnt keep things at bay, then we'll know to go back to strictly using the Enzymes as @chemistry has suggested.

 

[Aqua Man]

Ok,

System has been Fully Flushed, 350+ gallons of fresh water added

All feed tubes checked and at maximum flow rate

Beneficial Bacteria (HYDROGUARD) has been added, 1 quart

Enzymes (CANNAZYME) has also been added, 5 liter

Auto Dosing System set to slowly add nutrients back into system, EC set to 1.2

I'll give the system the next 9 days to let the enzymes do their job and eat everything up, then start in with the FloraShield each week as a preventative measure (post resi flush)


Once determined that this is safe/working, will repeat protocol in remaining zones:

1. Sterilize via Fungicide > Physan 20 > Flush System
2. Eat Dead Matter via Enzymes > Cannazyme > Week > Flush System
3. Maintenance via Beneficial Bacteria > FloraShield > Weekly

If that doesnt keep things at bay, then we'll know to go back to strictly using the Enzymes as @chemistry has suggested.

Please keep this updated I have a feeling this thread will be a resource uses in the future.

 

[RFT]

Since y'all been so helpful, Im eager to get your input on another question I have, please see this thread...

Silica vs Acids vs CalMag

Current System: Well Water Large Scale NFT 24 hr Recirculatory Feed System w/ multiple zones running different nutrient lines & recipes Automated EC Dosing & pH management (freshly calibrated) H2O chiller system in operation - water temps at constant 68 degrees day & night Resi Size - 350+/-...

www.thcfarmer.com

 

[cemchris]

On the larger scale enzymes (like hygozyme ect) never worked like they were intended for me. I would still get the root slime with them. Specially with water culture. Media based plants they did ok. The pond enzymes are the economical approach if you are doing big rez's. Stuff like cannazyme will break the bank over a year.

H202 works great but you dosed about 3.5x the dose I would run 34% @ right off the bat. H202 is one of those thing you can go strong on but have to start out on the low side and ramp up. I always dosed 34% @ 0.5ml a gal. Kept everything tidy and roots stark white. That as a starting dose and plants shouldn't skip a beat. Economically it's the cheapest option for going sterile unless you want to go the bleach route (I stay away from that)

 

[RFT]

On the larger scale enzymes (like hygozyme ect) never worked like they were intended for me. I would still get the root slime with them. Specially with water culture. Media based plants they did ok. The pond enzymes are the economical approach if you are doing big rez's. Stuff like cannazyme will break the bank over a year.

H202 works great but you dosed about 3.5x the dose I would run 34% @ right off the bat. H202 is one of those thing you can go strong on but have to start out on the low side and ramp up. I always dosed 34% @ 0.5ml a gal. Kept everything tidy and roots stark white. That as a starting dose and plants shouldn't skip a beat. Economically it's the cheapest option for going sterile unless you want to go the bleach route (I stay away from that)

Im not looking to use enzymes long term if I dont have too. I’d prefer going the FloraShield route unless there are not any logical objections. The enzymes are a short term solution to eating up the dead matter / cleaning up the leftover dead sludge.

As for my H2o2 dosage rate, most people would suggest 5 ml per gallon. The label suggests WAAAY more than that. I did about 1.4 ml / gallon at most. Which is nearly 25% dosage rate from every growshop or grower that swears by the stuff. I did plenty of google searches & reading these forums to see what others were doing. And then went 1/4 of that. And it still burnt/killed 1100 perfectly healthy babies in under 5 minutes.

Then when you consider that I contacted techs at Hawthorn to see what the issue was, and they were misrepresenting their labeling/dosage rates, I dont trust the company or the product. Maybe I got a “hot” batch. Not super interested in taking the risk again. Losing those 1100 plants cost me a LOT of money.

Looking for alternative/safer methods. Especially when I have employees. I dont want them using a product so volatile. They overdo it with enzymes? No biggie. Beneficial Bacterias? No harm. Bleach or H2o2? Costly error. Certainly more costly than a gallon of enzymes per week. And I dont want to fire people. I want to set them up for success.

 

[cemchris]

Im not looking to use enzymes long term if I dont have too. I’d prefer going the FloraShield route unless there are not any logical objections. The enzymes are a short term solution to eating up the dead matter / cleaning up the leftover dead sludge.

As for my H2o2 dosage rate, most people would suggest 5 ml per gallon. The label suggests WAAAY more than that. I did about 1.4 ml / gallon at most. Which is nearly 25% dosage rate from every growshop or grower that swears by the stuff. I did plenty of google searches & reading these forums to see what others were doing. And then went 1/4 of that. And it still burnt/killed 1100 perfectly healthy babies in under 5 minutes.

Then when you consider that I contacted techs at Hawthorn to see what the issue was, and they were misrepresenting their labeling/dosage rates, I dont trust the company or the product. Maybe I got a “hot” batch. Not super interested in taking the risk again. Losing those 1100 plants cost me a LOT of money.

Looking for alternative/safer methods. Especially when I have employees. I dont want them using a product so volatile. They overdo it with enzymes? No biggie. Beneficial Bacterias? No harm. Bleach or H2o2? Costly error. Certainly more costly than a gallon of enzymes per week. And I dont want to fire people. I want to set them up for success.

Yeah I have ran into that in the past. Starts getting real suspect when they can't even answer their own questions. Understand. Lots of ways to skin a cat. There is nothing wrong with any of the approaches and they all work. Some just have more pluses and minuses that go with them. Using a chiller you shouldn't have an issue with the shield products.

I went through the same thing dealing with H202 dosing in the warehouse. All the info I read and what people claimed seemed off to me so started way on the low end and ramped it up till I didn't see any issues. Learned real quick to do most of my own testing cause the rando info i had read has cost me money in the past also. Def understand on 34% and spills and splashing. Same reason we used diluted phos acid vs the concentrate and having an issue with a spill or a splash in someones face.

 

[RFT]

On the larger scale enzymes (like hygozyme ect) never worked like they were intended for me. I would still get the root slime with them. Specially with water culture. Media based plants they did ok.

I wonder if this is because the enzymes need some resting water to do their magic. In the typical 24hr feed recirculatory system, everything is moving a LOT. The enzymes might not have a chance to settle in and do their work if the solution is always being rushed from one area to the next (resi > pump > feed manifold > feed tubes > gutters > return manifold > return plumbing > resi).

 

[cemchris]

I wonder if this is because the enzymes need some resting water to do their magic. In the typical 24hr feed recirculatory system, everything is moving a LOT. The enzymes might not have a chance to settle in and do their work if the solution is always being rushed from one area to the next (resi > pump > feed manifold > feed tubes > gutters > return manifold > return plumbing > resi).

That might have been the case. Worked great on Ebb tables. Horrible in DWC buckets. Might have something to do with the aeration.

 

[chemistry]

Ok now I feel not having experience with this is leaving me at a disadvantage. Sorry @RFT for derailing but @chemistry any experience with this in a res? Over 20 yrs in aquatics (not working experience just personal experience) I thought I had shit figured out.

Fucking love this place and thank you for starting this thread.

Sorry for the late reply, you know the score. I don't like using bleaches and stuff like pool shock, or it's equivalents for growing. I don't do sterile, I chose the enzyme root. My theory behind this is, if you kill all the beneficial bacteria that lives in your water, then there's nothing on guard to eat stuff like root rot and other types of nasties that hang out in water. I use Cannazyme, works well for me(DWC). Not had root rot since I stuck to using the Cannazyme, but with the sterile rez, root rot was always knocking on the door until I introduced Cannazyme, so now I run with it 24/7-365.

 

[Aqua Man]

Sorry for the late reply, you know the score. I don't like using bleaches and stuff like pool shock, or it's equivalents for growing. I don't do sterile, I chose the enzyme root. My theory behind this is, if you kill all the beneficial bacteria that lives in your water, then there's nothing on guard to eat stuff like root rot and other types of nasties that hang out in water. I use Cannazyme, works well for me(DWC). Not had root rot since I stuck to using the Cannazyme, but with the sterile rez, root rot was always knocking on the door until I introduced Cannazyme, so now I run with it 24/7-365.

Awesome... my hydrogaurd just expired and im low on it. With the cost in Canada I think I'm gonna order some and give it a go. As well will be seeding denitrifying bacteria. I all for live systems the differnce i have seen first hand so many times. even my change outs are 50% most at a time. I was almost considering going sterile because of the cost to get hydrogaurd in Canada.

 

[chemistry]

For the last 6 years I used Cannazyme, at first it was on and off to cure moulds in my rez. or root root. But as time went on, other unexplained benefits were apparent. So now I use it all the time. Other companies do their own zyme products which might be cheaper if you have a large grow. But being as I use Canna's A and B's, I just stuck to their brand. If you use it and see some good results, let me know. I'd put enzymes up there with rockwool in the top 10 products for water growers.

 

[Aqua Man]

For the last 6 years I used Cannazyme, at first it was on and off to cure moulds in my rez. or root root. But as time went on, other unexplained benefits were apparent. So now I use it all the time. Other companies do their own zyme products which might be cheaper if you have a large grow. But being as I use Canna's A and B's, I just stuck to their brand. If you use it and see some good results, let me know. I'd put enzymes up there with rockwool in the top 10 products for water growers.

Definately... doing a diary this time so we can all see it in action. I use mega crop so there is always root staining but so far in hydro no rot yet with hydrogaurd running higher res temps at 74F i noticed a slightly better growth rate than at 68F. But im thinking i may not push it to 74 with this off the bat and just ease into it to be cautious. Cause those 6F make a huge difference in beneficial bacteria and pathogen growth rates.

 

[RFT]

Update...

Algae issue resolved via the Calcium Hypochlorite

New issues have arrisen...

Silica - All the dosing pumps in which I was using silica (both brands) were getting clogged with crystalized salts. So this tells me 2 things (1) my plants haven’t been getting silica for a long time & (2) there is some sort of reaction causing this.

Is it fallout? I can only assume so.

Also in that same zone, the brown/rust sludge returned to the roots. My assumption at this time is that this is precipitation fallout buildup. Being that I’ve only seen this in this zone, and the zones where I added Silica by hand. The other zones were not getting this buildup.

I have now removed silica from all zones except one. Im testing power si in that zone still.

Wilting - randomly for the first time ever I have wilting occuring in zone 3. It’s totally random. The roots are all very healthy. Yet here & there I see plants that look like they’re being overwatered. So far I cannot see any definitive pattern. Super healthy, no deficiencies, yet severe dropping on about 2% of the crop. Very odd.

In zone 2 the pH is still dropping overnight. Not sure why. I’ve lowered EC considerably, lowered nitrogen levels, and yet still this issue continues.

Zone 1 are fresh starts. A&B only. So far so good. But I’ve been here before.

 

[Aqua Man]

Is the silica in the dosers ph'ed down?

I'm not sure if this is common practice but if I was dosing silica I would likely want it ph'ed down to like 6.

 

[RFT]

Is the silica in the dosers ph'ed down?

I'm not sure if this is common practice but if I was dosing silica I would likely want it ph'ed down to like 6.

Common practice is silica is added first. Then nutes. Then pH adjustments.