question about brown sludge in my DWC

[Maitreyah]

Hey everybody!! I'm running a DWC system with eight plants. Each plant has its own tub with its own airstone. My system including reservoir runs 225 gallons, my nutrient temps are 65 constantly, ph stable then slowly rises over a couple days. The tubs and reservoir are completely light tight.
Heres the problem. Today I noticed brown sludge on all airstones in the system and a slight brown colored film in my reservoir. All my plants roots are bright white and very healthy.
I'm feeding Advanced nutrients 3 part, some sm 90, zyme and hydrogen peroxide.
Could the hydrogen peroxide be precipitating one of the other nutrients and creating this brown sluge in my system??? I'm fricken lost on this...:thinking

 

[northwest]

its funny u bring this up i jst found some of that im my dwc airstone... and it actually hasnt started(2 months plus) until this last week when i started to add h202 to my mix...
so i dunno u could have something there with the h202... i just dont see how it would create such a nasty by product but what do i know.
my suggestion is to spray the shit outta it and get em clean and watch carefully in the next weeks for this. maybe try some hydrozyme.
overgro_

 

[Lost]

H2O2...

I used to use it before I learned better. DWC is all about the roots so here is my suggestions. They work for me and I run stand alone buckets as vegers. Get some Root Exceluator and some great white. If you look at my current grow thread there is some question as to how much great white helps in hydro, but for me it really helps. Your chilling and recirculating, so your good there.. Might also want to add either Hygrozyme or Multi-zen for enzymes, they seem to help alot as well.

Ph also is a big deal but if you have good water or are using R/O your good.

I hope that helps :)

(I have some DWC root pics in my thread if you would like to take a look. Im by no means an expert and if you look at some of my threads you will see I have battled it as well.. )

 

[Maitreyah]

its funny u bring this up i jst found some of that im my dwc airstone... and it actually hasnt started(2 months plus) until this last week when i started to add h202 to my mix...
so i dunno u could have something there with the h202... i just dont see how it would create such a nasty by product but what do i know.
my suggestion is to spray the shit outta it and get em clean and watch carefully in the next weeks for this. maybe try some hydrozyme.
overgro_

I cleaned the entire system today and also changed the airlines to black ones just incase light may have found its way through the clear airlines. I was using h2o2 as a preventative measure in the system..I'm thinking I may have been adding a bit too much here and there....I will now hide the bottle of peroxide till I actually have a problem.. I'm going to pick up some "zyme" tomorrow . thanks for the suggestions :stonedsmilie:

 

[Maitreyah]

H2O2...

I used to use it before I learned better. DWC is all about the roots so here is my suggestions. They work for me and I run stand alone buckets as vegers. Get some Root Exceluator and some great white. If you look at my current grow thread there is some question as to how much great white helps in hydro, but for me it really helps. Your chilling and recirculating, so your good there.. Might also want to add either Hygrozyme or Multi-zen for enzymes, they seem to help alot as well.

Ph also is a big deal but if you have good water or are using R/O your good.

I hope that helps :)

(I have some DWC root pics in my thread if you would like to take a look. Im by no means an expert and if you look at some of my threads you will see I have battled it as well.. )

Hi Lost,
Your root pics look great! Mine are not as established as I'm starting week two in veg. I cleaned/changed the res/system today and added some roots excelurator as well as some left over zyme. Hopefully I will see some good growth during the next week. I will try to get some Great White and see how it does.
I'll check out some of your threads
thanks for the advice

 

[Motherhugger]

Hey everybody!! I'm running a DWC system with eight plants. Each plant has its own tub with its own airstone. My system including reservoir runs 225 gallons, my nutrient temps are 65 constantly, ph stable then slowly rises over a couple days. The tubs and reservoir are completely light tight.
Heres the problem. Today I noticed brown sludge on all airstones in the system and a slight brown colored film in my reservoir. All my plants roots are bright white and very healthy.
I'm feeding Advanced nutrients 3 part, some sm 90, zyme and hydrogen peroxide.
Could the hydrogen peroxide be precipitating one of the other nutrients and creating this brown sluge in my system??? I'm fricken lost on this...:thinking

Yeah, I think hydrogen peroxide is just tricky to use all the way around. While I think that some growers have been able to use it successfully, I really haven't heard a lot of success stories.

Just the Advanced Nutrients 3 pt nutes should have been fine to get you going in the right direction. I use Iguana Juice and haven't seen any problems (well, that weren't actually MY fault, not the nutes).

Check with AN too? Maybe they can help you with the sludge?

It sort of feels like I've heard something about this happening with someone else and hydrogen peroxide. Maybe that's just a problem that comes up from time to time?

:passingjoint:

 

[Mmmmasonite]

Hey everybody!! I'm running a DWC system with eight plants. Each plant has its own tub with its own airstone. My system including reservoir runs 225 gallons, my nutrient temps are 65 constantly, ph stable then slowly rises over a couple days. The tubs and reservoir are completely light tight.
Heres the problem. Today I noticed brown sludge on all airstones in the system and a slight brown colored film in my reservoir. All my plants roots are bright white and very healthy.
I'm feeding Advanced nutrients 3 part, some sm 90, zyme and hydrogen peroxide.
Could the hydrogen peroxide be precipitating one of the other nutrients and creating this brown sluge in my system??? I'm fricken lost on this...:thinking

Dude.... this is totally normal....if your roots are healthy...then...no worries...Peace and good luck

 

[Mmmmasonite]

Hey everybody!! I'm running a DWC system with eight plants. Each plant has its own tub with its own airstone. My system including reservoir runs 225 gallons, my nutrient temps are 65 constantly, ph stable then slowly rises over a couple days. The tubs and reservoir are completely light tight.
Heres the problem. Today I noticed brown sludge on all airstones in the system and a slight brown colored film in my reservoir. All my plants roots are bright white and very healthy.
I'm feeding Advanced nutrients 3 part, some sm 90, zyme and hydrogen peroxide.
Could the hydrogen peroxide be precipitating one of the other nutrients and creating this brown sluge in my system??? I'm fricken lost on this...:thinking

But.....if you want a clean rez....
Some base nutrients run a bit dirty...If you are running SM90 and h2o2, you are not (or shouldn't be) using any biologicals. You should use base nutes that run cleaner. Try House and Garden's Aqua flakes A&B. It is very cheap...about $75 for 5 liters of both A&B...total. When you mix it....it becomes a light pink, pretty much totally clear liquid....and stays that way...It is great for growers running a sterile rez. When you mix it with their one of a kind product...Drip clean...(which costs about $20 for 500 gallons worth) ...You are sure to have a clean rez. and a tasty harvest. Drip Clean eliminates salt and debris deposits on contact. Administered at every feeding, Drip Clean acts as a magnet, removing salt particles and dirt from the root structure, piping, and medium of any garden.....Hope this helps....Peace and good luck

 

[harley34]

when you say your ph slowly rises how much you talking?

i tried some mollasses in my res 4 days ago, 1tsp per gallon. Next day ph rises slowly to 6.5, day 3 the ph had shot up to 8.4. My tap water is 7. Has anyone had this before with mollasses. I had brown film and sludge all over my airstones aswell

 

[Mmmmasonite]

when you say your ph slowly rises how much you talking?

i tried some mollasses in my res 4 days ago, 1tsp per gallon. Next day ph rises slowly to 6.5, day 3 the ph had shot up to 8.4. My tap water is 7. Has anyone had this before with mollasses. I had brown film and sludge all over my airstones aswell

Instead of using mollasses in ur rez. try using Sweet or Bud Candy...These run much cleaner than conventional mollasses....and it is almost the same thing...but actally enhanced with carbs, vitamins, and such. Mollasses and these sweeteners also feed the beneficial bacteria in your roots, medium and water. They work in tandem with Bud XL..which transports these sugars into the flowers. Your PH can def be effected ...but again....this is normal....maybe it will go up a bit slower with the sweeteners vs. the mollasses. Maybe try running Drip Clean as well. It removes salts and buidup while you feed within the plant and keeps your rez. and components clean at the same time...It is super cheap as well....Peace and good luck

 

[sedate]

I'm running a DWC system with eight plants. Each plant has its own tub with its own airstone. My system including reservoir runs 225 gallons, my nutrient temps are 65 constantly, ph stable then slowly rises over a couple days.

No one mentioned it - but usually "brown film" in my standalone buckets is from sediment from fresh Hydroton rocks - clay dust.

Are you sure it isn't just dust from Hydroton?

zyme

Lost's advice was much better here.

Get some Great White or other bacteria-based root innoculant (I use GH's Kangaroots) - combine with Hormex or Roots Exel if you want to get spendy.

'Zyme' products are pretty useless and - unless you like changing your rez religiously, prone to turning roots to shit.

 

[Mmmmasonite]

No one mentioned it - but usually "brown film" in my standalone buckets is from sediment from fresh Hydroton rocks - clay dust.

Are you sure it isn't just dust from Hydroton?



Lost's advice was much better here.

Get some Great White or other bacteria-based root innoculant (I use GH's Kangaroots) - combine with Hormex or Roots Exel if you want to get spendy.

'Zyme' products are pretty useless and - unless you like changing your rez religiously, prone to turning roots to shit.

Actually.... enzymes, such as Multizen , hygrozyme, sensizyme, ect., eat away at crap left behind in your medium and roots to keep them cleaner....that is their whole point.....

 

[UCMENOW]

Zymes react differently in highly aerated rootzone environments.....we've all read the ads and "research" for the past 15 years on zymes in hydro......

unfortunately none of this research has been done in water culture, which is difinitively different IMO

Fungi on the root crown

bacteria in the nutrient solution

Been reports of growers putting Great White in the water of highly aerated systems only to find algae blooming out of control within hours....heads up

 

[Mmmmasonite]

Brown gunk and algae are harmless as long as there is no infection.....If you use enzymes, a cal mag supplement, and beneficial bacteria.....U are highly unlikely to have any type of rot...no matter what system you use. It is actually a good idea to flush with just these 3 products to cure existing root rot problems.....Peace

 

[forknowledge]

I had the same sludge grow in my RDWC then I discontinued the use of H2O2 & no sludge in sight.

 

[sedate]

Actually.... enzymes, such as Multizen , hygrozyme, sensizyme, ect., eat away at crap left behind in your medium and roots to keep them cleaner....that is their whole point.....

Right. I mean that's how they're sold and marketed.

But I think most experienced DWC growers here will tell you enzyme products are seriously inferior to beneficials and keeping the rez fresh as necessary.

And I really would never use that shit to clean anyway when it's $40/ltr - I'd drain the rez and scrub with real soap - rinse and then use the bucket/basin/tub/item.

Anyway - I can definitively say that using hygrozyme per bottle instructions cost me $4000 worth of a crop about 6 months ago.

Fuck that garbage.

 

[sedate]

If you use enzymes, a cal mag supplement, and beneficial bacteria

^^^ This is wrong.

Zyme's kill beneficials dude.

 

[Lost]

Sedate, I didn't think the zymes killed benes. Thats why I use it with great white. Had lots of success here and have been experimenting some more. Was back to using h2o2 and now im back to nothing but res changes.., lol..

 

[Mmmmasonite]

^^^ This is wrong.

Zyme's kill beneficials dude.

Sorry....... but you are wrong....I don't know who told you that....I always use Multizyme with Roots Excel and great white with amazing results...from babies to adults.....Peace