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Get rid of “The Slime” aka “Brown Slime Algae” aka “Cyanobacteria”!

Snype

Active member
Veteran
I’ve seen the slime many times throughout the years and have tried many things to eradicate it and now I found the secret. The Slime is known as Brown Slime Algae but don’t be fooled by the name because it is not an algae. People have thought for many years that it was an algae but electron microscapy has shown that it is actually a Cyanobacteria. Anyone who has had to deal with this slime knows how nasty this stuff is and it multiplies like crazy within 24 hours. The Slime comes from your drinking water and can be very hard to get rid of. Some people can get rid of it with a good Bleach or Physan20 but I’ve had the slime for years in 3 of my EZCloners and no matter how much Bleach or Physan 20 that I use, it just keeps on coming back stronger. Every time I get the slime I have to resort to going to the grow shop and buying a new easy cloner which is why I currently have 5 ezcloners. I believe that if you have the slime and you tried to clean it with Bleach or Physan 20 and it didn’t work, it is because the specific slime that you have has built up a resistance to chlorine. There are organic approaches in keeping the slime at bay but it is still there waiting for the opportunity to take hold of your plants.

Here's a couple of pictures of some cuts that have "The Slime":


Here are pictures of new cuts that came from the same EZ Cloner that was covered with Slime after I gave my Erythromycin treatments for 6 days (cuts were in the cloner for 10 days):


The slime looks like clear, brown or yellow snot. In this post, I will explain how to get rid of the slime forever. The first approach that I would suggest that you do is to quadruple the dosage of bleach or physan20 and run your cloner or equipment for 24 hours with the bleach or physan 20 after soaking the lid or equipment in the bathtub for 6 hours with bleach. If you continue to get the slime after that, then you will know that the slime that you have has become resistant to chlorine and you will have to take the more extreme measure.

Here is a picture of the Erythromycin product that I use:


The extreme measure that you may need to take is an antibiotic treatment and the antibiotic that I’m talking about is Erythromycin. If you must take this extreme measure, do not take this lightly. You do not want this slime building up a resistance to Erythromycin and becoming a Super Slime. You will also want to wear gloves, goggles, a mask and long sleeves so that you don’t inhale or get any erythromycin on you. You can buy Erythromycin at a store that sells exotic fish. You will need to give at least 4 treatments over 4 days and you will want to finish all 4 treatments so that the slime isn’t able to build up a resistance. If you are trying to clean out your cloner, it is important to take out the sprayers and clean out the inside of the manifold. I was surprised to see that inside one of my manifolds, there was slime everywhere. Take the manifold to the bathtub and fill it up with hot water and just keep shaking out the dreaded slime. You should know when it is all gone because when you fill the manifold up with water and turn it upside down, you will see water coming out of every hole where the sprayers were. If you still see a clog then that will be a sign that you still have slime in there. If the slime is stuck inside one of the sprayer holes, you can use a toothpick to stick in there to release the slime back into the manifold and then continue filling it up with hot water and shake the rest of it out. After you are done with washing everything out, you will want to unclog any sprayer and screw them back into the manifold and fill up the Cloner or equipment up with just water and add your first treatment of Erythromycin. You will continue to add your Erythromycin every 24 hours for at least the next 3 days but to be safe I would continue treatments for a total of 6 days. Make sure when you are treating your cloner or equipment that your pumps are turned on so it will clean the inside of the pump and manifold.

When you are done with your treatments, make sure that you throw out your neoprene collars and buy new ones to avoid possible contamination and also because the collars can hold the Erythromycin. You should also throw out any filters, tubing and air stones and replace them with new ones. Next you will want to dump out all of the water / Erythromycin solution and thoroughly wash out your cloner or equipment with water including the pump and manifold. Make sure to run your pump when you are cleaning it with water. Now you will be bacteria free and The Slime will be gone forever. From this point on, you should also consider using bottled water or boiling your water for 20 minutes on the stove and letting it come back to room temperature and only add back that water to the cloner to avoid getting another case of the slime.

Although I did my testing with clones in the cloner, it was just to see what the results were. I was amazed that the clones made it but I took all the clones and put them into the trash. I do not advise anyone to use Erythromycin on plants. It is up to us to make sure that our patients smoke quality products that contain no harmful products.
 
Last edited:

brotherindica

Kronically Ill
Veteran
Interesting topic, Snype.

I'm assuming the way you mention thorough cleaning & avoiding contamination........the clones are NOT exposed to the [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Erythromycin? Clean the cloner, THEN filling it with clones after completely washed out?

Anytime I hear antibiotic use with a consumable product.......meat, vegetables.......cannabis.........I get extremely concerned. Over use of antibiotics, worldwide, has been the primary cause of antibiotic resistant bacteria.........MRSA being a prime example. The thought that a product someone might consume, likely smoked too, being exposed to antibiotics.....frankly scares the shit out of me.
[/FONT]



Any idea if your water source is municipal or well? If municipal, have you checked to see if it's treated with chloramines?

I've been happy with my cloner over the past 4-5 years. Using chloramine treated tap water, changing/adding water every 4-5 days, and cleaned meticulously between cycles.......I've never had any issues with slime. Cleaning is done with all purpose bleach cleaner, followed by chlorhexidine. Washing with water between each cleaner, and a heavy wash at the end.
Guess I've easily ran 100+ cycles of clones through it over that time......never having an issue.



Hope I haven't offended you. I know you're very passionate about your growing. I just saw the use of the antibiotics and had to ask some questions......it concerns me too much not to ask.
 

Snype

Active member
Veteran
Interesting topic, Snype.

I'm assuming the way you mention thorough cleaning & avoiding contamination........the clones are NOT exposed to the [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Erythromycin? Clean the cloner, THEN filling it with clones after completely washed out?

Anytime I hear antibiotic use with a consumable product.......meat, vegetables.......cannabis.........I get extremely concerned. Over use of antibiotics, worldwide, has been the primary cause of antibiotic resistant bacteria.........MRSA being a prime example. The thought that a product someone might consume, likely smoked too, being exposed to antibiotics.....frankly scares the shit out of me.
[/FONT]



Any idea if your water source is municipal or well? If municipal, have you checked to see if it's treated with chloramines?

I've been happy with my cloner over the past 4-5 years. Using chloramine treated tap water, changing/adding water every 4-5 days, and cleaned meticulously between cycles.......I've never had any issues with slime. Cleaning is done with all purpose bleach cleaner, followed by chlorhexidine. Washing withwater between each cleaner, and a heavy wash at the end.
Guess I've easily ran 100+ cycles of clones through it over that time......never having an issue.



Hope I haven't offended you. I know you're very passionate about your growing. I just saw the use of the antibiotics and had to ask some questions......it concerns me too much not to ask.

You are correct that the clones should not be in the system as you are using your antibiotic treatments. I did the original test with the clones filled with slime and added the antibiotics just to see the results. All clones were then put in the trash and not used after I got my results. I just wanted to know for myself. The water that I was using at the time was treated with chloramine/chlorine from the treatment plant but the levels of chloramine/chlorine was so low that they Cyanobacteria was able to build up a resistance to it. I take no offense to anything that you said and appreciate the discussion. I personally refuse to use pesticides, hormones or antibiotics in any stage of my grows. My grows are mostly for patients and I only put organic foods and products into my body.
 

brotherindica

Kronically Ill
Veteran
You are correct that the clones should not be in the system as you are using your antibiotic treatments. I did the original test with the clones filled with slime and added the antibiotics just to see the results. All clones were then put in the trash and not used after I got my results. I just wanted to know for myself. The water that I was using at the time was treated with chloramine/chlorine from the treatment plant but the levels of chloramine/chlorine was so low that they Cyanobacteria was able to build up a resistance to it. I take no offense to anything that you said and appreciate the discussion. I personally refuse to use pesticides, hormones or antibiotics in any stage of my grows. My grows are mostly for patients and I only put organic foods and products into my body.


Thanks for sharing that info. Best of luck with your grows and supplying the patients. :tiphat:
 

Stonefree69

Veg & Flower Station keeper
Veteran
I heard when H2O2 or chlorine/chloramine doesn't work use EWC or Heisenberg tea. Also as a preventative measure. I hear some say it can clog your system, I'd go lightly especially for prevention. Adding DO can also help.

Aquarium people use these: Boyd Enterprises Chemi-Clean & Blue Life Red Slime Rx. They say it doesn't harm fish or aquatic plants at all & works well.
 

chileno1978

Member
Hi Snype, you should try benefical bacteria culture.
Usually when I use to have a large pot with lots of hydroton, the problem with cyano almost does not exist, why? because on hydroton benefical bacteria multiplies a lot, and keep the cyano out. In aquariums world (fresh and reef) this is very well known and is the mail reason for big biological filters (and the eritro you show is for aquarium use). Same principle is used on RDWC, I have read several succes with not slime RDWC using big biological filters (having the slime before, but after the filter, slime is out without chlorine).

My personal experience is limited tho, before I use to have a big bucket with hydroton (DWC), but now I use small buckets and for the first time I see slime...so I was wondering what was different this time, and the only conclusion / hypotesis is less hydroton in direct contact with water ---> less benefical bacteria. So now I am using chlorine to desinfect (is working) but next week I will star with a benefical bacteria culture (EWC tea) and no more chlorine.

I guess cyano lives in places where is hard to benefical bacteria multiply (not much biological filter material ---> lava rock, hydroton, etc.). Also the benefical bacteria needs a time (1 month or so) to stabilice, after that, all is good.
 

cocktail frank

Ubiquitous
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
worked like a charm!
thanks Snype.
you are a treasure trove of info and it is appreciated.
my people have been fighting the slime with no avail.
lead to buying new cloners and letting the old ones sit around.
 

Snype

Active member
Veteran
worked like a charm!
thanks Snype.
you are a treasure trove of info and it is appreciated.
my people have been fighting the slime with no avail.
lead to buying new cloners and letting the old ones sit around.

Im so happy that you tried this out! I did so much testing on this subject and the Erythromycin works perfect to kill the dreaded slime! Thanks for letting us know! Knowledge is power!
 

Stonefree69

Veg & Flower Station keeper
Veteran
Thanks Snype. My chillers/coolers are 1/4 and 1/10th hp and really don't use much watts. 150 & 280 watts when running and I take very good insulation measures. That neoprene also great for insulating pipes, 1-2” or so. The mini-split coolers are even more efficient like Ecoplus 1/2 hp.

Still have to give you reps for all that advice! :D

Online I can get neoprene (guess pipe wrap insulation also available):

Neoprene Foam Sheet high quality 1" think 80" x 24" $65.99
Neoprene Foam Sheet high quality 1" think 80" x 48" $120.99
Neoprene Foam Sheet high quality 2" think 80" x 24" $120.99
Neoprene Foam Sheet high quality 2" think 80" x 48" $231.99

Also saw Tetracycline, that stuff cleared up my zits when I was younger and nothing else worked at all. Could be a 2 pronged attack if somehow that cyano did become resistant.

"These two fish antibiotics offer treatment and control for a wide range of bacterial fish infections. E.M. Erythromycin treats and controls a broad spectrum of bacterial fish infections in freshwater and saltwater aquariums, including: fin and tail rot, open red sores, mouth fungus (cotton mouth disease), hemorrhagic septicemia, bacterial gill disease, body slime, and furunculosis (open lesions). Active ingredient: 200 mg Erythromycin per packet. T.C. Tetracycline clears both external and internal bacterial infections in freshwater aquariums, including: fin and tail rot, bacterial gill disease, hemorrhagic septicemia, open red sores, body slime and eye cloud, and mouth fungus (cotton mouth disease). Active ingredient: 500 mg Tetracycline Hydrochloride per packet. Each packet treats 10 gallons. 850 grams bulk jar treats up to 3,270 gallons."

lg-29665-61733-fish.jpg
 

Snype

Active member
Veteran
would you guys like to know a secret way without using anti bacteria's ¿

Let me guess what you are going to say. An EWC solution. If I'm correct maybe you should go start a thread about it. I'm still looking for a refund for those packs of beans that you sold me about 4 years ago that turned out to be autoflowers or herms.
 

00420

full time daddy
Veteran
I must have you confused for a guy named d420. Sorry about the confusion, I thought you were him.

NP, this is why I never log in anymore everyone's so quick to assume any who's have a good one
 

al70

Active member
Veteran
I’ve seen the slime many times throughout the years and have tried many things to eradicate it and now I found the secret. The Slime is known as Brown Slime Algae but don’t be fooled by the name because it is not an algae. People have thought for many years that it was an algae but electron microscapy has shown that it is actually a Cyanobacteria. Anyone who has had to deal with this slime knows how nasty this stuff is and it multiplies like crazy within 24 hours. The Slime comes from your drinking water and can be very hard to get rid of. Some people can get rid of it with a good Bleach or Physan20 but I’ve had the slime for years in 3 of my EZCloners and no matter how much Bleach or Physan 20 that I use, it just keeps on coming back stronger. Every time I get the slime I have to resort to going to the grow shop and buying a new easy cloner which is why I currently have 5 ezcloners. I believe that if you have the slime and you tried to clean it with Bleach or Physan 20 and it didn’t work, it is because the specific slime that you have has built up a resistance to chlorine. There are organic approaches in keeping the slime at bay but it is still there waiting for the opportunity to take hold of your plants.

Here's a couple of pictures of some cuts that have "The Slime":
[URL="https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=47614&pictureid=1111863&thumb=1"]View Image[/URL] [URL="https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=47614&pictureid=1111864&thumb=1"]View Image[/URL]

Here are pictures of new cuts that came from the same EZ Cloner that was covered with Slime after I gave my Erythromycin treatments for 6 days (cuts were in the cloner for 10 days):
[URL="https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=47614&pictureid=1111865&thumb=1"]View Image[/URL] [URL="https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=47614&pictureid=1111868&thumb=1"]View Image[/URL]

The slime looks like clear, brown or yellow snot. In this post, I will explain how to get rid of the slime forever. The first approach that I would suggest that you do is to quadruple the dosage of bleach or physan20 and run your cloner or equipment for 24 hours with the bleach or physan 20 after soaking the lid or equipment in the bathtub for 6 hours with bleach. If you continue to get the slime after that, then you will know that the slime that you have has become resistant to chlorine and you will have to take the more extreme measure.

Here is a picture of the Erythromycin product that I use:
[URL="https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=47614&pictureid=1111872&thumb=1"]View Image[/URL]

The extreme measure that you may need to take is an antibiotic treatment and the antibiotic that I’m talking about is Erythromycin. If you must take this extreme measure, do not take this lightly. You do not want this slime building up a resistance to Erythromycin and becoming a Super Slime. You will also want to wear gloves, goggles, a mask and long sleeves so that you don’t inhale or get any erythromycin on you. You can buy Erythromycin at a store that sells exotic fish. You will need to give at least 4 treatments over 4 days and you will want to finish all 4 treatments so that the slime isn’t able to build up a resistance. If you are trying to clean out your cloner, it is important to take out the sprayers and clean out the inside of the manifold. I was surprised to see that inside one of my manifolds, there was slime everywhere. Take the manifold to the bathtub and fill it up with hot water and just keep shaking out the dreaded slime. You should know when it is all gone because when you fill the manifold up with water and turn it upside down, you will see water coming out of every hole where the sprayers were. If you still see a clog then that will be a sign that you still have slime in there. If the slime is stuck inside one of the sprayer holes, you can use a toothpick to stick in there to release the slime back into the manifold and then continue filling it up with hot water and shake the rest of it out. After you are done with washing everything out, you will want to unclog any sprayer and screw them back into the manifold and fill up the Cloner or equipment up with just water and add your first treatment of Erythromycin. You will continue to add your Erythromycin every 24 hours for at least the next 3 days but to be safe I would continue treatments for a total of 6 days. Make sure when you are treating your cloner or equipment that your pumps are turned on so it will clean the inside of the pump and manifold.

When you are done with your treatments, make sure that you throw out your neoprene collars and buy new ones to avoid possible contamination and also because the collars can hold the Erythromycin. You should also throw out any filters, tubing and air stones and replace them with new ones. Next you will want to dump out all of the water / Erythromycin solution and thoroughly wash out your cloner or equipment with water including the pump and manifold. Make sure to run your pump when you are cleaning it with water. Now you will be bacteria free and The Slime will be gone forever. From this point on, you should also consider using bottled water or boiling your water for 20 minutes on the stove and letting it come back to room temperature and only add back that water to the cloner to avoid getting another case of the slime.

Although I did my testing with clones in the cloner, it was just to see what the results were. I was amazed that the clones made it but I took all the clones and put them into the trash. I do not advise anyone to use Erythromycin on plants. It is up to us to make sure that our patients smoke quality products that contain no harmful products.
those roots look healthy to me, in those pics, a small discoloration is ok ,,,ph check
 

Snype

Active member
Veteran
those roots look healthy to me, in those pics, a small discoloration is ok ,,,ph check
I think you are confused. No one said they were not healthy. The clones weren't used because they were treated with antibiotics. The roots wouldn't have been there to begin with if I didn't use Erythmycin. If you look at the first 2 pictures, you will see the slime all over the stem. It is because of that slime that roots will not grow out of it. The roots came after I treated them with Erythromycin and the slime went away. pH had nothing to do with any of this and the pH was in line the entire time.
 

00420

full time daddy
Veteran
So whats the secret?

Great read OP!

Minty fresh mouth wash & sterilizing the clone not just the cloner, only use sterile water in the cloner once sterilized

step 1: dip cut into 70% rubbing alcohol for 10-15 sec's to remove debris & wax's

step 2: put cut into one drop joy or dawn dish soap to a gallon of 10% bleach 90% sterile water for 10-15 min's stir every 3-5 min's this removes fungi & bacteria's (remember fungi is fuzzy bacteria is slimy)

step 3: remove from bleach water into 100% sterile water for 5 min's

step 4: place in sterile medium or cloner

Keep everything clean even your mouth :)
 

noreason

Natural born Grower
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge Snype, I really appreciate your posts! Keep'em coming :thank you:
I never had big troubles with slime and using a chiller it's enough in my setup but...I have a question if you don't mind.

because the specific slime that you have has built up a resistance to chlorine.

Making it simple the question is: are you sure a living organism can develop a resistance to an oxidizing agent like chlorine?
I think it's very difficult for a bacteria develop a strategy to protect himself from such a kind of elements. Chlorine is like oxygen and it literally burns things like in a process of combustion we can see every day in our house.
How can a bacteria develop a resistance to that? Did you already think about it?


And one more thing: I know you put in the trash all the clones and it's ok, the safest way....but how about residual antibiotic within the plant? Usually this kind of things are really short lasting. It could be useful to know for how long it keep microbes away and how long it remains in the plant's tissues. Any input on that?
 
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