New Problem.. Rotten Smelling DWC RES but NO SLIME!

[SGS]

Have done DWC for many grows... never had any issues... until now...

My newt schedule is based on the Lucas Formula... just modified to my needs.

Different levels for different stages of life but always the same products.
RO WATER
GH Micro
GH Bloom
pH UP
Dutch Masters Zone.
RES temps never climb above 65F.. usually lower 60s.

I have used this formula for yrs... never any problems... But now I have 1 35 Gallon Res and it STINKS TO HIGH HELL OF ROTTEN EGGS! for about 3 weeks now... I have tried increasing the Zone to aggressive strength, 12ml per 5 gallons... Not working... I have changed out RES 3 times .. 1 time per week... Not working.. Smell still there and getting worse...

There is ZERO slime or snot... but I am seeing some WHITE FUZZ growth on the air hose line inside the RES.. and the roots look ok but slightly browned... nothing to serious from what I can see... but that's not to say they will stay that way!!!

The smell is getting bad.. I can smell it outside the room... it is even defeating my massive CanFan Filter!

Need to fix this as im afraid of it spreading to other RESes. I have used DM ZONE as I want and feel the need to grow with a sterile root zone... Bennies don't interest me... so im looking for a sterile solution to kill this crap and prevent it from ever coming back!

SGS

white fuzz on air line! Noticed 2 days ago... goes all the way down to the top of the water level.

 

[TheCleanGame]

new bottle of zone?

Never used anything like that. I have 12 years using the other stuff in there in dwc and never heard/saw anything like what you're describing.

 

[SGS]

actually yes it is a new bottle... this res was actually without it for 2 weeks... when I ran out and had to wait for it to be restocked for me to get some... soon as I got it I changed RES and added it... so im wondering if that's where things got infected...

Will take some root shot pics and some pics of the WHITE FUZZ all the way down the Air line into the water... the air line seems to be the only place I can find anything growing... nothing on the roots persay, other then they are tinged a little off color... or on the walls of the RES. BUT IT FREAKIN STINKS!

SGS

 

[TheCleanGame]

actually yes it is a new bottle... this res was actually without it for 2 weeks... when I ran out and had to wait for it to be restocked for me to get some... soon as I got it I changed RES and added it... so im wondering if that's where things got infected...

You're wondering?

C'mon man, you know dwc better than that. lol Change the res out, rinse everything off and run a res without the zone.

I'd be surprised if you get that stuff back so quick. Probably get it back over time if your cleaning job wasn't enough though. Get a new bottle from a different supplier (online or locally, the opposite of where the last one came from) Try that after a couple days?

 

[SGS]

Oh here lies the problem... it is a 35 gallon RES that is UNCLEANABLE... it is locked into a 24sqft V SCROG! Thus the reason I have been using ZONE... and how would ZONE be the issue? It is a ROOT ZONE conditioner.. contains nothing Organic for things to feed on.. it kills things ,, and its not BENNIES. I got the problem from NOT using it, as I always have and never had an issue.. I missed 16 days without it... So I guess I don't know DWC better then that.. or at least you don't?

RES changes in this system are drain and rinse only .. cant wash out RES like a 5 gal bucket.

SGS

 

[16th_hole]

Sounds like you have your answer

 

[16th_hole]

Deal with it for now and rethink for the next run.

 

[NW Wheeze]

Rotten egg smell should be an anaerobic bacteria... right? Is the water getting enough aeration? I pinch airlines off accidently every now and then which usually throws things off.

I have to sterilize my water because my well water seems to be the Genesis point of brown slime. Diluted pool shock does the trick for my system. The plants dont seem to mind it, and I have not had a root zone issue since I started using it.

 

[queequeg152]

yea sulfate reducing bacteria produce hydrogen sulfide.

interestingly, our noses can detect this chemical in ppm quantities.

this as far as i know, requires anoxic conditions to take place, as wall as organic material.

is there anything organic you are adding? i honestly do not understand how this could take place in an aerated body of water.

sanitize your reservoire with bleach or calcium hypochlorite.
treat your system like a pool. shock up to like 10 ppm, then maintain 1+ ppm for several hours.

if you have a biofilm issue, this shock and sanitation will only provide relief temporarily. you will have to clean and break up the biofilm to truely kill all of the microbes.

 

[TheCleanGame]

Oh here lies the problem... it is a 35 gallon RES that is UNCLEANABLE... it is locked into a 24sqft V SCROG!

Back to the drawing board, bubba.

Thus the reason I have been using ZONE... and how would ZONE be the issue? It is a ROOT ZONE conditioner.. contains nothing Organic for things to feed on.. it kills things ,, and its not BENNIES. I got the problem from NOT using it, as I always have and never had an issue.. I missed 16 days without it...

You never mentioned not using it for 16 days and I've seen TONS of issues coming from bottled shit that wasn't plain nutes. Why would zone be any different?

So I guess I don't know DWC better then that.. or at least you don't?

Fuck off and fix it yourself? lol, asking for help with something, leaving out pertinent info and then attempting to make fun of people helping you?

Good luck buddy.

 

[SGS]

Back to the drawing board, bubba.


You never mentioned not using it for 16 days and I've seen TONS of issues coming from bottled shit that wasn't plain nutes. Why would zone be any different?



Fuck off and fix it yourself? lol, asking for help with something, leaving out pertinent info and then attempting to make fun of people helping you?

Good luck buddy.

mentioned it in my 2nd post bud! RES without zone for 2 weeks...

Ive already explained what ZONE is... of course it would be different and as you said so yourself you don't have experience with it so how can you make a solid judgment based on these OTHER products you have seen...

you are the one that has the attitude issues being a smart ass in the first place,, hence the comment I made.. so get the fuck out my thread.

Have I a nice day! TROLL! Look at yourself and your own actions before taking shit to others.. and do people a favor.. check your KNOW IT ALL attitude at the door of other peoples threads... people might like you more LOL doubtful but possible.

SGS

 

[SGS]

Thanks man!

Rotten egg smell should be an anaerobic bacteria... right? Is the water getting enough aeration? I pinch airlines off accidently every now and then which usually throws things off.

I have to sterilize my water because my well water seems to be the Genesis point of brown slime. Diluted pool shock does the trick for my system. The plants dont seem to mind it, and I have not had a root zone issue since I started using it.

 

[SGS]

yea sulfate reducing bacteria produce hydrogen sulfide.

interestingly, our noses can detect this chemical in ppm quantities.

this as far as i know, requires anoxic conditions to take place, as wall as organic material.

is there anything organic you are adding? i honestly do not understand how this could take place in an aerated body of water.

sanitize your reservoire with bleach or calcium hypochlorite.
treat your system like a pool. shock up to like 10 ppm, then maintain 1+ ppm for several hours.

if you have a biofilm issue, this shock and sanitation will only provide relief temporarily. you will have to clean and break up the biofilm to truely kill all of the microbes.

I will look more into this thanks for the lead on a new approach to this problem!

No nothing Organic is being used.
Just
GH Micro
GH Bloom
pH UP
DM Zone!
Im guessing that it happened when the zone was not in use during the 16 days that I ran out... and when I got it I started using it at normal strength... should have up to for the first week or 2 to Aggressive to eliminate anything that may have started to grow during the time of it being absent from my system.

SGS

 

[NW Wheeze]

Hi SGS. Sorry I cant figure out the message system to continue a private conversation. I really should go through the new user section and do some learning.

Anyhow my dilution formula for the pool shock is; 1 oz (by weight) of powdered pool shock to 1 gallon of water to make a usable diluted solution to keep on hand. Then I use 1ml of that solution per gallon of reservoir volume. I add this every 3-4 days since the chlorine evaporates off quickly due to the aeration of the water.

I only have to 'clean' my reservoirs at the end of growing cycles. Which by cleaning I mean I take the reservoirs outside and hose out any sediments from the bottom of the tanks and wash off excess salt deposits. Easy-peasy!

I hope this helps you. It made my life infinitely easier.

 

[queequeg152]

its more important to maintain a known level of disinfection for a known about of time.

if you have a gigantic algal bloom 1 gram of 12% bleach solution will not have the same effect as that of say, 1 gram of bleach added to a very light bloom.

i ran and maintained my moms pool my entire youth, and even now and then when she throws her hands up.

IMO treat any recirculating reservoir like a pool. get a test kit, any reasonable DPD reagent, titration test kit.they cost nothing. shock to 10 ppm, and maintain single digit 1 or 2, for a few hours there after.

if you have a biofilm issue, which is common with poorly sanitized low light environments... almost no level of transient chlorine treatment will kill it completely.
you must either hold a huge shock, like 30 50 ppm for a long time, or brush everything down, breaking up the film, where after low level chlorine treatments will kill it off.

im posting this info because id like you to buy a reagent kit. Only with a kit will you be able to verify the amount of free chlorine. you can do the math all day long, but at the end of that day, only a test kit will verify the efficacy of what you are doing.

in a pool you can kinda...sorta( but not really) treat the pools ability to hold free chlorine over night, as a crude chemical oxygen demand test. when you can hold a chlorine level over night, the user can safely infer that there is little to no oxidizable organic material left in the pool (asshole mircobes or algae).

tl;dr

get a cheap DPD titration test kit. they cost nothing. if you like i can point you to a very good test kit... id link it but i admit to not reading the forum policy regarding links.

 

[SGS]

put the link up its not a problem!

Thanks guys!

 

[SGS]

I don't think I have a biofilm.. I cant seen anything growing on the walls of the RES or the roots... all I have observed is the SMELL! and the fuzzy shit on the airlines down into the water.

SGS

 

[SGS]

Hi SGS. Sorry I cant figure out the message system to continue a private conversation. I really should go through the new user section and do some learning.

Anyhow my dilution formula for the pool shock is; 1 oz (by weight) of powdered pool shock to 1 gallon of water to make a usable diluted solution to keep on hand. Then I use 1ml of that solution per gallon of reservoir volume. I add this every 3-4 days since the chlorine evaporates off quickly due to the aeration of the water.

I only have to 'clean' my reservoirs at the end of growing cycles. Which by cleaning I mean I take the reservoirs outside and hose out any sediments from the bottom of the tanks and wash off excess salt deposits. Easy-peasy!

I hope this helps you. It made my life infinitely easier.

Thanks for sharing your experience and info.. Every 3-4 days is perfect... I add back water/newts every 2 days.. so every other watering I could add the pool shock solution to it... but would it be the entire volume of the RES? as all the chlorine has gone... Getting a test kit (queequeg mentioned) to make sure I keep a perfect level of chlorine would be the best method.

SGS

 

[SGS]

Now I need to figure out if I stop using the GM ZONE while using the chlorine treatments... hummmm not sure if using both will cause issues.. need to check and see if its gonna be use one or the other. Seems like the pool shock will prove more rewarding and FAR CHEAPER! GM ZONE is 40$ for 1000mL bottle!

SGS

 

[queequeg152]

what is GM ZONE made of? i looked up their msds a while back but none of the ingrediants were listed, meaning they are not considered a serious hazard.

link:
http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-K-1515...F8&qid=1418508412&sr=8-11&keywords=taylor+DPD

taylor products are legit, in the pool community at least. you can get refill reagents should you loose one, or run out, at any warehouse pool supply place. Leslie pools do not cary taylor products... they carry something different. i do not think the refill reagents from leslies are compatable.

there are cheaper test kits for sure... as low as 10 bucks infact. but this is an FAS DPD test... it will read well over 10ppm, to 50 ppm infact, though i have never gone that heigh to verify... its also ALOT easier to read... you basically add the titrant to the solution you prepair and add up the drops untill the equivalence point is reached, where after the solution turns perfectly clear.

the reg DPD kits... they turn shades of yellow and pink and all kinds of shit from what i remember. i haven't used one in years and years... but i recall them being stupid as fuck.

highly reccomend the fas dpd...

regarding chlorine. i recommend either calcium hypochlorite or bleach solution. Dichlor and trichlor disassociate yielding cyanuric acid as well as HClO, which you do not need. it also costs marginally more.