Persistent Brown Algae Infection, Please Help

[TokieT]

Hi everyone. At my end battling a bad brown algae infection. Let me give you some set up info. Running a top drip Wilma system, net pot lids on buckets with clay pellets and roots suspended in air underneath feeding 10 mins every hour. Luckily this means my roots are still currently white.
I have a 15W air pump and huge rubber air stone, a water chiller set to 16C/61F. I also have an external “brain” res which pumps water to and from the Wilma res with hoses suspended above each res creating further oxygenation. Completely light tight. Both together adds up to about a total 80L/17.6gal reservoir.
When I first got the infection I tried the standard hydrogen peroxide, slowed it down a little but then seemed to accelerate it. I even went up to 150ml of 12% which did nothing.
I then tried calcium hypochlorite at 4ppm. Seemed to slow it down but I was dosing a fresh 4ppm everyday and it was still growing just at a slower rate. So I pushed my girls to the limits and went up to about 8ppm. Still algae growth.
So on my 3rd disassemble everything, bleach it and put it back together, each disinfection I also ran about 10gs of calcium hypochlorite through all the pipes and water chillers at half reservoir capacity to kill off everything in the pipes and chiller (of course took the drip lines out the girls and circled them back into the res).
This time I tried beneficial bacteria, specifically bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain d747 (the stuff used in hydroguard) at a slightly higher dosage than what’s recommended on hydroguard. This did absolutely nothing. Couldn’t compete at all with the brown algae and after 2 days from the full disinfection it’s completely overrun with slime.
I’m about to do my 4th complete disassemble and disinfect in the last 2 weeks.
My theory is that I’ve created some super resistant strain of brown algae.
Any suggestions for the 4th attempt would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bursto]

i use a wilma the problem i had was if i added any bat guano, or organics it would settle on the bottom of the tray and turn into brown algae.
that would stuff the pump and i would have to flush the lines

so i only use A and b nutes now in clay balls

the wilma is better suited to coco perlite imo

trying to get all the water out for water changes from a wilma is nearly impossible mid grow

 

[TokieT]

i use a wilma the problem i had was if i added any bat guano, or organics it would settle on the bottom of the tray and turn into brown algae.

so i only use A and b nutes now in clay balls

the wilma is better suited to coco perlite imo

Hi thanks for the reply. Forgot to mention my nutes. Yes I do the same thing only run synthetic A + B. yeah I’m thinking of abandoning the Wilma and setting up an aeroponics sprinkler drip to waste system. I have a feeling when the waters on the top tray and dripping down into the red it’s blasted with light.

 

[bursto]

Hi thanks for the reply. Forgot to mention my nutes. Yes I do the same thing only run synthetic A + B. yeah I’m thinking of abandoning the Wilma and setting up an aeroponics sprinkler drip to waste system. I have a feeling when the waters on the top tray and dripping down into the red it’s blasted with light.

It can be done with the wilma

what i do is drain it, as best i can then add more plain water 15/20ltrs drain that, then add new water/ nutes

then i replaced the red fill lid with a peice of diamond mylar, and a piece of mylar cut around the plant stem

im not big on air pumps being on for hours on end, try ditching the air stone, it gets aerated through the rocks

pump dosent need to come on much during lights out just once or twice if its hot where you at

 

[TokieT]

It can be done with the wilma

what i do is drain it, as best i can then add more plain water 15/20ltrs drain that, then add new water/ nutes

im not big on air pumps being on for hours on end, try ditching the air stone, it gets aerated through the rocks

Will give that a go, much appreciated! Thank you