Dwc buckets to flood table?

tallen

tallen

Well-Known Member
So, once again I've got some slime in my RDWC buckets, seems to happen at least once every run. With all the bennies I cycle through the res I can keep it in check and usually get rid of it all the way, but I'm tired of having to deal with it.

I just picked up some flood tables and am going to give them a go after this last run of girls I got vegging that just got some slime. Anyway, I just got this idea that maybe when I put them into flower in a couple weeks I could put them onto the flood tables. They're in 6" net pot bucket lids (the one piece type) and I was thinking I could make a plywood lid since I've got some lying around, cut some holes in it to fit the net pot lids and then the roots won't have the net pot on top of them (it would be suspended) and they'd be covered and should be ok.

Now, am I stuck on stupid or would this actually work ok? I'm just ready to be done with DWC and constantly getting slimed!!!! :wall:
 
Ninjabowler

Ninjabowler

Well-Known Member
tallen said:
So, once again I've got some slime in my RDWC buckets, seems to happen at least once every run. With all the bennies I cycle through the res I can keep it in check and usually get rid of it all the way, but I'm tired of having to deal with it.

I just picked up some flood tables and am going to give them a go after this last run of girls I got vegging that just got some slime. Anyway, I just got this idea that maybe when I put them into flower in a couple weeks I could put them onto the flood tables. They're in 6" net pot bucket lids (the one piece type) and I was thinking I could make a plywood lid since I've got some lying around, cut some holes in it to fit the net pot lids and then the roots won't have the net pot on top of them (it would be suspended) and they'd be covered and should be ok.

Now, am I stuck on stupid or would this actually work ok? I'm just ready to be done with DWC and constantly getting slimed!!!! :wall:
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Sorry to hear that it got you again. The only way stop this obviously is find the cause and stop it before it starts.

What temps are you at, ph, additives - everything that goes in that water, type of system, light getting into the water, color of buckets and res, air stones, do you clean the res ever and the buckets, bla bla bla.

Somthing is causing slime and i would think its obvious or maybe your over complicating your methods. I put three things in mine, thats it, never had slime.

So lets have some info and then we can figure out how to set your bucket lids up.
 
Ninjabowler

Ninjabowler

Well-Known Member
Also, if slime is such a problem for you, why havent you opted for gravity feed instead of resirculating? I know they look cool but wouldnt you think theyd spread slime everywhere instead of it just happening in one bucket?
 
tallen

tallen

Well-Known Member
I think it's in my water supply because this time I got it the day after a res change (and I think it may have happened like that before too). Changed res, even added both pondzyme and aquasheild (I save the heisey tea for when it hits, even the maintenance dosed don't keep it away) and 24 hours later there it was. Not bad mind you, just enough to make me say WTF?!?! and start brewing a batch of tea.

Black buckets, water temps 67-68, panda over the hydroton for extra lightproofing, dynagro nutes (grow, protekt, & magpro) and no additives, just bennies. I usually add aquasheild or pondzyme about every 3 days (give or take a day, so every 2-4) just because I have them both on hand. Under an 8 bulb T5 (with only 4 bulbs on right now cuz they're only about 10" tall.

See anything amiss?
 
tallen

tallen

Well-Known Member
Bleach the shiznit outta everything every time it's empty, at least twice! Changed nutes to dynagro recently from lucas formula. No chiller, but water temps top out around 68-69 lately (winter and all). Bennies are pondzyme, aquasheild, and Heisenburg tea (tea at the 1st sign of problems, others for maintenance). oh, and RO water, but I top off with tap water if I need to bring my ph up per Heisenburg's suggestion.
 
Ninjabowler

Ninjabowler

Well-Known Member
Do you bleach and scrub the slime out of the connection hoses?

I didnt think that you used the tea this time so what do you ph up down with? What do you let your ph run before you change it?

what about gravity feed?
 
tallen

tallen

Well-Known Member
Ninjabowler said:
Do you bleach and scrub the slime out of the connection hoses?
Yes, even changed them all out, twice

I didnt think that you used the tea this time so what do you ph up down with? What do you let your ph run before you change it?
GH ph up and down, started ph upping with tap water per Heisenburgs suggestion when he was trying to help me. 6.0 or 5.6 for more than 24 hours and I'll adjust it (I'll leave it for a day if it's not past those)

what about gravity feed?
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Don't know what this is.

Ninjabowler said:
Whats the ppms of your tap water, does it smell or is it good?
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200-250 with a .5 conversion. Smells fine and is drinkable, but I drink the RO

Ninjabowler said:
Do you have to adjust the ph in the nutes when you just mix them with water?
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I've gotten decent at getting the right amount of protekt to base nutes to balance it out ok, sometimes have to us a little ph up.

Ninjabowler said:
Is your water from a private well, city supply, burried tank?
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City water, with hella ph buffers in it. Ran my ro tank low one time and had to use 6 gallons of tap (20 gal system) and it took 3 OUNCES of ph down just to get it to 6.3 (I gave up and called it good until my ro res refilled and I could do another res change the next day)
 
Ninjabowler

Ninjabowler

Well-Known Member
tallen said:
Don't know what this is.


200-250 with a .5 conversion. Smells fine and is drinkable, but I drink the RO


I've gotten decent at getting the right amount of protekt to base nutes to balance it out ok, sometimes have to us a little ph up.


City water, with hella ph buffers in it. Ran my ro tank low one time and had to use 6 gallons of tap (20 gal system) and it took 3 OUNCES of ph down just to get it to 6.3 (I gave up and called it good until my ro res refilled and I could do another res change the next day)
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Gravity feed just feeds as much water to plants as they drink. You have a large res and tubes to all of your seperate buckets. Water gravity feeds to the individual plant rather than circulating.mless chance for cross contamination.

what could possibly be in that water to start with thats making it so alkali? Old pipes?
how often do you change the res? Your at 10" so like 30 days? Twice or first time?

You change ph every day?
 
Ninjabowler

Ninjabowler

Well-Known Member
Just found some info for you, theres been other complaints with the GH up and down causing slime. Primarily the down. There was mention of crystals forming where water splashed around on the side of buckets, ever see that? Try techno flora up/down.
This is all hearsay, i got it off the web, google white slime and it should come up, THC farmer community. Sounds like the answer though, if it is you owe me a beer.
 
tallen

tallen

Well-Known Member
Could be old pipes, never thought of that. I usually change the res every week to 10 days. This was their 2nd change.
 
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