I've been growing in DWC since 2011. I've dealt with all sorts of grow room issues in that time including slime. Lots of grow gurus here on RIU seem to have theories and opinions on the cause, but when I looked into a couple of them, they turned out to be complete fiction. Heisenberg's sticky entitled "DWC Root Slime Cure aka How to Breed Beneficial Microbes" for instance, is outright bullshit. He says in his first sentence that, "When a clear snot forms on roots in a DWC…you probably have something called brown slime algae, which actually isn't algae at all, but a cyanobacteria. It loves oxygen and doesn't need light to grow.” Well, I Googled it and found that the exact opposite is true. Cyanobacteria IS algae. It's the same blue-green algae you find in pools and ponds the world over. Some blue-green algae blooms in the ocean are so big, they are visible from space. I'll admit that I have no fucking idea what causes root slime. Trust me though, neither does Heisenberg.
I've never labeled myself as a grow guru, for the record. Please provide sources for your claim that cyanobacteria is algae. My source says
"Because they are photosynthetic and aquatic, cyanobacteria are often called "blue-green algae". This name is convenient for talking about organisms in the water that make their own food, but does not reflect any relationship between the cyanobacteria and other organisms called algae. Cyanobacteria are relatives of the bacteria, not eukaryotes, and it is only the
chloroplast in eukaryotic algae to which the cyanobacteria are related."
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/cyanointro.html
Some grower's believe that a microbial tea is the answer. They argue that the "good guy microbes" within the tea will eat the "bad guys" mucking up your grow. Make no mistake; lots of growers do this and report great success. Brewing the tea appears to be a big friggin hassle though. First, you have to buy all the ingredients; worm shit, molasses, ZHO etc. Then brew the tea. Apparently, the tea has almost no shelf life, so if you go this route, you will be brewing this worm shit soup constantly. That will require a dedicated bucket, air pump and air stone set up also.
If the tea is too much hassle for you, then fair enough. No where do I claim that tea treatments are effortless, and they are meant to gain a measure of control, not to be a perpetual requirement for growing. Once an outbreak is handled, treatments are optional. Using laziness to support your point of view is not terrible persuasive.
To me, the very idea of introducing a brew made chiefly from worm shit and complex carbohydrates/sugars into my grow operation to combat a bacteria problem is just crazy. Conceptually. I can't get my mind around how trying to solve a bacterial infection/algae bloom with shit is the answer. Anybody else have trouble with this? The only thing I want growing in my op is weed.
An argument from incredulity. Just because you are unable to imagine something doesn't mean it's false. The concept of diversity and competition is what protects you from microbe infection on a daily basis. Your skin is covered in bacteria that help out compete pathogens, your mouth is full of bacteria that help displace decomposes, and "worm shit" is an integral part of any soil garden. If we shrugged off any concept which seems counter-intuitive to us, we would have to throw out the majority of scientific knowledge. Using your lack of imagination to support your point of view is not terribly persuasive.
Here is one example of how loss of diversity can lead to infection
.
"The team reports this week in the journal Science Translational Medicine that sinusitis may be linked to the loss of normal microbial diversity within the sinuses following an infection and the subsequent colonization of the sinuses by the culprit bacterium, which is called Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum." http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2012/09/12718/sinusitis-linked-microbial-diversity
The easiest, most cost effective way I have found to suppress root slime is to keep your DWC sterile using a few chemicals ideally suited for that purpose. I use an Iodophor sanitizer to clean and sterilize everything including my buckets, air stones, air lines, measuring tools and stir sticks at every res change. Iodophor is widely used as a sanitizer in the restaurant and brewing industries because its cheap, effective and fast. Just a two minute soak is all you need. It evaporates directly from liquid to gas as it dries and leaves no traces, tastes or odors. Then, I add a shot glass full (30 to 40 mils) of 35% strength H2O2 to each 5 gallon bucket (3 gallons of water) every 4 days. I have no slime issues and everything is always nice and clean.
I have always been very upfront that the tea is for those who have tried everything else and failed. Many outbreaks of slime are resistant to sterilizers, unless we add amounts that would also kill plants. There are some who would say brewing tea is easier than constantly cleaning every piece of equipment and the entire growroom. I myself would argue that those things should be done anyway, but your assertion that sterilization is easier than brewing tea is not universal.
Lots of guys talk about H2O2, but blow it off as ineffective. They use terms like "safe level" and "usual dose" but don't bother to explain what they think that a "safe level" or "usual dose" is. Has anyone ever seen a plant that suffered from too much H2O2? Me neither. I would argue that they are under using the product. H2O2 is not a one-off treatment. It will kill, on contact, both "good guy microbes" as well as the "bad guy microbes" but you have to continue to use it in order to derive any benefit.
Again, the tea is meant for situations where slime resists h202 treatments. If you think h202 treatments are not detrimental to plants, then cite your source. If you have never seen proper levels of h202 recommended, then I question how much effort you could have put into research. The use of h202 is a risk vs benefit call.
Has anyone ever seen a plant that suffered from too much H2O2? Me neither.
Using inexperience as support for your point of view is not terrible persuasive.
Lastly, who gives a fuck? Prokaryotes or Eukaryotes. Certain death awaits them both in my grow room.
The entire reason you mentioned cyanobacteria was to correct what you thought was a factual error. You were wrong, and now your defense is that facts don't matter? Using a double standard to support your point of view is not terribly persuasive.