White foam, cloudy water... again!

Mr.Miguardi

Member
Hi,
I had this same problem in my last grow, white foam on top and cloudy/milky water (posted -> here <- some month ago)
Cleaned all the system with water and bleach, removed all organic nute but after some days again some white foam on top, luckily it disappear after some days and water still clear for all the time until harvest.

Now in my 2nd grow (same system, same nute, same strain) i'm facing the same problem, water started to become cloudy and milky, no Ph change this time.
Added a 120 mesh filter on the system and it's now full of foam that accumulate here and no more in the buckets.
I can see some white "powder" on the bucket's wall and appear white and milky
Added some h2o2 yesterday with no luck, today i added a very little bit of bleach (around 1 bottle cap in 75L system)
This problem seems to appear every time in the same growing stage when the root start to touch the water surface (around days 15/18 for me) but there is absolutely no organic part in my system, no light penetrate inside the bucket and with the same config in my last grow i runned my system with the same water, no water change until harvest, clear and cristalline water untile the end.

What can this be? Can this be some sort of "water adaptation" since last time it disappeared by himself?
 

Mr_X

Well-Known Member
its probably the water itself.
the water main supply line may be going through repairs causing change in pressure. the milky water is due to oxygen bubbles from the change in pressure or you might live in a hard water area which can cause limescale buildup in your pipes.
 

Mr.Miguardi

Member
Do you run a sterile rez?
yes sterile res, well cleaned after the harvest before putting new seed.

In my last grow, because of a similar problem one of my young plant decided to let die all the root and regrowing new one, i saved her by water + root stimulator injection in the rockwool but it was nearly dead.
So i'm watching this new problem very closely
 

Mr_X

Well-Known Member
fill a clean glass with water from the water fixture you use. let the water sit for a few minutes and see if there is a cloudy build up. do this for multiple fixtures in your place. if there is, its probably your bureau's water supply.
 
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Mr_X

Well-Known Member
minerals or oxygen bubbles are causing the discoloration. you don't need to worry about minerals hurting your plants. as long as its not bacteria that could cause root rot.
 

Mr.Miguardi

Member
I have a bottle filled with water from the same source and still clear after some days sitting on a shelf. i see no milky water sign.
Anyway there are 3 possible cause.
1) my faucet drips a bit so i placed a bucket to collet the wasted water, maybe some bacteria are growed there? but i don't remeber to have used that water for the system since plant are young andare basically not drinking;
2) I have folioar feeded some plain water with a single drop of root stim. this one it's the one of the organic nute that cause problem in the last grow.
Maybe some of that water flowed in the bucket? but it's a very small quantity i think to create this problem;
3) changed my clay pebbles in this grow, i washed and rinsed multiple time but maybe some dirt falled in the water due to the root growth?;

Anyway i still watching and dropping some h2o2 for security reason.
Thx at all for now for the suggetion!
 

Mr_X

Well-Known Member
as long as your roots are completely submerged in water with air bubbles, you shouldn't have root rot problems.
bacteria needs these things to survive: a food source (roots), oxygen, warm temperature, and moisture. if you don't fill your reservoir all the way and your roots are exposed to air for a long period of time, bacteria colonies will emerge because the exposed roots supply the bacteria with oxygen and your roots are moist for it to colonize and feed on.
 

HydoDan

Well-Known Member
yes sterile res, well cleaned after the harvest before putting new seed.

In my last grow, because of a similar problem one of my young plant decided to let die all the root and regrowing new one, i saved her by water + root stimulator injection in the rockwool but it was nearly dead.
So i'm watching this new problem very closely
Do you add bleach to your nutrient solution? Or did you just sterilize your equipment?
Make $2200 worth of "Clear Rez" for $4 !!! | Rollitup
 

Mr.Miguardi

Member
After the harvest i usually remove all the water, clean and scrub all the bucket then i fill with a bit of water and bleach and leave the pump on for 24h to recirculate and sterilize all the hidden part like tube and valves.
This morning instead i added a bottle cap of bleach in the nutrient solution, it's not something i usually do but i've i know it can be done.
 

Mr.Miguardi

Member
I will try to inform about pool shock (or similar product that i can found in my country)
Anyway i checked the situation after 12 h, no Ph fluctation, water are the same a little bit cloudy and milky.
No sign of new foam in the filter, res tank are a bit cloudy and plant bucket seems a little bit clear, no root damage, no foam but only a bit of white "powder like" things on the wall of the bucket but same quantity of this morning.
ppm a little bit higher (10ppm) but i added h2o2 and bleach.
 
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