Foam in my res could really use some help

C

chief greenleaf

Member
Whats happenin RIU, as some of ya might know this is my first run in hydro and everything has been goin fine but when I went to check the PH/PPM of the res I noticed a bunch of sudsy lookin foam and what kinda looked like yeast floating around with it. The foam is white/clear and really looks a lot like soap suds and the other stuff is yellow/tan and was floating on the surface amongst the foam.
Im running an ebb & flow system w/a 20 gal res. PH stays between 5.2-6.2 and the water temp is steady at 67 deg. Im in the first week of bloom. Im using the complete Advanced Connoisseur Line:
A&B, Mother Earth Tea, Bud Candy, SensiZyme, Voodoo, Piranha, Tarantula, Bud Blood, Rhino Skin, and Bud Factor X.

Ive been reading up on foam in the res and I think it could be from the introduction of beneficial bacteria. Ive read that foam can be normal and cause no problems at all and Ive read that its very bad! Ive also read that using a strong air pump can cause foam build up. Im using a 40 gal air pump with 2 10 inch long air stones.

Ive been growin for a long time now but like I said this is my first run in hydro so a lot of hydro specific problems are pretty new ta me.
ANY help yall can shoot my way would be greatly appreciated!

Let me know if I need ta add any more info on set up etc. to help in solving this problem.
 
Moochbuds

Moochbuds

Active Member
I had the same probs, went to a smaller dose of nutes, Cleaned tank, made sure PH was 5.5. The biggest help was

blocking the light from the tubs, if the light gets to the water causes the water to get warm, mold, and fungas. clean it,

start over. I also put CLEAN gloves on and stir it up the next day after adding any nutes or water. The changes i made are

all in my grow journal, more than welcome to go check it out hope i can help ya out. +rep is always nice ;)
 
S

smokeydoesitagain

Member
hi chief, don't know much about your nutes ? but, if there is a mix of chemical and organic nutes in the res this could be the cause. the two don't mix well and will give you foaming, and a rank smell. this could eventually rot your roots. are you currently using all those nutes at the same time ?
smokey
 
C

chief greenleaf

Member
Well guys it looks like I was worried over nothin. I got in touch with Advanced and my buddy that runs a local grow shop who's been usin AN since they first came out and they both said the exact same thing. AN uses a wetting agent in their base nutrient which causes a sudsy foam build up that looks like you dumped dish soap in the res! Bud Factor X, Scorpion Juice, Voodoo Juice, Wet Betty (obviously) and a few other AN products are notorious for causing foam in the res, especially when using a strong air pump/air stone. My dude also told me that as long as your res doesnt smell rotten or sour foam is a good thing, its a sign of a high level of dissolved oxygen in the water which the roots love. BUT if your res has a rotten smell along with foamy build up that usually means youve got an algae or fungus problem. I was a little skep of ANs answer just because I feel like if one of their products was causing problems in peoples gardens they might just be tellin people its normal ta avoid having to refund our money ya know. But Ive been dealin with my buddy for years and he's def proven himself worthy and honest so I have no doubt that his info is accurate. Besides he uses the same AN line that I do and he described how my res looked to a T before I even went into detail about how it looked!
So I guess the moral of the story is dont freak out if youve got foam in your res, especailly if your usin AN!
 
method1020

method1020

Member
So, I have the same thing. BAsically, there is a molasses in the bud candy, and when you mix that with beneficial bacteria, it gives the bacteria energy to EXPLODE. They do use a mild wetting agent, but I am sure you are using aeration with acts as a bubbler which stimulates and churns the stuff. basically, there are certain products that should NOT BE USED with certain types of systems. I learned this the hard way by combining scorpion and bud candy AND liquid carbo load. SSO,, I gave it tons of a sugar base with mad amount of bacteria and I am using aeroponic. You should call there tech center pronto tomorrow and tell them exactly whats what. They will put you on a schedule. The reps are not, I repeat ARE NOT letting the retailers the proper info. Their money back guarantee label on the sides of the bottles and more importantly the PH and PPM secure products, where they are PPM and PH set. No more worrying, BULLSHIT> They havent hit the market yet.

Yeppers its true. Call and ask to speak to someone in the marketing or sales dept and they wil tell you that for months they have been leading people to believe that. My ph went to 11.7. The products should be ready soon,

But for your problem, change res every 6-7 days as said, and call before and you will most prob have to return and get some products rfunded or use for soil. Nothing aerated.
 
kali love

kali love

Active Member
chief greenleaf said:
Well guys it looks like I was worried over nothin. I got in touch with Advanced and my buddy that runs a local grow shop who's been usin AN since they first came out and they both said the exact same thing. AN uses a wetting agent in their base nutrient which causes a sudsy foam build up that looks like you dumped dish soap in the res! Bud Factor X, Scorpion Juice, Voodoo Juice, Wet Betty (obviously) and a few other AN products are notorious for causing foam in the res, especially when using a strong air pump/air stone. My dude also told me that as long as your res doesnt smell rotten or sour foam is a good thing, its a sign of a high level of dissolved oxygen in the water which the roots love. BUT if your res has a rotten smell along with foamy build up that usually means youve got an algae or fungus problem. I was a little skep of ANs answer just because I feel like if one of their products was causing problems in peoples gardens they might just be tellin people its normal ta avoid having to refund our money ya know. But Ive been dealin with my buddy for years and he's def proven himself worthy and honest so I have no doubt that his info is accurate. Besides he uses the same AN line that I do and he described how my res looked to a T before I even went into detail about how it looked!
So I guess the moral of the story is dont freak out if youve got foam in your res, especailly if your usin AN!
Click to expand...
cheif i was possibly thinking algae when you were talkuing about foam but i am glad it is not and you cfound that it is something beneficial and hopw is your lop going my friend how many u got in the 2x4 tray again
 
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