I GOTTA LOSE THE AIR PUMPS! HOW?! Plus my awesome mini DWC :)

Aqua Man

Well-Known Member
That sucks Myke! I’ve battled root rot before & its a bitch...lost a few plants in late flower, so now I go balls out to avoid it.
I added a chiller & dropped my water temps to 65°, started adding HydroGuard weekly, upgraded to a 1000gph pump & even set-up my water chiller so it creates a 2nd waterfall into my control station...& I do water exchanges every 10 days or less. I’ve had no more root issues since.

Earlier this week I exchanged my waterfall spigots to sprinkler heads in one of my RDWC systems. I set it up this way for seedlings with tiny roots that aren’t really ready for an RDWC. To test it out, I put half my seedlings in the RDWC & the other half in an Ebb & Flow and I can already tell a huge difference in just a few days. I’ll attach a few picks...

View attachment 4432270View attachment 4432271
Water temps have nothing to do with root rot.
 

Aqua Man

Well-Known Member
Ya maybe switching half way through wasn’t the best idea.i added H2o2 also a few days ago. The curled leaf could be from that not sure first time using. 3% at 3ml/l. The one pail had the roots almost floating above the water line. Weird normally there under water.
I’ve had luck with the enzymes komplete stuff. I’m in Canada so not sure what others choices I have. Pool shock is on my radar but every store I go to doesn’t have the small bag.
3% h2o2 from the pharmacy is not good to use it has a buncha other added shit. You can get 29% food grade at most hydro shops. Use 1ml per gal but dilute it by at least 10x before adding to the Rez. It will keep it in check but not likely to cure it. You will need to add it every 3days.

Hydrogaurd is about $90 a quart on Amazon in Canadian. I'm also in Canada.you cannot use it with h2o2 as it will kill the bacteria in hydrogaurd.

Take tap water daily and temp adjust it add 3ml/gal 29% h2o2. Rinse roots gently getting as much of the slime and brown off as possible. In a separate container

It will get worse before it gets better... If it gets better.

I suggest following that h2o2 info I gave ya with enzymes in the future or

Hydrogaurd with enzymes in the future. As prevention.

It's beatable but there is no guarantee.
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
So much bullshit spread about pythium dude. Its damaged or unhealthy root system that have the biggest risk of infection. A good healthy root system in a live or sterile system are the best defence. It's not temperature or dissolved oxygen. It's root health. Yes both contribute to root health but the ideal temp for growth in hydro is actually 75-77f. The low temps are run to slow microbial metabolism lowering reproduce rates. Don't by into the bullshit of anaerobic bacteria etc. Pythium is neither a bacteria nor fungus.. it's a fungus like organism called oomycete
I beg to differ. I've seen absolutely EXPLOSIVE growth at 66°F water temps raising humidity in the tent massively and them drinking each, over a half gallon a day out of the system. 8 sites, 4-5gallon refills daily. Usually just did 15-20 every 3-4 days.
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
Well after 4 days of removing my air stones and up sizing my pump I have root rot. Came home today to leaves curled up at the ends and sure enough my white roots are all brown.So back in with the air stones and some enzymes komplete. Hopefully I can turn them around. My guess is the water level was a bit high so just not enough for the waterfalls to create enough air??
If your pump is SUBMERSIBLE and you increased the size, that's your problem. The most IMPORTANT thing if running beneficial and potentially higher water temps, is to keep the water still AS COOL AS POSSIBLE. So make sure to plumb in an outlet of an inch or so, 3/4" should work at the bottom of your res to pull water from the res to an INLINE pump that actually sits outside in the open air to cool off. Not in your water. Pumps intake horizontally and exit vertically so have it go up and connect to the waterfalls manifold. This will help immensely. At @Axion42 has had success this way. Maybe post that pic buddy?
 

Aqua Man

Well-Known Member
I beg to differ. I've seen absolutely EXPLOSIVE growth at 66°F water temps raising humidity in the tent massively and them drinking each, over a half gallon a day out of the system. 8 sites, 4-5gallon refills daily. Usually just did 15-20 every 3-4 days.
Are you suggesting I'm lying? Did I say you can't get good growth at 65f... Why so defensive. It's not a simple as water temps of 65f and upping humidity. Stop the bro science BS.

Fact: under ideal VPD and environmental factors you will get better growth with 75-77f water temps.

Fact: water temp has nothing to do with pythium... More bro science BS.

Fact: I run a live system at 74f... What's your point? Explain to me how temps make a difference to pythium. Expecting more bro science.

Fact: 4-5 gal daily is a fucking joke in 8 sites. I run 4 in a sealed CO2 supplemented room and top up over 5 gal a day after 4 week veg.
 

Aqua Man

Well-Known Member
This is exactly why I stopped posting here. Sooo much bro science and just dick swinging. Look at me, look at my roots, look at my plants... Therefore I am right. FFS try actually scientific info for once. It easy to do and results are better than you might think.

Nope to busy pushing waterfalls the end all cure all to everything right? Hmm pythium just struck in a waterfall system. Waterfalls work great.. so do airstones. Pythium doesn't give a shit which one.

Then your telling ppl to build 3" return lines on a 4 site system. Fucking clueless... Just fucking clueless.
 

Keesje

Well-Known Member
This is exactly why I stopped posting here. Sooo much bro science and just dick swinging. Look at me, look at my roots, look at my plants... Therefore I am right. FFS try actually scientific info for once. It easy to do and results are better than you might think.
Although I agree with you that a lot of people here don't understand science, and that there is a lack on analytical thinking... I don't agree with the reason you stopped posting here.
I also read a lot of BS, but I do try (although it sometimes feels like fighting a loosing battle) to explain things over and over again.
Especially BroScience is hard to get rid off, and some people are on this forum 24/7 to spread their nonsense.

For example the whole discussion about 'you have to keep your res cold, because cold water holds more DO'. In itself it is true, but it is irrelevant.
Or 'roots need a lower temperature, because in nature it is always cold under the surface of the soil.' Right, there are no plants growing in Africa or SE Asia, where 80 - 85 degrees 3 feet under the surface are no exception. :)
About root rot that 'it can not happen with lower temperatures'. Root rot (and us amateurs can hardly tell one from the other) can have different causes. Even a cold environment can cause a disease (Phytophthora). Another one, Rhizoctonia Solani thrives the best at 60-65 degrees. Thielaviiopsis Basicolaome grows well at temperatures of 77-83 degrees but can infect the plants more easily at temperatures of 59 -65 degrees.
So keeping your reservoir cold can cause problems as well.
Root rot does no occur exclusively in hydro-systems. Also in other systems. In greenhouses they use Rockwool slabs. Temperatures of 70-75-80 inside those slabs are no exceptions. Do they have more root rot because these slabs are warm? Nope.

So @Aqua Man Please don't stop posting here on this forum.
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
Are you suggesting I'm lying? Did I say you can't get good growth at 65f... Why so defensive. It's not a simple as water temps of 65f and upping humidity. Stop the bro science BS.

Fact: under ideal VPD and environmental factors you will get better growth with 75-77f water temps.

Fact: water temp has nothing to do with pythium... More bro science BS.

Fact: I run a live system at 74f... What's your point? Explain to me how temps make a difference to pythium. Expecting more bro science.

Fact: 4-5 gal daily is a fucking joke in 8 sites. I run 4 in a sealed CO2 supplemented room and top up over 5 gal a day after 4 week veg.
Start your own thread K?
 

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
This is exactly why I stopped posting here. Sooo much bro science and just dick swinging. Look at me, look at my roots, look at my plants... Therefore I am right. FFS try actually scientific info for once. It easy to do and results are better than you might think.

Nope to busy pushing waterfalls the end all cure all to everything right? Hmm pythium just struck in a waterfall system. Waterfalls work great.. so do airstones. Pythium doesn't give a shit which one.

Then your telling ppl to build 3" return lines on a 4 site system. Fucking clueless... Just fucking clueless.
Go be angry somewhere else. You're crampin the bro science style.
 

Keesje

Well-Known Member
When I was referring to people who are on the forum 24/7 to spread unscientific things, I meant mainly you, Airwalker 16.
Although you do your best to help people, which I respect, you are at some points just wrong.
But you bring your 'knowledge' like facts.
Even when they show you evidence that you are wrong, you just ignore it, and just go to another thread and start all over again.
You were the one who said "You act like underneath the soil of the earth it's a toasty 72*F+ for roots. No. It's more like 60-65 and even colder the deeper you go."
When I showed you that it is untrue, and that this is not the case in Africa where crops grow, you stayed silence.
In another thread Growmau5 who is seen as an authority on 'led' also proved you wrong and accused you of spreading nonsense about led.

I did not mention your name in my earlier post, because there was no need for that.
But now, how I see you respond to Aqua Man...
Talking to @Aqua Man like that is showing arrogance and ignorance from your side.
And by doing so, you are more proving him right about being 'clueless'.
 
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Keesje

Well-Known Member
If you don't see what the fuss is about, then read again.
It is about different points of view about res temperature.
If you want to grow big buds you have to optimize your system and how you handle things.
Temperature, root rot, all important things.
 

Sdh777

Well-Known Member
I get all that. And not that I was even on the receiving end, but I just go to political forums when I wanna be a dick...but that’s all in good fun.
 

Aqua Man

Well-Known Member
Although I agree with you that a lot of people here don't understand science, and that there is a lack on analytical thinking... I don't agree with the reason you stopped posting here.
I also read a lot of BS, but I do try (although it sometimes feels like fighting a loosing battle) to explain things over and over again.
Especially BroScience is hard to get rid off, and some people are on this forum 24/7 to spread their nonsense.

For example the whole discussion about 'you have to keep your res cold, because cold water holds more DO'. In itself it is true, but it is irrelevant.
Or 'roots need a lower temperature, because in nature it is always cold under the surface of the soil.' Right, there are no plants growing in Africa or SE Asia, where 80 - 85 degrees 3 feet under the surface are no exception. :)
About root rot that 'it can not happen with lower temperatures'. Root rot (and us amateurs can hardly tell one from the other) can have different causes. Even a cold environment can cause a disease (Phytophthora). Another one, Rhizoctonia Solani thrives the best at 60-65 degrees. Thielaviiopsis Basicolaome grows well at temperatures of 77-83 degrees but can infect the plants more easily at temperatures of 59 -65 degrees.
So keeping your reservoir cold can cause problems as well.
Root rot does no occur exclusively in hydro-systems. Also in other systems. In greenhouses they use Rockwool slabs. Temperatures of 70-75-80 inside those slabs are no exceptions. Do they have more root rot because these slabs are warm? Nope.

So @Aqua Man Please don't stop posting here on this forum.
Your one of the members here posting real info and there are plenty that do. It's sooo frustrating watching people being given BS misinformation that makes no sense and that costs them hard earned money then blaming them using some stupid reason just to make yourself look right. I make my share of mistakes. But I'm especially careful when doing something that cost people money. It's not about being right it's about getting people the right information not being right and self serving.

I'm glad @Airwalker16 thinks it's a joke that he has cost someone money and given them garbage info and excuses. Is it the waterfall that caused root rot .. nope and do they work... Yes.
 

Keesje

Well-Known Member
Totally agree!

I also made my mistakes (and still do)
In the beginning (long time ago :) ) I listened to the guys in the GS and fellowgrowers.
Costed me a lot of money.
Then I started reading scientific papers (there are a lot of those) and started visiting professional greenhouses.
There are hundreds of them where I live and some of them are open to the public.
These guys know their shit, and when you tell them for example about a chiller used in totally normal temperatures, they can't stop laughing.

But again: I sure you hope you will keep on posting here.
It is for guys like you, @Renfro , @homebrewer , @klx , @Randomblame and many others who give valid information, al on different subject and with their own field of expertise, that I visit this forum.
 

Aqua Man

Well-Known Member
Totally agree!

I also made my mistakes (and still do)
In the beginning (long time ago :) ) I listened to the guys in the GS and fellowgrowers.
Costed me a lot of money.
Then I started reading scientific papers (there are a lot of those) and started visiting professional greenhouses.
There are hundreds of them where I live and some of them are open to the public.
These guys know their shit, and when you tell them for example about a chiller used in totally normal temperatures, they can't stop laughing.

But again: I sure you hope you will keep on posting here.
It is for guys like you, @Renfro , @homebrewer , @klx , @Randomblame and many others who give valid information, al on different subject and with their own field of expertise, that I visit this forum.
Kind words man. I agree the best practices and I feel info come from general gardening practices and scientific studies. The best thing a person can do is educate themselves on general gardening in the media they use, plant process and the microbiology of different media. That's enough to be able to spend a lifetime reading in itself. Plant processes is where people are going to make the leap from knowing doing x,y,z creates a,b,c to understanding why. The why is always important. If someone can't explain the why to you then need to question the info or look into it yourself.
 

myke

Well-Known Member
Well didnt mean to start a war,I dont think the WF caused my issue.I changed to WF because I was having an issue with one strain,appears to always have a Ca def.Thought maybe the air stone was the cause as Ive tried many other changes.New pump was out of the rez so not a heat issue.
I did at the same time start adding silica also h2o2,ontop of that I got a new ph pen thats seems to be out to lunch.Ive since changed the water to give it a good flush.
I thank all of you for helping on this forum,I hope to continue to read the great information well into the new year.
Ill post some pics later today so you can see what Im seeing.HAGD.
 
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