DWC Stealth Hydro - Nute Solution - brown foam / ph rises +1

Hello, my setup is:
4 gallon Stealth Hydro DWC
2 85 watt compact fluorescents (flowering and grow)
Stealth Hydro Grow and Flower Nutes
GH Flora Shield


After about 2 weeks, my first change of nutrient solution, plants looked great and grew very fast. However, after the nutrient solution change, problems have started. I set the PH at about 5.5-6, every evening its back to 7-7.5, the solution started to foam and a brown residue formed, inside the tank its a mess - brown foam and residue, smells like an old aquarium. Reading the sites, this sounds like a algae or similar problem, so i flushed and cleansed with bleach and added GH Flora shield. I continue to have the PH issues, set to 5.5 it runs up to 7-7.5 after 12 hours, and the tank is starting to smell and i suspect will have issues again with foaming and brown residue. Because of this i think the plants are starting to suffer, see pictures (yellow leaves on the bottom). I contacted stealth hydro they said change the water (i used tap water) to distilled. Also, i was running about 800PPM, it tends to go down over time. But the foaming, brown algae, and severe PH rises I can't get seem to address. Anyone have some advice? thx in advance.

Rez is too small. WHats the temp of your rez solution ? Your pH will rise with that 3 gallon rez, quickly. Root rot it sounds like, thats when the water smells like shit.

I'd do a rez change, scrub that rez clean, squeaky clean. Then I'd run straight ph'd (5.6 or so) water and Flora Shield for about 3 days. Watch your pH closely. Then do about 1/4 strength SuperThrive, and 1/2 strength Flora Kleen.

NO NUTES for now. With pH drifting that high you are having nute lockout anyways.


Oh, and COVER the top of the netpots. Light shining on the tops of the pots does nothing but cause you grief.

Keep us posted, and best of luck.

b0nger

What Bonger said.... :thumbsup:

'HOUND!!!!!!!! Great to see ya 'round. Hope all is well out yer way.

We gots to get Quinn on track here. If ya got anything to suggest or I have missed, by all means please speak up.



Talk later,
b0nger

thx for the advice! i just bought another tub, so 2 plants per 4 gallon tub. The water temp is about 72 degrees.

disclaimer: noob grower, do not listen to below post:

light will get through that blue res wall. paint it black, then coat it 4 more times, then wrap it in black duct tape.

also clean and bleach the hell out of it.

i'd go buy your res worth of RO or Distilled water from the store too, it could be bad tap water.

Then for a few days it might be a good idea to add some H2O2 for a few days.

--edit, i just bumped an old unanswered post, oops.

sorry :D