Cloudy water in res

C

Coco-garden

Well-Known Member
Hello so I’ve decided to get a drip system (the bucket company). My last grow I would notice my nutrients would get cloudy after a few days and ph would jump way up. The water was in a old gallon water jug. It was clear and at room temp so without having a drip system I just decided to mix what I needed for the day.

well after getting the buckets I’m having the same problem. My res is a 5 gallon black bucket with lid and I also run a chiller which the pump is continuously on. What’s going on hear and why is the water getting cloudy? No light,water movement, and cool water I thought for sure would fix it. Would something like hydroguard fix this issue? Any helpis appreciated. O btw I’m using canna coco full line.
 
jondamon

jondamon

Well-Known Member
Coco-garden said:
Hello so I’ve decided to get a drip system (the bucket company). My last grow I would notice my nutrients would get cloudy after a few days and ph would jump way up. The water was in a old gallon water jug. It was clear and at room temp so without having a drip system I just decided to mix what I needed for the day.

well after getting the buckets I’m having the same problem. My res is a 5 gallon black bucket with lid and I also run a chiller which the pump is continuously on. What’s going on hear and why is the water getting cloudy? No light,water movement, and cool water I thought for sure would fix it. Would something like hydroguard fix this issue? Any helpis appreciated. O btw I’m using canna coco full line.
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Have you got any water agitation?

I have a circulation pump always running in my reservoir.

I fit it low and point it up to the surface to agitate the surfacE water.

If this cloudiness is happening as soon as you mix then I would suggest you look at what and how you’re mixing them.

for example if you add Si to your nutrients it can cloud up.

but if you add Si first to plain water then pH and add nutrients Then pH again it should be fine.

Also when adding things like part A and B too quickly it can cloud up etc.
 
calvin.m16

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
Air stones used to cloud up my large mixed nutrient reservoirs, it's the different chemicals in the fertilizer reacting with another I imagine. I never had issues with plants that were fed the cloudy solution and never really had a solution to it.

I've tried just mixing A&B bases and it still clouds with multiple brands of fertilizer.

I wouldn't worry about it personally. I've never had nutrient reservoirs that don't cloud up a little after 24-48 hours even when not using things like Potassium Silicate (Common form of Silica).
 
jondamon

jondamon

Well-Known Member
calvin.m16 said:
Air stones used to cloud up my large mixed nutrient reservoirs, it's the different chemicals in the fertilizer reacting with another I imagine. I never had issues with plants that were fed the cloudy solution and never really had a solution to it.

I've tried just mixing A&B bases and it still clouds with multiple brands of fertilizer.

I wouldn't worry about it personally. I've never had nutrient reservoirs that don't cloud up a little after 24-48 hours even when not using things like Potassium Silicate (Common form of Silica).
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I’ve seen clouds occur for 1 of 2 reasons.

1. Silica/other nutrients reacting together due to dilution ratio or mixing errors.

2. Bacterial blooms - organic compounds causing cloudiness.
 
calvin.m16

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
jondamon said:
I’ve seen clouds occur for 1 of 2 reasons.

1. Silica/other nutrients reacting together due to dilution ratio or mixing errors.

2. Bacterial blooms - organic compounds causing cloudiness.
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You know thinking back when I used UC Roots in my reservoirs when I tried & epically failed @ DWC the reservoirs didn't get the white cloudiness as fast, maybe it's #2 for me. I'm using RO water but I guess from what I've studied certain organic compounds can make their way through still. My starting water is well water so no chlorine to kill off any bad guys, very possibly the issue..
 
bk78

bk78

Well-Known Member
jondamon said:
I’ve seen clouds occur for 1 of 2 reasons.

1. Silica/other nutrients reacting together due to dilution ratio or mixing errors.

2. Bacterial blooms - organic compounds causing cloudiness.
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Most definitely never caused by a damn air stone, that’s for sure.
 
jondamon

jondamon

Well-Known Member
bk78 said:
Most definitely never caused by a damn air stone, that’s for sure.
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Well in theory it could be but you’d have to have one hell of an air stone lol.

Reason I say this is if you take a clear eliquid and shake the fuck out of it, it appears cloudy while the bubbles settle lol.
 
C

Coco-garden

Well-Known Member
I think it was due to not using an air stone or pump. I added an air stone in yest and it seems to have gotten better and ph hasn’t been jumping like it was. I have it hooked to one of those smaller chillers from Amazon I think I paid 200 for it and thought with that pump constantly being on it would move the water enough but I guess not. I’m mixing a new batch tmr and will see if it happens again.
 
C

Coco-garden

Well-Known Member
Seems to have happened again even with the airstone. I run drain to waste in coco. Has anyone had any experience with mammoth p and if it will help keep it clean? Or has anyone tried any products like UC roots I don’t mind taken a sterile approach.
 
Jjgrow420

Jjgrow420

Well-Known Member
Coco-garden said:
Seems to have happened again even with the airstone. I run drain to waste in coco. Has anyone had any experience with mammoth p and if it will help keep it clean? Or has anyone tried any products like UC roots I don’t mind taken a sterile approach.
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Try an aquarium UV sterilizer light and ditch the airstone. A good powerhead or wavemaker seems to do the trick. The UV light will stop bacterial blooms which is generally the reason the water clouds up. Sometimes certain nutes just cloud up no matter what you do. I found maxigrow/bloom stayed pretty clear as well as floraflex. GH trio is fine too. Good luck
 
Jjgrow420

Jjgrow420

Well-Known Member
Coco-garden said:
UV sterilizers are expensive though. Would Hydroguard or anything like that work for the meantime?
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You can find one for around 30-50 bucks try to aim for 15+w in a bigger res or around 10w in a smaller one. Works like a charm. Used to run it in a timer now I just run it 24/7
 
C

Coco-garden

Well-Known Member
Jjgrow420 said:
You can find one for around 30-50 bucks try to aim for 15+w in a bigger res or around 10w in a smaller one. Works like a charm. Used to run it in a timer now I just run it 24/7
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O no shit I thought that they would be way more expensive. My setup is small so I only have a 5 gallon res so I imagine it doesn’t need to be to big.
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
You need to keep the nutrient solution in the reservoir moving. I use a cheap $10 pond pump on the bottom to keep it circulating. I use Blumats and just keep adding fresh nutrient solution as the level goes down. I never get any cloudiness. I just use base nutrients and no additives. No Mammoth P, Heavy D or or Sunny D. As long as you keep it circulating and don't dump too much stuff in it you shouldn't have any problems. You don't need silica and all that stuff anyway.

For a recirculating reservoir running sterile using bleach or pool shock will keep your res clear. You still need constant circulation though. You can't let your reservoir sit stagnant with the exception of a few growing methods like SIP's.


Photo's a little blurry but the solution was crystal clear except for the yellow tint from the micronutrient blend. You can see on the side salt buildup from the reservoir level going down but the solution is clear. You don't need any fancy contraptions or products.

 
C

Coco-garden

Well-Known Member
xtsho said:
You need to keep the nutrient solution in the reservoir moving. I use a cheap $10 pond pump on the bottom to keep it circulating. I use Blumats and just keep adding fresh nutrient solution as the level goes down. I never get any cloudiness. I just use base nutrients and no additives. No Mammoth P, Heavy D or or Sunny D. As long as you keep it circulating and don't dump too much stuff in it you shouldn't have any problems. You don't need silica and all that stuff anyway.

For a recirculating reservoir running sterile using bleach or pool shock will keep your res clear. You still need constant circulation though. You can't let your reservoir sit stagnant with the exception of a few growing methods like SIP's.


Photo's a little blurry but the solution was crystal clear except for the yellow tint from the micronutrient blend. You can see on the side salt buildup from the reservoir level going down but the solution is clear. You don't need any fancy contraptions or products.

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I added a pump cleaned everything and still having the same issue. I soaked everything in bleach then rinsed it out came back the next morn and water was cloudy. I also have some type of slim in there which I’m assuming is Bactria. I got some mammoth p on the way I’ll see if this will help. Hopefully by adding some bennies It will help my situation.
 
bk78

bk78

Well-Known Member
Coco-garden said:
I added a pump cleaned everything and still having the same issue. I soaked everything in bleach then rinsed it out came back the next morn and water was cloudy. I also have some type of slim in there which I’m assuming is Bactria. I got some mammoth p on the way I’ll see if this will help. Hopefully by adding some bennies It will help my situation.
Click to expand...
Are you using silica?
 
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