water starts smelling fishy after about five days

i have a home made flood and drain system set up, not enough $ to set up any timers or pumps so i water twice daily manually by pouring the water into the pots i have setup with a hole in the bottom plugged untill i drain back into the jugs.
well after about 3-5 days the water starts to smell fishy, ive checked ph and i mix everything right, i use fox farm grow big and big bloom nutes. please help me i feel like i have to waste a lot because i have to dump it out and make more water

What medium are you using... hydroton, coco, etc? Also do you realize that a flood and drain uses an air pump w/ airstone to pump air into the nutrient solution while it sits in the reservoir?

yeah i know thats how its supposed to work but i dont have the money for that kind of setup so any solutions or causes of this problem? btw i use hydrodon

An airstone is a must. Your water is stale,and is going to become toxic to your plants. Get a $3.00 airstone, and a $20 aquarium air pump. If you don't have $23, your in the wrong business bro.

Plus, the pump you need to run the table is like $50, and $10 for tubing, another $15 for fittings, and a multiple daily setting timer for $25. I fill every 2 hrs for 20 mins all the time.

You're defeating the purpose of having your system...plus, isn't fox farm organic? I've never heard of someone using organic nutes in a hydro system. Maybe I just missed that boat.

idk, it works pretty good but after i make some money i plan to get all that stuff and some better nutes, i guess ill just try to drop an airstone in each jug for now, already have the air pump, stones and tubing

Also hopefully you know this but dont let any light get to the nutrient solution for longer than a few minutes. If you have 3% hydrogen peroxide you may want to add a cap or two to every gallon before your next watering to remove any slime that may be hiding in your system.

until you get the air stone, put just the tube from the pump into your jug. Not as good as an air stone but it's better than nothing. Try the Technaflora recipe for success Kit. Workin awesome and it's got it all!!!

ok i completely spaced on the light thing, and i foumd my pump and stone but no tubing lol, u think wrapping the jugs in black duct tape would help a lot

If thats all you have its better than nothing although duct tape is fibrous and not completely light proof so I would just use some black trash bags for now. Foil tape works well to seal out light it costs $5-10. Hydrogen peroxide can help a lot in very small doses like I mentioned in my last post but its not a permanent fix. Regardless I would do something about the light ASAP and go get some $3 aquarium hose.

IF

doctor.j said:

i have a home made flood and drain system set up, not enough $ to set up any timers or pumps so i water twice daily manually by pouring the water into the pots i have setup with a hole in the bottom plugged untill i drain back into the jugs.
well after about 3-5 days the water starts to smell fishy, ive checked ph and i mix everything right, i use fox farm grow big and big bloom nutes. please help me i feel like i have to waste a lot because i have to dump it out and make more water

Click to expand...

Yeah, it's definitely because your water is standing. You need to get some motion in there.

You can get everything you need for a airstone at Meijers for around $10. If all you need is tubing I believe most Meijers sell at least 8'-10' for a buck or two. Or, if you want to get even more frugal, you can head over to Ace Hardware and they should have 1/4" tubing for about 14¢/ft.

bowlfullofbliss said:

...plus, isn't fox farm organic? I've never heard of someone using organic nutes in a hydro system. Maybe I just missed that boat.

Click to expand...

Yeah, they definitely make organic hydro nutes


~ooli~

ok thank yall for the advice btw im thinking about ditching the ff, what do you guys suggest as something better

Dont blame the nutes for your own lack of a proper system. Would you want people to stop smokin your buds just because they didnt know how to inhale? Fox farms is a well respected brand. Yes it is true that synthetic nutes are easier to deal with for a beginner but use up your ff and learn a few things before you try something else.

Personally I use Advanced Nutrients Organic line which I buy in one PACKAGE. I feel no other products can touch this combo[I cheat and use synthetic bloom boosters too] but I am a bud snob and I expect only the best taste and medicine quality plus I need enough yield to get my by so I dont have to spend big bucks at the dispensary. Besides their high performance, AN is known for their schemes I just have found that the package I get isnt one of them. It lasts me through 2 grows so the added quality and yield more than pays for itself.

If you want an easy nute line to work with go with General Hydroponics and try using the Lucas formula. I've heard of people going through an entire veg or bloom cycle never changing out the res just topping off with new nute water. They dont cost much any they perform almost as well as AN.

Peace,
IF

no no no i wasn't blaming the nutes for anything i just feel that something like gh has more to offer, the plants have been doing great i never water with that slimy water i get new jugs and everything when it happens