Question about Bubbleponics Setup: what is this slime?

QuestionI made the mistake of assuming it was ready to go as far as cleanliness/contaminates, but found out on my first nutrient change that the tubing going to the net pots had an obnoxious slime built up on them. I used distilled water, do I don't think it was from the water, but rather from the tubing itself. I think all the parts going in the tub should be rinsed and wiped off before using. Also two plants are going to fill my closet! While setting up the grower could remove the tubing not being used to keep the tub tangle free. The product arrived as advertised and I am amazed at how much faster the plants are growing than other things I've tried. At 4 weeks in, two plants are going through 1 gallon of nutrients a day! I will start flowering cycle soon. I'll let you know how it goes

So what does this slime mean?

 

AnswerThat slime you mentioned sounds like bad bacteria. Is your grow room hot(80+ degrees)? This is usually the biggest contributor to bacteria in a bubbleponics setup. Also, don't bother with distilled water. Tap water works great as long as it's PH'd correctly. And the $10,000 question…are you using Aquashield? If not, I would advise you to get some ASAP. That bacteria problem you're having generally turns into root rot(in addition to it looking horribly gross), and Aquashield kicks the crap out of bacteria problems. I get no money from those guys to say any of this, and I still add it to every feeding.

As far as the extra tubes go, the only reason I don't tell people to remove the extra ones are because some manifolds(in particular, the one I got from Stealth Hydroponics) make it really hard to remove the tubes once they're fully placed on. Plus, I like to run the extras into the rootbase of the plant when it's a little older so it's getting a substantial amount of oxygenated water instead just the trickle it gets(and needs) in the beginning stages. Good luck, and happy growing!

 

 

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