DWC Root Slime Cure aka How to Breed Beneficial Microbes

I put in a gallon of this in my res yesterday and I checked it to raised my ph lot.
I noticed a little slime or something on the roots, I think thats the plants sending food down to the microbes?

Edit: I just realized I didn't ph the water I used for breeding the microbes lol

How big is your res? A gallon of tea will treat a 16-20 gallon res. If you have a small res then the slime could be from too much fungi, which isn't necessarily a problem, jus back way off. Keep an eye on what you saw, if it is the brown slime it will grow quickly.

I don't worry about adjusting the PH of the tea water, but I keep in mind that it effects the PH when I add it to the res, and adjust then.

Originally Posted by Heisenberg

How big is your res? A gallon of tea will treat a 16-20 gallon res. If you have a small res then the slime could be from too much fungi, which isn't necessarily a problem, jus back way off. Keep an eye on what you saw, if it is the brown slime it will grow quickly.

I don't worry about adjusting the PH of the tea water, but I keep in mind that it effects the PH when I add it to the res, and adjust then.

Yeah thats what I did lol. 2+2=4

I'm not sure. Maybe a 10gal? lol.

I applied roughly 5% of my 30+ hours of bubbled Great White and brown sugar to fresh changed reservoirs and clean buckets.

I don't think the various beasties are all awake because there hasn't been any foam yet. Temperatures are expectedly a little low this time of year. Or maybe the GW herd isn't into foam parties?

I did see some nice looking clumps, however. I assumed the clumps were colonies emerging from the inert ingredients, so I shook the mix well and confidently added sugar water and vicious beasties to my reservoirs.

Will let you know the results when I check on the reservoirs in another two days.

I know this might sound silly, but is there a temperature that's too low for beneficials?

Decided to try running my system at 60* to raise DO, but I have no idea at what temp
benies begin to have issues if any. Using great white/hygrozyme.

While doing my adjustments today I found many of my roots covered in white slime and the pH was WAY low... as if the sugar water fed the same slime problem that's been suffocating my roots for months now. I'm gonna just have to wait and see if the slime turns brown I guess.

Some roots look healthier already, white instead of brown, a few new roots are fuzzy (this makes me optimistic because I haven't seen fuzzy roots in months) others didn't appear to change much. Growth rate seems about right for immediately after a reservoir change.

I applied another 5% of my still bubbling brown sugar and GW breeding solution to topped and pH adjusted reservoirs. The solution was nearly transparent before agitation, and the clumps were significantly larger and harder to break up. Does this mean the various beasties are all out in full force now?

Next top-off and more notes in two days.

To disposition84, my GW container says to store between 40-85 degrees Fahrenheit, though I don't know if active culture requires a narrower range.

Originally Posted by vh13

While doing my adjustments today I found many of my roots covered in white slime and the pH was WAY low... as if the sugar water fed the same slime problem that's been suffocating my roots for months now. I'm gonna just have to wait and see if the slime turns brown I guess.

Some roots look healthier already, white instead of brown, a few new roots are fuzzy (this makes me optimistic because I haven't seen fuzzy roots in months) others didn't appear to change much. Growth rate seems about right for immediately after a reservoir change.

I applied another 5% of my still bubbling brown sugar and GW breeding solution to topped and pH adjusted reservoirs. The solution was nearly transparent before agitation, and the clumps were significantly larger and harder to break up. Does this mean the various beasties are all out in full force now?

Next top-off and more notes in two days.

To disposition84, my GW container says to store between 40-85 degrees Fahrenheit, though I don't know if active culture requires a narrower range.

When I made the tea I used molasses not brown sugar, I didnt have clumps in my tea either.

I have never seen a white slime.

I have sucessfully followed the recipe and defeated the brown slime algae, I have heard of other using the great white in the tea with good success so maybe it is something you have done wrong? The only thing I can think of is the substitution of Brown sugar for Unsulphered mollasses tho Im not sure anything is wrong, Just I have never seen a white slime and I didnt have PH issues either, my ph stayed pretty level.

Originally Posted by FeFiFoFUM

When I made the tea I used molasses not brown sugar, I didnt have clumps in my tea either.

I have never seen a white slime.

I have sucessfully followed the recipe and defeated the brown slime algae, I have heard of other using the great white in the tea with good success so maybe it is something you have done wrong? The only thing I can think of is the substitution of Brown sugar for Unsulphered mollasses tho Im not sure anything is wrong, Just I have never seen a white slime and I didnt have PH issues either, my ph stayed pretty level.

Brown sugar is molasses, with extra sugar. I've used brown sugar to make compost/wormy tea without problems.

If anything, I think my first application of GW tea was with a premature culture. With this last application, I'm more confident the tea was mature. Will have to wait and see.