DWC problems. Root Rot & algae :(

Swill

Swill

Active Member
Recently I tried to build my first DWC out of an 18 gallon Rubbermaid tub. I built it, I had four 15 inch airstones inside, I cut opening for my plants, filled it with nute rich water, which stayed at a constant 69 degrees, and I'm all set. There was no light leaks per say but I did notice the inside of the tub was somewhat illuminated from my 200 watt CFL. The tub itself is gray and the top is black.

Well it only took one day and I came home from work to see a disgusting algae froth building up and my plants roots are brown and slimy :(. I removed the plants and put into my aerogarden. I cut off all the dead, slimy roots, but my plants are not looking good at all. I'm doing my best to take care of them but it isn't looking good.

So I'm wondering where did I go wrong? Like I said earlier, I noticed inside the tub it wasn't completely dark so should I have done something to the tub like sprayed black spray paint? I've been on this forum for a while now and I've seen everyone's DWC is either in a bucket or Rubbermaid container, so I need your help. How can I improve my DWC so it won't kill my plants?
 
BoomerBloomer57

BoomerBloomer57

Well-Known Member
Swill said:
Recently I tried to build my first DWC out of an 18 gallon Rubbermaid tub. I built it, I had four 15 inch airstones inside, I cut opening for my plants, filled it with nute rich water, which stayed at a constant 69 degrees, and I'm all set. There was no light leaks per say but I did notice the inside of the tub was somewhat illuminated from my 200 watt CFL. The tub itself is gray and the top is black.

Well it only took one day and I came home from work to see a disgusting algae froth building up and my plants roots are brown and slimy :(. I removed the plants and put into my aerogarden. I cut off all the dead, slimy roots, but my plants are not looking good at all. I'm doing my best to take care of them but it isn't looking good.

So I'm wondering where did I go wrong? Like I said earlier, I noticed inside the tub it wasn't completely dark so should I have done something to the tub like sprayed black spray paint? I've been on this forum for a while now and I've seen everyone's DWC is either in a bucket or Rubbermaid container, so I need your help. How can I improve my DWC so it won't kill my plants?
Click to expand...




Igloo Ice Chest 60qt, 100 qt, 120 qt. NO LIGHT issues. Remove the lid and make a top out of 1 1/2 styrofoam taped with reflective tape topside and underside and edges.

so simple even bommerb can do it,,,,,,


I'm boomberb,
simply boomerb,,,,,

ftp
 

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Swill

Swill

Active Member
BoomerBloomer57 said:
Igloo Ice Chest 60qt, 100 qt, 120 qt. NO LIGHT issues. Remove the lid and make a top out of 1 1/2 styrofoam taped with reflective tape topside and underside and edges.

so simple even bommerb can do it,,,,,,


I'm boomberb,
simply boomerb,,,,,

ftp
Click to expand...
Hadn't thought of using a cooler, interesting. Ok, I like it. So long rubbermaid, hello cooler.
 
K

Krack420

Member
What kind of air pump are you using? I recently had some problems like that. I couldn't tell whether it was algae or root rot (or both) so I started from the bottom and worked my way up. I had a blue rubbermaid container that I thought was light proof, but if you put it over your head, you could see a blue glow. If your container is doing the same thing, I suggest making it lightproof using either reflective material like mylar or aluminum foil, or just spray painting it. A black coat followed by a white coat will usually do the trick.

After I fixed my light issue, I still had some problems with mushy roots, although the algae seemed to mostly clear up (except for a little greenish foam at the top of the water line). I had almost decided to give up and I was real frustrated, as I'm sure you are. But I decided to stick with it and I watched the plants closely. I realized that the roots that were turning brown/black were the ones in the part of the reservoir that wasn't getting many bubbles. So, I added more air and the roots have exploded.

I hope that helps. Its either light or air or both. Fix the light, see if it helps. If not, get more air.
 
Swill

Swill

Active Member
Krack420 said:
What kind of air pump are you using? I recently had some problems like that. I couldn't tell whether it was algae or root rot (or both) so I started from the bottom and worked my way up. I had a blue rubbermaid container that I thought was light proof, but if you put it over your head, you could see a blue glow. If your container is doing the same thing, I suggest making it lightproof using either reflective material like mylar or aluminum foil, or just spray painting it. A black coat followed by a white coat will usually do the trick.

After I fixed my light issue, I still had some problems with mushy roots, although the algae seemed to mostly clear up (except for a little greenish foam at the top of the water line). I had almost decided to give up and I was real frustrated, as I'm sure you are. But I decided to stick with it and I watched the plants closely. I realized that the roots that were turning brown/black were the ones in the part of the reservoir that wasn't getting many bubbles. So, I added more air and the roots have exploded.

I hope that helps. Its either light or air or both. Fix the light, see if it helps. If not, get more air.
Click to expand...
I don't think its my air pump. I'm using a Petco pump, the biggest the sell, with four outputs, and there was plenty of bubbles. I e think it was the container itself. It had no leaks but as you've described it isn't completely light proof.
 
E

EgoPrime

Member
Check out my post https://www.rollitup.org/dwc-bubbleponics/308169-plants-droopy.html#post3907248


I had the same problem. Definitely have to make it light tight. Also, the Petco/Petsmart air pumps designed for aquariums are not good enough in my opinion. They may properly oxygenate your water but they are not powerful enough to create sufficient mist. Think about investing in a heavy duty hydroponics air-pump. I am using a 60Watt 70L/min air pump now and before I was using a Tetra Quiet 300 from Petsmart, the most expensive they had. The heavy duty pump was WAY better. The aquarium air pumps don't even compare.
 
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