White Cloudy Mold in Nutrients?

I have mixed up my nutrients and RO water in 4L water jugs for easy watering, except I now have white cloudy mold forming in the bottom of my jugs, all 3 of them. It seems to form overnight, 3-4 days after mixing them.

Any suggestions why? Are they somehow contaminated?

If contaminated, what is the best way to sterilize them before I use them?

Thanks
The Kush Guy

What about the material gives you the impression that it's mold? It actually sounds like something is precipitating out of solution to me. Of course, no pix mean I can't say with any certainty.

Its actually really hard to take a good picture of. Relections and all that, here is the best one I could get, this was basically collecting at the bottom of my jug, I poured out the extra water so it is more concentrated here and easier to see.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

TKG

I find it hard to believe that that's mold. But it looks really really weird. That's not typical precipitate, which usually just forms a mulm at the bottom and when it's stirred up looks like something that's just not dissolved.

Have you noticed any negative impact on the plants using this? Does the pH change much after mixing? Does it get viscous at all (kind of thick and syrupy)? If so, then I don't think mold, I think bacterial bloom. A very small dose of chlorine or H202 should clear it up IF that's what it is. Sodium thiosulfate instantly neutralizes chlorine (active ingredient in aquarium water dechlorinators).

I poured some in another cup and added H2O2 and it made it float, I'll let it sit and see what happens.

It levitates in water almost like ice crystals, that is the closes visual description. I tried to grab some of it to feel if it is viscous at all, it doesnt actually feel like much of anything, it feels like water. It also have very little or no substance to it, so its not like lumps of mold.

Impact on the plants is no existant as soon as I saw it I mixed fresh nutes and used those, just set this aside. I am going away for a couple days so I will see if the fresh jug does the same thing.

I found another jug with a smaller amount of water and lots more nutrients (I realized the last one was just thrive in water) it was originally PH'd to 5.5 but is now 6.1. I have added another picture. This is brown because of the mix of GH nutes I think but this looks much thicker and is easier to see in this picture, however its still not really clear in the picture, apparently the camera doesnt like it much either. lol.

Might try mixing a batch with no Thrive and see if that is where the problem comes in.

Does this lend any other ideas? I greatly appreciate your help. Seems like no one else I could find has had this issue.

Thanks
TKG

I'm stuck at precipitate or bacterial action (or something similar). I sure would like to take a look at that stuff under a microscope, at least 100x magnification.

Interesting idea, I am out of town till next week but I will see if I can borrow or buy something, that would be very interesting.

Thanks again for you assistance, I will let you know what I find out either way.

TKH

Yeah, it would be interesting to know if you determine what it is.

I think my problem was caused by Thrive Alive B (picture attached). I cleaned and serilized my jugs and I mixed up some new batches of nutes and no problems yet, I left out the Thrive Alive B, that is the only change.

I'll leave it a while longer but I think this is the cause, not sure what the white stuff is, but being gone is a good place for it.

Thanks for your help.
TKG

That sounds interesting. You should figure out what it was and what causes it. Don't just let it go because its gone, there's so much to learn. I think thats what I love about this growing thing. You gotta love it to be good at it!

Interesting, I wonder what's in the Thrive Alive that might react with the other fertilizers you're using. Does it have live microbes in it (I can't see that bottle well enough to read it)?

Well of course, another day an I have cloudy nutes again, all of the color (brownish from the GH nutes mixture) has gone away and is replaced by a cloudy greyish color.So I have put the same RO water I have been using in cups, each of the nutes/PH solutions etc into a cup seperately, one nute per cup and I am leaving them to see what happens, hopefully one gets cloudy and the others dont, that will at least narrow down which nute is the issue, maybe just contamination? Not sure, either way I need to figure it out as it is reoccuring 4-5 days after each nute mix I do.So the saga continues. Anyone with any thoughts or advise, it would be greatly appreciated.ThanksTKG

When do you ph your water, before or after you put the nutes in?

Always after the nutes. I assumed the nutes may change the PH slightly.

Just a quick update...

I brought a sample of this stuff to the guy at the hydro shop, he figures it is some type of bacteria/mold, his suggestion was not to mix nutrients and leave them more than a few days before they get used.

Seems obvious as the "mold" appears after 4-5 days.

The other thing I have noticed in watching this process evolve, is that all of the color (brownish from the nutes) in the jug disappear, or get sucked into the mold in the bottom of the jug as the mold appears, which suggests to me, whatever it is, is using up the nutrients in the water to grow.

So I am going to quit mixing large jugs of nutes and stick with what I need in a short period of time. I also have the cups of nutes and water that I am waiting to see if one of the them is the trigger. Couple more days and I should know.

TKG

Well, not sure what it is, but I can reproduce it and I know for certain that its caused by SuperThrive, left in water. I mixed all the nutes in water seperately and left them, the SuperThrive grew, nothing else did.

Just thought some of you out there might like the answer to this one.

Thanks to everyone who helped.
TKG