Answered How to keep a hydro resivoir clean

DopeDaniel

Taste The Spectrum
IPM Forum Moderator
Pool shock?
Peroxide?
Enzymes?
Bennies?
Air Stones?
Other?

Which method and why? I am currently using perixide but it seems like it has a short lifespan, considering pool shock but the zons priorities seem messed and its not expected until may, so I figure I have time to ask for opinions.
 

DopeDaniel

Taste The Spectrum
IPM Forum Moderator
Found something I will share..would have to search my history for the URL ref..

Edit: Cant believe I pasted that whole thing sorry..

In-line UV Sterilization
Another option is in-line UV sterilization, which allows you to sterilize your lines and the water that flows through them. This means that your water is treated as it flows into the treatment area. This configuration is helpful when using beneficial microbes in your set-up and reducing the problems with nutrient reduction as it may not be as impactful. However, if you already have a problem with algae, bacteria, or fungi in your overall system, this setup does not help eliminate it. Any algae attached to the walls and other surfaces needs to be removed another way.

Biggest Drawback with UV Sterilization
One of the biggest drawbacks in using UV sterilization is that it can deplete some of the things your plants need to grow healthy and strong. Iron, boron, and manganese deficiencies can occur when using UV sterilization. Also, UV sterilization reduces the populations of any beneficial microbes in your hydroponic set-up much in the same way it does the fungal, bacteria, and algae populations. It’s beneficial to test your hydroponic system for these deficiencies to help minimize them.

So basically you will most likely have to switch up feed too. All good info, but that still sounds manageable.

Some of the q&a on amazon for these units actually touches on this for people that had planted aquariums and the conclusion seemed to be size the units appropriately and only run them when needed.
 
Just my 2 cents but I've had great luck just dechlorinating 40 gallons of tap water in a drum with a 2 inch cylinder airstone on a dual outlet Wally air pump, I'm in a f&d setup but water should be water right??? I add hydroguard to the drum about 2 hours after the vitamin c, when I mix for a res I add hydroguard again at the recommended dose, the last gallon i add will have great white at full strength top watered through my pots, I've gone 20 days between change outs and no I'll effects, I failed with the h2o2 but the Bennie's haven't failed yet
 

spyralout

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Also, UV sterilization reduces the populations of any beneficial microbes in your hydroponic set-up much in the same way it does the fungal, bacteria, and algae populations. It’s beneficial to test your hydroponic system for these deficiencies to help minimize them.
this sounds like a "kill off the bad without killing off all the good" scenario. so perhaps:

- UV in RO Can
- UV in Epi bucket
- Shitload of bennies, like 2x
- Recharge system more often than top off res to keep up bennie herd. Top up res is also feeding system with treated feed water.

In theory, both bennies and UV are killing pathogens. As long as the bennie herd is higher than the pathogens, it should work?
 

Deebs

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A very plausible hypothesis..It would be nice to monitor at different points so that you could really pinpoint the rate of dissolution of the bennie's
too bad blue labs inline connect system is like $600....Why I started to look into the DIY monitoring.. Thanks to seeing @dstroy0 's work....
 

macsnax

Pollen Slinger
Just my 2 cents but I've had great luck just dechlorinating 40 gallons of tap water in a drum with a 2 inch cylinder airstone on a dual outlet Wally air pump, I'm in a f&d setup but water should be water right??? I add hydroguard to the drum about 2 hours after the vitamin c, when I mix for a res I add hydroguard again at the recommended dose, the last gallon i add will have great white at full strength top watered through my pots, I've gone 20 days between change outs and no I'll effects, I failed with the h2o2 but the Bennie's haven't failed yet
That's a cool way to do it too
 

spyralout

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If you can arrange for a hack's version of arduino 101 I'm down.

Is it also fair to say that bennies add something other than defense, such as fighting off pathogens? Hence the "beneficial" part? What else is it benefiting from? Does the consuming of pathogens cause some sort of oxygenation to occur? If so, then use of H2O2/UC Roots/Pool Shock would be accomplishing a similar goal using a different mechanism.
 

DopeDaniel

Taste The Spectrum
IPM Forum Moderator
I looked at it and the guy lays out instructions pretty good. I was trying to garher the principle at the same time then remembered I bought a $280 meter I don't need to kobble one together..... yet.
20200414_195712.jpg
Light controller is pulling extra weight now by also doing the hydro timing, have one more outlet so will probably use that for the sterilizers (ordered the 3W).
 

DopeDaniel

Taste The Spectrum
IPM Forum Moderator
Figured I would try to summarize an answer. Thanks everyone for your responses it just highlights the different methods that can be matched to each individuals style. My objective is to go a minimum of 28 days and it will likely require a combination of methods. I have not yet been able test calcium hypochlorite I feel like it would be more effective for me than peroxide but the nature of having to add the every couple days maintenance treatmemts is not appealing to me so that leaves uv. This UV aquarium sterilizer imo is perfect for up to probably a 50 gallon resivoir.

I would not recommend going through the zon on this one, though the 9W one I ordered works fine the 3W one was defective and I had to contact the manufacturer for a replacement bulb. The zon retailer was not going to be able to get me a replacement and only offered a return, they are not an authorized reseller. This did afford me the opportunity to have an excellent discussion with the authorized distributor, who's web store I linked above. Yes his prices are higher but that's what happens when companies dont use amazon to bypass us trade laws. Ok diversion rant sorry...

Back to the issue, though the uv sterilizer address the res it does not address the containers or tray or any other part that is not submereged 100% of the time. This is where the peroxide or hypochlorite will need to be used.
 
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