Ph is pretty stable at this point at ~5.8. Every few days it rises a bit and I PH-down it. PPM's are about 70.
If I dump my reservoir, what to-do with the clones that are in there? How do I keep them from dieing during this change out?
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EZ-Cloner review
- Thread starter 40AmpstoFreedom
- Start date
Ph is pretty stable at this point at ~5.8. Every few days it rises a bit and I PH-down it. PPM's are about 70.
If I dump my reservoir, what to-do with the clones that are in there? How do I keep them from dieing during this change out?
Also, the reservoir smells super fresh and is super clear. Maybe even a tad sweet smelling.
It smells nothing like slime/pythium. I know exactly what that smells like. It's nasty.
It smells nothing like slime/pythium. I know exactly what that smells like. It's nasty.
MediRI88
Member
How many are left that are worth saving..? If there not a lot throw then in glass of water with a little Lk ....theyl be fine ... if not I would just cut your loseses and try again with fresh clones remember the higher you cut the clones the harder it is... but once you have done that you should be fine .....remember I'm not stating slime ... I'm sayin there mite be something left be hind like trace amounts of bleach or cleaner with you noticing.... hot water solves everthing makes sure you clean your pump well and rinse off the cloneing slots the rounds black things you put ur clones in......also try a thicker cloner gel ....root tech made by techaflowra make a nice thick gell....well happy cloningg let me know how it works
I changed out the reservoir with my well water. 2 cups of EWC went in there. PH'ed to 5.5 because I know it will rise over the next two days. Added a scoop of Great White mcrozayea.
Since pictures are a thousand words, see pics below.
Since pictures are a thousand words, see pics below.
Attachments
Thanks for the help. I did rinse REALLY REALLY well between cloning runs. I even cleaned each neoprene puck one at a time by hand. I even opened up the slits of each puck and cleaned in between and flushed in between. This is even after running them (flipping every hour) in the cloner with 1 cup bleach/rest water. I flushed the cloner 4-5 times after bleaching it.
The only thing I can think of that would be contaminated is the neoprene pucks. Maybe they soak bad stuff inside of them? I didn't think they were porous.
I am pretty baffled on this situation. I am a pretty technical guy, who is VERY patient and follow directions for a living. I don't add extra stuff and I don't get mad scientist on things. I like tried and true methods with proven track records. Only after established methods have been proven in my space, do I take small steps at modification.
After this run, I am clueless on what I can do next. The only thing left I can think of is to buy spring water from the grocery store, and do another run with that. Though, after doing three cloning runs, with around 40 clones each time, my mother plants are pretty bare and I will have to wait a while before I can do another run.
I really don't want to-do it, but I am almost at that point where I will go buy 30 clones from a dispensary. It will cost a fortune though ($10-$14 a pop), but cheaper than buying meds.
OMountainMix
Member
i'm telling you that we ended up scrapping several ez cloners about 4-5 years ago b/c of the slime.
and bought the botanicare versions.
and had the same problems.
we were stupid enough to think that ez cloners were shitty and didn't work after a round or two.
then our buddy had the same problems.
then he kept trying and after a few rounds, no more problems.
what was the culprit? trace amounts of bleach remaining in the cloner.
he was NOT good at cleaning things AT ALL, he had BAD water, and NO water pressure and yet he didn't have the slime b/c eventually the bleach was gone.
do NOT use bleach in your ez cloner. just don't.
hot water, elbow grease, and anti-bacterial soap will do it.
i soak the cloner in the shower, put a bunch of soap on a clean scrubby pad and hop to it. it takes me about 30 min or so to clean the ez cloner.
we've reused the neoprenes two times now with no problems. i sterilize them in the dishwasher by running the dishwasher just with the neoprenes and of course the dish washing detergent (i use those gel pack things, electrosol, i think). when they come out, i scrub them with hot water and a fresh scrubby pad, no cleaner of any kind.
if a neoprene collar is stretched out (sometimes we veg clones in one of the cloners longer and just make new clones or a new mother out of it), then we do NOT reuse it.
ez cloners are plastic. bleach will stay in the plastic for several rounds.
now if you've already used bleach, soak the thing in hot water in a big bathtub overnight. then rinse and repeat several times. maybe over the course of several days. then you should be ok.
if you have the same problem again, then i would do the exact same thing. keep rinsing, draining the water, and rinsing again.
i am SURE this will fix your problem.
when we had this problem before we tried EVERYTHING, and i mean everything. guardian angel, always buying new collars, trying new cloners, ditching old gear, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
in hindsight, we now know what caused the problem, but of course bleach kills bad stuff, so why would it be bad for cleaning stuff.
now if you're hell bent on using something other than anti bacterial soap, try a WEAK, and i mean WEAK concentration of simple green or maybe some vinegar. my hubby used to do all this various crap for cleaning, but i've been doing all the cleaning for about a year, and my methods are faster, get things cleaner, require no equipment that i don't already have in the house, and we've had NO problems.
and bought the botanicare versions.
and had the same problems.
we were stupid enough to think that ez cloners were shitty and didn't work after a round or two.
then our buddy had the same problems.
then he kept trying and after a few rounds, no more problems.
what was the culprit? trace amounts of bleach remaining in the cloner.
he was NOT good at cleaning things AT ALL, he had BAD water, and NO water pressure and yet he didn't have the slime b/c eventually the bleach was gone.
do NOT use bleach in your ez cloner. just don't.
hot water, elbow grease, and anti-bacterial soap will do it.
i soak the cloner in the shower, put a bunch of soap on a clean scrubby pad and hop to it. it takes me about 30 min or so to clean the ez cloner.
we've reused the neoprenes two times now with no problems. i sterilize them in the dishwasher by running the dishwasher just with the neoprenes and of course the dish washing detergent (i use those gel pack things, electrosol, i think). when they come out, i scrub them with hot water and a fresh scrubby pad, no cleaner of any kind.
if a neoprene collar is stretched out (sometimes we veg clones in one of the cloners longer and just make new clones or a new mother out of it), then we do NOT reuse it.
ez cloners are plastic. bleach will stay in the plastic for several rounds.
now if you've already used bleach, soak the thing in hot water in a big bathtub overnight. then rinse and repeat several times. maybe over the course of several days. then you should be ok.
if you have the same problem again, then i would do the exact same thing. keep rinsing, draining the water, and rinsing again.
i am SURE this will fix your problem.
when we had this problem before we tried EVERYTHING, and i mean everything. guardian angel, always buying new collars, trying new cloners, ditching old gear, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
in hindsight, we now know what caused the problem, but of course bleach kills bad stuff, so why would it be bad for cleaning stuff.
now if you're hell bent on using something other than anti bacterial soap, try a WEAK, and i mean WEAK concentration of simple green or maybe some vinegar. my hubby used to do all this various crap for cleaning, but i've been doing all the cleaning for about a year, and my methods are faster, get things cleaner, require no equipment that i don't already have in the house, and we've had NO problems.
Yeah after seeing all the people who failed with leaving their machines on all the time I would say you should have a timer.
Herb even with the changes you need to give yourself a week before you see if it works.
Herb even with the changes you need to give yourself a week before you see if it works.
sorry boss but you have been misinformed about the airpump
all 3 ezclone models come with an airpump & lines (they dont come with stones but they have a means of delivering the air/o2 via the included airlines)
not sure if its the same manufacture as the airpump that came with the older versions (million aire - badass airpump btw) but it sure looks like it
http://www.ezclone.com/products/air-pump/
OMountainMix
Member
our pumps run 24 hours a day, otherwise you have clones getting no water part of the time. that definitely makes them wilt and fall over. we DO run an a.c. though, so this probably helps out with a lot of the problems people are having if they don't run an a.c.
fyi, we use our tap water but frankly we have good tap water . . . . .
fyi, we use our tap water but frankly we have good tap water . . . . .
Thank you for taking the time to describe in detail your success formula. This really does help, especially for us who have tried what seems everything. Thank You.
My question about using anti-bacterial soap, have you ever had "the slime" before? I wonder this because I wonder if simply cleaning with the soap if it will kill the slime spores?
Also, do you know if the neoprene pucks absorb stuff into them? Or are these just surface level? If they do absorb, a new set of pucks might be a good idea for me. Though, I really don't want to spend $50 on neoprene pucks if they are not needed.
For soaking the neoprene pucks, how you do that? They float Very aggressively... How do you keep them under water?
Did you ever try physan 20? It's made for plants/garden environments. In light doses it won't kill or do any harm to plants. Though, you are NOT supposed to put Physan 20 on anything you consume because the toxic chemicals make it into the final product. Though, Physan 20's label describes it use as a sterilizer for garden equipment, tools, tubs, bins, etc. As a sterilizer it can be used on consumable plants. Again, Physan 20 doesn't kill plants in low doses. Cleaning with Physan and then rinsing.... I just can't see how any residue (if any) could cause harm. Unless, somehow the residue stalls rooting.
Thank you!
If that was true than everybody who turns their pumps off for 30 minutes would have failure.
OMountainMix
Member
it's what happens to us, now of course they come back, but we're not having issues so why change things??? and it's something extra to buy, then again, it surely save electricity.
we had the slime several times when we first got ez cloners in the spring of 2006. we had it happen off and on for maybe about 1.5 years. our buddy successfully used the supposedly bad ez cloners after several failures both on our part and his. we eventually figured out that bleach had somehow remained in the cloner and was killing the plants. when our buddy stopped his grow in 2008, we started cloning again on our own and did not resume adding bleach. we used either very weak simple green and water or else vinegar and water and did a lot of soaking and waiting around. about a year ago, i took over the majority of the cleaning of the gear, and i was using weak simple green with water and rinsing well. eventually i started using anti-bacterial soap, just a big industrial sized thing of it from sam's club with the scotch brite (i think) yellow sponges that have a green scrubby side to them. a large package of them from sam's club lasts a while and that way i never have an old sponge sitting around gathering bacteria.
this winter it occurred to me to ask if people here reused the neoprene collars from their ez cloners. you can search under my threads and you'll see a thread. i decided to experiment with reusing the collars. i have now figured out a good method.
i take an empty dishwasher and put them in there.
this is IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE that the HEATED DRY is cut off.
do NOT cram them on top of anything that will stretch them out.
you MAY want to run the dishwasher with no dishes and dish detergent, or run a cleaning cycle with a bottle of jet dry FIRST.
then run your dishwasher with your neoprenes, dish detergent (I am pretty sure i'd use a liquid or a gel and NOT a powder, but that's just what i think) and DO NOT have the heated dry on.
when you are done, take any that you can see through (the center is stretched out) and pitch them.
take the remaining ones and put them in the sink with hot water only. take a fresh scrubby pad (see details above) and scrub any remaining debris from them.
let them dry on a towel for a day or so.
you should be good to go.
i think all of this will be cheaper than getting physan 20. i use the soap in our bathrooms and kitchen anyhow. i use the scrubby pads for cleaning and dishes anyhow. so these items are something i can get in large amounts for cheap that i already have around the house.
OH and on the subject of REPLACEMENT pumps for your ez cloner, you will get a way better deal by buying them at a pond supply or pet supply store on the net. most will offer free shipping over a certain amount. last time, i got a replacement for my 120 (which is pricey), and got a couple of sweet little cat toys that make noise and that my cats love which then gave me the free shipping amount.
the important thing to do with that is to research the specifications of your ez cloner and make sure that your pump is the same strength (GPH) as your ez cloner needs.
we had the slime several times when we first got ez cloners in the spring of 2006. we had it happen off and on for maybe about 1.5 years. our buddy successfully used the supposedly bad ez cloners after several failures both on our part and his. we eventually figured out that bleach had somehow remained in the cloner and was killing the plants. when our buddy stopped his grow in 2008, we started cloning again on our own and did not resume adding bleach. we used either very weak simple green and water or else vinegar and water and did a lot of soaking and waiting around. about a year ago, i took over the majority of the cleaning of the gear, and i was using weak simple green with water and rinsing well. eventually i started using anti-bacterial soap, just a big industrial sized thing of it from sam's club with the scotch brite (i think) yellow sponges that have a green scrubby side to them. a large package of them from sam's club lasts a while and that way i never have an old sponge sitting around gathering bacteria.
this winter it occurred to me to ask if people here reused the neoprene collars from their ez cloners. you can search under my threads and you'll see a thread. i decided to experiment with reusing the collars. i have now figured out a good method.
i take an empty dishwasher and put them in there.
this is IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE that the HEATED DRY is cut off.
do NOT cram them on top of anything that will stretch them out.
you MAY want to run the dishwasher with no dishes and dish detergent, or run a cleaning cycle with a bottle of jet dry FIRST.
then run your dishwasher with your neoprenes, dish detergent (I am pretty sure i'd use a liquid or a gel and NOT a powder, but that's just what i think) and DO NOT have the heated dry on.
when you are done, take any that you can see through (the center is stretched out) and pitch them.
take the remaining ones and put them in the sink with hot water only. take a fresh scrubby pad (see details above) and scrub any remaining debris from them.
let them dry on a towel for a day or so.
you should be good to go.
i think all of this will be cheaper than getting physan 20. i use the soap in our bathrooms and kitchen anyhow. i use the scrubby pads for cleaning and dishes anyhow. so these items are something i can get in large amounts for cheap that i already have around the house.
OH and on the subject of REPLACEMENT pumps for your ez cloner, you will get a way better deal by buying them at a pond supply or pet supply store on the net. most will offer free shipping over a certain amount. last time, i got a replacement for my 120 (which is pricey), and got a couple of sweet little cat toys that make noise and that my cats love which then gave me the free shipping amount.
the important thing to do with that is to research the specifications of your ez cloner and make sure that your pump is the same strength (GPH) as your ez cloner needs.
You all would get a much better consensus by reading up and taking this to the official slime thread. https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=55259&page=73
You can begin reading about EZ cloners at the post# in my signature.
You can begin reading about EZ cloners at the post# in my signature.
Thank you Richy. That's an amazing thread. I have actually read it completely twice and in parts several times. Yes, it was an undertaking! The reason I stayed out of that thread for this issue is because I don't have slime. There seems to be some other issue with my setup.
Quick update: no casualties today. Not sure if it's just in my head, but things might be a little more perky. No bumps, no roots; for both strains I have in the cloner. Water is clear and it smell fresh and clean. Ph is 5.87. Water temp is 75f. Ambient temp is 70f.
Today is day 9.
The reason I stayed out of that thread for this issue is because I don't have slime. There seems to be some other issue with my setup. Quick update: no casualties today. Not sure if it's just in my head, but things might be a little more perky. No bumps, no roots; for both strains I have in the cloner. Water is clear and it smell fresh and clean. Ph is 5.87. Water temp is 75f. Ambient temp is 70f.
Today is day 9.
OMountainMix
Member
I told my husband he should come in here and post the whole saga of the cloners. He said when we ditched our first ez cloners and switched to the botanicare versions, we also got free samples of power clone which we used and had nearly 100%. But the botanicare cloners have netpots AND collars which are pricy, since we thought we had to always replace the collars. My husband was telling me all the crazy sanitation things he used to do and how ridiculous it was. Seriously, it's usually using bleach to clean them. The other thing is do NOT add enzymes, such as hygrozyme.
