Hagen co2 diffuser sludge

[BLASK]

Well ive been using the hagen co2 system for over 7 weeks now, its great. However I recently renewed the brew in the canister and everything was running great for a week now. I have noticed this goo or sludge, its white/milky in color and its all sticky build up on the very bottom ladder row when the bubbles come out of the tube into the diffuser ladder. This goo did not stop the bubbles or anything like that, they still moved. So silly me thinking what is this stuff, I remove it, and now the bubbles stick the to the ladder and wont move, they just build up into a very large bubble untill the ladder cant hold it and it shoots into the water without going into the ladder. I push the bubble and after the first row it moves fine. I took the whole darn thing out washed it, scrubbed it, everything, and still the same thing!!!!!

arg I should have never removed that sludge!

any tips?

 

[houndour]

hi, the sludgey stuff is a by product of the mixture. I get it with some yeast and sometimes not with others. Really you have to keep cleaning the ladder. It's a pain really. I find it quite difficult to clean cos you think you got rid of it and then you missed a bit and the bubbles still get stuck. I use a toothbrush to try and get in the gaps.

 

[RYO]

I use a toothbrush to try and get in the gaps.

dont half taste manky after
I get it now and again especialy in my jbl vario (spiral type ladder) i just use a q-tip and rince under hot water.

 

[pseud]

Blask, I'd try somehow using water conditioner to get a thin film on the ladder for the bubbles to slide across. I dunno, maybe I'd try soaking the ladder in a 50/50 solution for a few minutes.

 

[George Farmer]

Are you using bi-carbonate of soda (the stabiliser sachet)? This isn't required unless you have very soft water. When I was running Nutrafins I always got the white stuff until I stopped adding bi-carb to the mixture.

 

[houndour]

Actually gf, I find I'm getting the white stuff more now that I've stopped using bicarb. Which is why I assumed it might be the batch of yeast? I use the little sachets and found that my 2nd and 3rd sachet produced the white stuff.

about toothbrush. Please note children that I use a totally separate toothbrush on my fish tank (and one that hasnt had toothpaste on it).

 

[nodding_dino]

a tip that I read somewhere on these very boards was to not fill the water all the way up to the marker...I started to fill up to (approx) 1cm below the marked level and never suffered from the 'sludgies' (technical term) again

 

[zig]

a tip that I read somewhere on these very boards was to not fill the water all the way up to the marker...I started to fill up to (approx) 1cm below the marked level and never suffered from the 'sludgies' (technical term) again

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Hmmm it could be a whole new aquarium language ND.........."my conker is a bit manky and i have the sludgies"

 

[nodding_dino]

I'm obviously just way ahead of my time

 

[BLASK]

Are you using bi-carbonate of soda (the stabiliser sachet)? This isn't required unless you have very soft water. When I was running Nutrafins I always got the white stuff until I stopped adding bi-carb to the mixture.

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Yes I am, my KH is 2.5 degrees from the tap, I assume this is soft?

 

[zig]

Yes your water is soft, you could try nodding dinos tip and dont fill the cannister to the marker.