Green Creepies!

Ok guys this will be the second time this has happened. I have Maze4, Ehiem 1250, and a Micro BIX...the double 80mm one with Clearflex tubing. I keep getting this green algae like stuff in my line! I took a gallon of distilled water and put a bottle of water wetter in...4 cap fulls of dehumidifier algaecide/bactericide and almost a whole bottle of 91% alcohol. In this, the green stuff is starting to grow again! I am sick of redoing my tubing because of this stuff. Will Iodine do the trick and where can I buy it?

Well, it seems like something else is going on. Most folks here no longer recommend water wetter. A little bit of jet dry added after bleeding does the same thing. It sounds like you just have too many additives in your water. Distilled water with 10% antifreeze and some regular iodine (any pharmacy), or in my case waterbed algaecide, works fine and seems to be the tried and true method. Maybe the humidifier stuff isn't cutting it. Also, since you are not running any kind of antifreeze or anything else to prevent corrosion, I am wondering if that could be also a cause of the green junk.

I am 99% sure it is biological and not corrosion because if you let it go long enough it grows and it will actually start looking like algae.

Gross.

Anyway, as another poster said, using some antifreeze and water ought to do the trick. Also, I've heard that putting in just a smidgen of dishwasher fluid also helps in preventing growth of creepy crawlies, while keeping your o-rings conditioned.

yeah if you have a copper waterblock you could be getting a green copper salt depositing rather than bacteria/algae.

All that stuff put in your loop and getting green stuff really sounds like some corrosion as well as a chemical reaction causing the stuff to gel up and look sort of like algae.
What it sounds like, sortof, is the water wetter and alcohol have begun to eat at the tubing a little and/or maybe something in the pump. best bet is clean everything out as best as you can. and start over, but with less 'additives"
I have never used anything more than a 10%mix of distilled water and antifreeze. sometimes I have added a little alcohol, but I do not have any acrylic so I don't have anything to worry about there.

>HyperlogiK< said:

yeah if you have a copper waterblock you could be getting a green copper salt depositing rather than bacteria/algae.

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except, The bix is copper, I don't know of any non plastic parts inside a Eheim1250 and his block should be copper unless he managed to get an Al top for it. So, no corrosion. Note: I've been running my watercooling for two months now, no sign of corrosion and no growth. I'm using distilled water, 10% antifreeze, and iodine. Do a search for a thread titled "overall iodine concentration" and you'll find my past post on how much iodine to put in. Take the number quoted (whatever the number of drops was for cloudy water) and add like 20% more. Thats what I did. And like I said, two months growth and corrosion free, btw I have a Al whitewater top so... Yea I need that Antifreeze...

thezfunk said:

almost a whole bottle of 91% alcohol.

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AFAIK alcohol will weaken the poly top on the Maze4, at least that is what I heard. So watch for cracks!

Well, drain the whole thing out and flush it out good with some vinegar and water in the line and drain, etc. a few times. You may even want to consider taking out your waterblocks and taking them apart (if they come apart) and soaking them good in vinegar also. Just make sure you flush good to get all of the vinegar out. That should get rid of anything nasty in the loop. Then go with what has been recommended and you should not have any problems.

Thanks guys,

Yeah I was just about to ask how much iodine but I found your post and the recommended answer. Everything in my loop is copper but the Maze4 does have a Poly top but I have a Swiftech MCW6002-A coming right now. Its got a much lower Delta T than the Maze4. Actually according to this sweet interactive graph http://www.procooling.com/html/pro_testing.php it has one of the worst and for the money nothing beats the Swiftech MCW6xxx series. Not only that but I just have to buy a new clip when I go A64. If I let this green stuff continue I actually get algae waving in the wind so to speak. This isn't just deposits these are growing plants. I have no idea how they survive in that stuff but...who knows. With all copper can I get away without the anti-freeze. I would rather not mess with it. Just some water and jet dry/dish soap and some iodine? Oh and last time I ran some mouth wash through the loop for awhile and that seemed to do a good job cleaning it out.

never, EVER use alcohol in any WCing loop with soft tubing or any other clear plastics - it will eat away at them & crack them over time - bad, bad idea - especially a whole damn bottle of it!!


keep it simple: 1 gal. distilled water, 10% antifreeze, capfull of fishtank biocide or some iodine, and UV dye of choice (if desired)



edit: just saw you're in milwaukee, WI - whattup! how close are you to whitefish bay?

and btw, WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!!!

I am in Saint Francis specifically and I am going to the Lan next week in South Milwaukee. You should go too if you aren't already. Been on this board for alittle while now I was just always in the Shuttle forums because I have a AN35 Ultra with a XP-M 2600+.

http://www.thewslp.com/

that the one you're talking about?

you bet...I personally hate Counter Strike which is their main game but there is going to be like a 100 people there and I will be playing lots of COD, UT, and I want to get a Pacific Fighters server going. Maybe some Starcraft and AOE2.