Phalaenopsis in water culture

[Sun rm.N.E.]

More root pictures on my gallery. I think if you look carefully on my previous post you can see thick green algae on most of them.
About the algae. I believe there is an optimal level of algae for the benefit of orchids. If they provide oxygen during the day the might use up too much at night and they hog nutrition. I often get algae soup as well as the accumulation of dead algae that mucks up everything. Simple biology. They just grow too fast if in high light which mine get in the Summer and I supplement with artificial light in the Winter. I also believe that if the top algae layer is too thick it causes the new growth to grow downward to seek light source below instead of upward. So I flush with tap water to keep it healthy and lean. I also amputate dead roots full of dead algae, remove rotting sheets and treat for root or rhizome rot. Long term water culture is an entirely different experience from just a few months.
Most of the bacteria and fungi that cause rot also thrive in the juncture between water and air since they seem to require wet and dry cycles to reproduce so I keep an eye on these parts and treat for infection when it arises.