Black stuff in air lock

[geek]

What the heck is this?

Happened with 2 different We kits.
LE Trio Blanca, racked and air lock at 1.004, next day it showed this black stain.
World Vineyards Malbec, racked and air lock around 0.998.
Both into respective 6gal plastic PET containers.

 

[dralarms]

What is your liquid?

 

[geek]

Water plus freshly made Kmeta solution.

It seems like these WE kits always have this bad odor during and right after alcoholic fermentation. I always try using fermaid-k as with any other wine from grapes and RJS kits, but these WE kits really got me thinking.

Not long ago I made the WE Eclipse Riesling and again that bad odor....
WTH?

 

[bkisel]

That is really strange looking. Hope someone can say definitively what it is and whether it is something about which to be concerned.

 

[salcoco]

it maybe the kmeta changing the chemistry of the water leaving the black mark. I doubt if it is mold. Mix you kmeta using three grams of kmeta and 11 grams of tartaric acid to one gallon of water. use this in airlock and see if color returns. alternatively I now some people put vodka into the airlock. use this if necessary. another thought is use distilled water to mix with kmeta.

 

[geek]

And the stain is very difficult to get rid of....