Hydro Newb looking for help with DIY build

graying.geek

Well-Known Member
That was a 10 week veg... "Things I do different"...now I do 2 plants with a 6 week veg with same results. gross between 2 - 4 lbs..depends on strain.
Very cool. I want to run a similar setup for 3 concurrent plants. So you're running each plant in it's own bucket, with a reservoir? What's your total volume of nutrient, and how often do you have to change?
 

graying.geek

Well-Known Member
That's why I like growing in tubs. Can do multiple plants and still only need to top up every 3 days. ...<snip>
So, OldMed, it's good to meet a fellow senior on the forum. :cool:

You run in a 50-liter tub that acts as it's own reservoir, right? How much nutrient solution do you maintain in the tub, and how often do you change? What kind of yield do you get off of 1 of these tubs?

I have a ton more questions; do you mind?
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
So, OldMed, it's good to meet a fellow senior on the forum. :cool:

You run in a 50-liter tub that acts as it's own reservoir, right? How much nutrient solution do you maintain in the tub, and how often do you change? What kind of yield do you get off of 1 of these tubs?

I have a ton more questions; do you mind?
I ain't senior for almost two more years. :)

In a 50L tub I run 50L of nutrient sol'n. I change one per grow right after the stretch when I switch to Lucas formula. Sometimes I don't change at all and it doesn't seem to matter. With one plant in DWC ScroG I get around 8oz of bud and almost that much in sugar trim and popcorn. I call anything smaller than a dime in diameter popcorn even if it's a rock hard nug. I like making dry sift and oils so nothing goes to waste.

Headed for bed after setting up my light rail and having to try 3 spots before I got it right. Bitch to do by yourself but I didn't break nothing so it's all good.

CBDgirlsLightRail01.jpg

:peace:
 

graying.geek

Well-Known Member
What regemin do you all use to control nasty microbes in your tank? H2O2, bleach, bennies, what? I've read that 4 drops of household bleach per gallon, every 3 days, will keep these critters under control. Seems dead simple. Experiential input anyone?
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
I made a chiller out of a water cooler and keep nute temps around 65-68F so don't use anything these days when doing DWC tho used to use 35% food grade peroxide. Twice a week I'd add 0.5ml/L - 2ml/USG as a maintenance dose to prevent problems and go up to 5 or 6ml/L every 24hours if rot showed up pouring some thru the net pots to get anything nasty hiding in them and believe me it's in there too.

I've read of guys using pool shock but putting that much chlorine in my tubs just does not compute. :) Peroxide breaks down to water and an free single oxygen molecule looking for something needing an O which is anaerobic material like bad bacteria or rotting organic matter like dead roots. It's kinda like chemo. It is most strongly drawn to those materials first but there's a little collateral damage as it fights. You want to use enough to kill the bad guys but not leave so much over once they are gone that a lot of good guys like root hairs get clobbered as well.

I've never used any Zyme products. IMHO bacteria and fungi belong in the dirt and have no place in a pure hydro environment.

:peace:
 

PetFlora

Well-Known Member
Here is my 'newest' iteration. Rez is a converted Igloo cooler,.size according to number of plants. This is a 6 x 6 tent with just one plant (Big Girl: BG). I took 2 cuttings and may move them there later. Discovery Cubes are 19" on center (available from Bed Bath and Beyond)
IMG_4074.JPG IMG_4075.JPG IMG_4076.JPG IMG_4078.JPG IMG_4079.JPG IMG_4077.JPG
 

PetFlora

Well-Known Member
Thanks!

It's taken me a few years of trial and error, including top feed with Hydro Halo Drip Rings (they clogged). I drilled out the holes and they STILL clogged. That led me back to F & D.

2 deep cycle timers are needed

* one timer is needed to run the flooming pump with short ~ 2 minute bursts/10 minutes to oxygenate without heating the nutes,
* another to flood one tote ~ 40 seconds every 2-3 hours. 2 totes require more on tiime

so it appears simple, but requires some medium tech
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Thanks!

It's taken me a few years of trial and error, including top feed with Hydro Halo Drip Rings (they clogged). I drilled out the holes and they STILL clogged. That led me back to F & D.

2 deep cycle timers are needed

* one timer is needed to run the flooming pump with short ~ 2 minute bursts/10 minutes to oxygenate without heating the nutes,
* another to flood one tote ~ 40 seconds every 2-3 hours. 2 totes require more on tiime

so it appears simple, but requires some medium tech
I'm so used to just using the RubberMaid tubs with a couple of 12" airstones in each for my DWC. Got myself a commercial air pump with an 8-outlet manifold that each has a valve to run the 4 tub setup I'm building an 8x4' flowering room for. Using it now to aerate my dugout until I can find a new diaphragm for the old air pump that was here when I bought the house in '03. It was under water when the basement flooded a few years back and cost me $130 to get the motor working. This new pump was $120 and pumps twice the air easy. Wish I'd known.

Such a simple system in the tubs and damn near foolproof. Just the air pump for mechanical worries and if I'm running two tubs I'd use two dual outlet aquarium pumps plugged into different circuits. One hose from each pump going into each tub so if a breaker went on one circuit there would be one 12" stone working in each tub and that's plenty to keep both safe until I find and fix the problem. No holes or fittings below the water line means no leaks ever.

My grow room during the flood that had 8" of water in the basement. Talk about an "OH SHIT!" moment. :D Can laugh now but was cursing a blue streak when it happened. At least the plant got watered well.

Flood01.jpg

Have yourself a very Merry Xmas! xmastree.gif

:peace:
 

graying.geek

Well-Known Member
Here is my 'newest' iteration. Rez is a converted Igloo cooler,.size according to number of plants. This is a 6 x 6 tent with just one plant (Big Girl: BG). I took 2 cuttings and may move them there later. Discovery Cubes are 19" on center (available from Bed Bath and Beyond)
]
Nice setup, PF. No chiller? What temp does your res maintain.
 

PetFlora

Well-Known Member
Nice setup, PF. No chiller? What temp does your res maintain.

Since I run a couple rezes, no chiller. It's a bitch in summer, not so bad in what goes for winter here (83*s today with ~ 69* over night). Not so great solution is to rotate blue ice blocs. Maybe the solution would be a chiller for a big Igloo that I could drop 2 rezes in. Probably very efficient
 
Top