Hydro Newb looking for help with DIY build

[Terry385]

setup is easy to find out if DWC is for you 2 plants in 4x4 space 5 gal bucket 6 inch netpot air pump 4 inch stones I check my plants every day, I go away for a few days I have wife just add water
day one of flower

 

[Blue brother]

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?

Household thin bleach. The closest to plain sodium hypochlorite bleach u can find. I use dirt cheap Tesco value thin bleach. Ozone is the best bar none, but expensive and tricky to get it sussed out.

 

[Ghost67]

I am on my 3rd dwc grow, been changing techniques each time. This is the newest iteration, the seedling spa has three fem Northern Lights, the coffee can cloner has a bagseed clone from my last grow, and the rooter plugs are northern lights. I'm putting the plants in the spa and the clone into their own 5 gal buckets, with 4 300 watt led units lighting them, and then the rooter plug northern lights are going into a single res tank that I made out of a black tote, with a 1000 watt led for that one.

 

[OldMedUser]

My new 6 site rdwc

Looks like you need a hole saw to get clean edges maybe. You do cover that gaping hole in your rez when the lights are on right?

Nice DIY setup tho and you should get great yields!

Can hardly wait until I get my 4 tub room going. Took 27 cuts and they are looking good 4 days in. Fingers crossed! lol

 

[firsttimeARE]

Looks like you need a hole saw to get clean edges maybe. You do cover that gaping hole in your rez when the lights are on right?

Nice DIY setup tho and you should get great yields!

Can hardly wait until I get my 4 tub room going. Took 27 cuts and they are looking good 4 days in. Fingers crossed! lol

Yeah imma keep it covered with fat leaves and buds. But no I dont cover it. My 4 site hasnt been covered at all and its going fine. A bit of algae on the pump filter bag but all good other wise. Same water for 10 weeks now.

6" hole saws are expensive. A crude cut,with a jigsaw are good enough considering the lid covers any imperfections.

 

[OldMedUser]

Yeah imma keep it covered with fat leaves and buds. But no I dont cover it. My 4 site hasnt been covered at all and its going fine. A bit of algae on the pump filter bag but all good other wise. Same water for 10 weeks now.

6" hole saws are expensive. A crude cut,with a jigsaw are good enough considering the lid covers any imperfections.

I go rent a hole saw for a few bux and run it in reverse so it doesn't grab. Kinda melts it way thru the plastic. The RubberMaid plastic is softer than what you have there too. As long as it grows good plants like that is what's important anyways.

 

[Ghost67]

yup, a nice hole saw is your friend.

 

[Victor6634]

This my 4 plant system day 23 of flower

 

[OldMedUser]

This my 4 plant system day 23 of flower

Nice tidy setup! Plants sure seem strong, healthy and happy in there.

 

[graying.geek]

After filtering through all of the excellent input, I've decided to forgo the bucket project I started on (anyone in the market for 8 discounted 1.5" PVC bulkheads?) and build my own tank with low pressure sprinklers. The tank is 70% put together and looks pretty good so far. Inside dimensions measure 40.5" wide x 11.5" deep x 18" tall. My SCROG'ed grow space is 48" x 24" and I've settled on 3 net pots. For the sake of simplicity, I'll be running GreenLeaf Mega-Crop. Here's the general layout without a lot of detail (note that despite the label, the green pump is 250 GPH, NOT GPM. An error in labeling that I didn't feel like redoing:


I mistakenly omitted the 3 air stones, 1 below each plant but please use your imagination. At 250 GPH, the low-pressure pump comes close to maxing out the capacity of the 6 sprinkler heads which are rated at 8" of spary at 13 GPH each. I'm aware that this is not true aeroponics with misting, etc., but anecdotal reports are positive despite the larger droplet size. This system seems more analogous to bubbleponics rather than aero, but after the roots develop, I think this system will assure more complete coverage over the root mass. We'll see. At just under 1/2 full, the tank is at 20 gallons, so if I'm understanding @OldMedUser and others, as longs as I maintain appropriate pH and TDS levels, I should be good with only 3 nute changes, correct?

Keeping in mind I'm a complete hydro Newb, feel free to shoot holes or make suggestions.

Other questions/concerns:

With the pump and sprinklers bringing nutrients from the bottom to sprinkle the baskets at the rate of ~200 GPH, would you recommend I still add another pump to circulate the nutes in the tank or will I be good with just the pump and sprinklers.?

Since I'm "sprinkling" the netpots and root systems, what would be a reasonable level to maintain the nutrient solution below the netpots?

Since this is all low pressure, do you think the sprinklers are worthwhile, or would I be just as well off by foregoing the sprinklers, and just run a tube with a bubbler on the end in the top of the net pot? Certainly simpler, but just as effective?

 

[graying.geek]

Household thin bleach. The closest to plain sodium hypochlorite bleach u can find. I use dirt cheap Tesco value thin bleach. Ozone is the best bar none, but expensive and tricky to get it sussed out.

Thanx, Blue. How much thin bleach and how often? For Ozone, you mean an O3 generator?

 

[OldMedUser]

After filtering through all of the excellent input, I've decided to forgo the bucket project I started on (anyone in the market for 8 discounted 1.5" PVC bulkheads?) and build my own tank with low pressure sprinklers. The tank is 70% put together and looks pretty good so far. Inside dimensions measure 40.5" wide x 11.5" deep x 18" tall. My SCROG'ed grow space is 48" x 24" and I've settled on 3 net pots. For the sake of simplicity, I'll be running GreenLeaf Mega-Crop. Here's the general layout without a lot of detail (note that despite the label, the green pump is 250 GPH, NOT GPM. An error in labeling that I didn't feel like redoing:
View attachment 4061544

I mistakenly omitted the 3 air stones, 1 below each plant but please use your imagination. At 250 GPH, the low-pressure pump comes close to maxing out the capacity of the 6 sprinkler heads which are rated at 8" of spary at 13 GPH each. I'm aware that this is not true aeroponics with misting, etc., but anecdotal reports are positive despite the larger droplet size. This system seems more analogous to bubbleponics rather than aero, but after the roots develop, I think this system will assure more complete coverage over the root mass. We'll see. At just under 1/2 full, the tank is at 20 gallons, so if I'm understanding @OldMedUser and others, as longs as I maintain appropriate pH and TDS levels, I should be good with only 3 nute changes, correct?

Keeping in mind I'm a complete hydro Newb, feel free to shoot holes or make suggestions.

Other questions/concerns:

With the pump and sprinklers bringing nutrients from the bottom to sprinkle the baskets at the rate of ~200 GPH, would you recommend I still add another pump to circulate the nutes in the tank or will I be good with just the pump and sprinklers.?

Since I'm "sprinkling" the netpots and root systems, what would be a reasonable level to maintain the nutrient solution below the netpots?

Since this is all low pressure, do you think the sprinklers are worthwhile, or would I be just as well off by foregoing the sprinklers, and just run a tube with a bubbler on the end in the top of the net pot? Certainly simpler, but just as effective?

Take it from a guy with 50+ DWC grows behind him that you don't need to be spraying the roots at all. Just adding complexity to to the most basic and proven hydro system going. What you have there is a larger version of my tub grows so just raise the water level to an inch or two below the bottom of the net pots and let the popping bubbles from your air stones wet the exposed roots and lower net pots. When I lift the lid on mine the whole inside of it is soaking wet from water droplets.

There will be massive roots that will bury any pump inlet in layers all the time and submersible pumps add unwanted heat. I'd rig that pump, if you already have it, to drain and fill the tank.



Same thing with top feeding DWC. It does nothing once the plants are larger as the roots are thick and just hoses now to bring water and nutes up. Not much use at the start either. I use a turkey baster twice a day for about 3 days to suck some nutes out and squirt them into each net pot. 2 min job. Once there's even one little root out at the bottom they don't need top feed no more.

I'd get some of those fancy micropore diffusers and put one under each pot. Not sure where to get them but they last forever I'm told and I may go on the hunt for some myself. Using 2 - 12" airstones in each tub and got an EcoAir5, 1300gph commercial air pump with an 8 outlet manifold to run 4 independent tubs with 2 airstones each. Using it to aerate my dugout atm. $104Can last Sept.

Just a few thoughts to maybe save you some money, complexity and likely some grief too. Nice idea and looks great whichever way you go.

 

[klx]

I only grow hydro indoors. As far as I am concerned Organics, soil etc have no place indoors but that is another story. I would recommend you take the advice above and keep your hydro setup as simple as possible. If you are set on a tub system I would follow the recommendations and go for DWC and keep the aero for cloning.

Personally I would go for flood and drain but DWC is also pretty simple. It is just even less forgiving in the event of blackout etc.

Regards your res, I would not put bleach into my res. There is a lot of info out there as to why this is a bad idea. H2O2 is slightly more expensive but is what I would use. 50% H2O2 @ 0.25ml per litre every 2nd day RELIGIOUSLY and you can forget about needing chillers and all that crap and your res will stay crystal clear and your plants will be happy.

The 2 most important rules for hydro are KISS and Sterile res imho.

Good luck!

 

[OldMedUser]

I only grow hydro indoors. As far as I am concerned Organics, soil etc have no place indoors but that is another story. I would recommend you take the advice above and keep your hydro setup as simple as possible. If you are set on a tub system I would follow the recommendations and go for DWC and keep the aero for cloning.

Personally I would go for flood and drain but DWC is also pretty simple. It is just even less forgiving in the event of blackout etc.

Regards your res, I would not put bleach into my res. There is a lot of info out there as to why this is a bad idea. H2O2 is slightly more expensive but is what I would use. 50% H2O2 @ 0.25ml per litre every 2nd day RELIGIOUSLY and you can forget about needing chillers and all that crap and your res will stay crystal clear and your plants will be happy.

The 2 most important rules for hydro are KISS and Sterile res imho.

Good luck!

I've never seen 50% peroxide in the wild. Always used 35% at 0.5ml/L twice a week but it's hard to find that and had to settle for 29% with the last gallon I bought.

I never use it anymore as I have lots of cool air all year round for free and a DIY chiller made out of a water cooler that cost a total of $14 to build.

I would never use chlorine in my tubs either.

 

[redi jedi]

I've never seen 50% peroxide in the wild. Always used 35% at 0.5ml/L twice a week but it's hard to find that and had to settle for 29% with the last gallon I bought.

I never use it anymore as I have lots of cool air all year round for free and a DIY chiller made out of a water cooler that cost a total of $14 to build.

I would never use chlorine in my tubs either.

Why fear chlorine?

 

[OldMedUser]

Why fear chlorine?

Who said anything about fearing it? It can easily form toxic compounds with other things like amines in the mix or plasticizers that leach out of even food safe plastics. All sorts of chloride compounds that your plants will absorb and you will ingest.

Peroxide is just H2O and an O+ when it breaks down and so much cleaner.

I won't be smoking it so use it if you want. I hear it works and is cheap as hell. Just not my cup of chlorides.

Maybe have a read of this page of info about sodium hypochlorite aka bleach. Byproducts are table salt and very alkaline caustic soda to mention two. Neither are toxic in small doses but not stuff I want in my nutes.

 

[redi jedi]

Who said anything about fearing it? It can easily form toxic compounds with other things like amines in the mix or plasticizers that leach out of even food safe plastics. All sorts of chloride compounds that your plants will absorb and you will ingest.

Peroxide is just H2O and an O+ when it breaks down and so much cleaner.

I won't be smoking it so use it if you want. I hear it works and is cheap as hell. Just not my cup of chlorides.

Maybe have a read of this page of info about sodium hypochlorite aka bleach. Byproducts are table salt and very alkaline caustic soda to mention two. Neither are toxic in small doses but not stuff I want in my nutes.

Maybe we should stop chlorinating our water supply?..lol...serious though, its SOP at any commercial hydroponic grow...lettuce mostly. Does calcium hypochlorite aka pool shock, form toxic compounds also?

 

[klx]

I've never seen 50% peroxide in the wild.

Agriculture supply stores have 50% round here.

Maybe we should stop chlorinating our water supply?..lol...serious though, its SOP at any commercial hydroponic grow...lettuce mostly. Does calcium hypochlorite aka pool shock, form toxic compounds also?

Bleach works, people use it and see no ill effects whatsoever. But, as there is a better alternative, and its cheap, its what I go for. I think it works well. I do use tap water so there is trace amounts of chlorine and more anyway meh.

 

[PetFlora]

I've never seen 50% peroxide in the wild. Always used 35% at 0.5ml/L twice a week but it's hard to find that and had to settle for 29% with the last gallon I bought.

I never use it anymore as I have lots of cool air all year round for free and a DIY chiller made out of a water cooler that cost a total of $14 to build.

I would never use chlorine in my tubs either.

I was recently shocked to find 35% food grade in a health food grocery store, and at reasonable price

 

[firsttimeARE]

I go rent a hole saw for a few bux and run it in reverse so it doesn't grab. Kinda melts it way thru the plastic. The RubberMaid plastic is softer than what you have there too. As long as it grows good plants like that is what's important anyways.

Its really not that important to have circular cuts for this purpose. Aerocloner where the netcup lips are 3mm? Yeah you probably want to use a hole saw. A 6" netpot with a 5" lip? Nope.