It is really easy to get a "Mom set up" going...
And I find that vegging my lollies ANY, cause more trouble that it's worth...
Veg time allows budsites to become branches, which I would then prune and loose out...
A 4x4 tray fits 8 rows of 8 .. minus one for the fittings.. and you should have no problem slapping 127...
I only use RW for cloning... so I choose the 2" cubes that can stay clear of the flood...
I would DEFINITELY support the middle section... even my 3x3 trays SAG REAL BAD when they are full.... that flex WILL LEAD TO CRACKS eventually...
Make sure you support your trays so they do not flex too much...
What do you mean???
In my op... when I fill the res, I do nothing else...
No need to top off... no need to add nutes... no need to do anything other than monitor and correct
IF and WHEN a problem arises...
I might have to add a little pH down at the end of the cycle... but SIMPLICITY is the reason I choose a BIG RES...
I set my pH at 5.6~5.7 on the first day of a new res...
It will SLOWLY climb... so by the end of 10 days, it MIGHT be up to 6.1~6.3... at that point I
may add a little pH down to correct it ... but in all honesty, most of the time I just let it ride, as it never gets above 6.3... and a res change is just days away...
Oh...
Worth mentioning, again, that my res is at a constant 1400 ppm....
I have to do nothing... it just stays there... but in my days before the BIG RES, I would simply adjust the PPM to 1400... if it read HIGH, I added water.. if it read LOW, I added some nutes...
But ever since I moved to BIG RES, things are pretty darn stable...even the temperature of the solution in the res is at constant 63F...
I hope this helps... but feel free to pick my brain anytime...