5by5's 2nd RDWC grow

Google:" Waterfarm recirculating reservoir " That thread started with modifying regular WFs, then evolved to include using different types of 5gal containers.. I admit the circulating rate is only 5.5-6 gal an hour.. The mod doesn't include electric water pumps or air stone.. They just aren't needed... Here's an example of one grow using 2, 5 gal Igloo water coolers ..
https://www.rollitup.org/t/the-official-dwc-cooler-club-any-kind-of-cooler-res.366114/page-37#post-12496478

That's a good idea using coolers for a dwc.

Yes, that is shower pan liner I used for covers. Easy to clean and re-usable. $5/ft at HD.
Right now I am using H2O2 to keep my shit clean. After trying UC Roots, H2O2 works much better.
5.5 PH
150PPM GH 3 Part with maybe 10 ml extra grow.

I used h202 I was happy with the results. I use pool shock now seems to work the same just for longer periods of time which I like. Got my new chiller hooked up just in time for flower so I'm hopeing for a good finish.

I noticed such a huge difference once I hooked up my chiller last year. Your investment will be returned with monster growth, I can say that from experience. Once you harvest that 300 bucks won't mean shit.
Pool shock worked so well for me with the seedlings.
For some reason I am having trouble maintaining a measurable chlorine level with my GH 3 part. I think it is reacting with the ammoniacal nitrogen in the nutes and rendering the chlorine useless.

I used H202 just as an experiment. After Shock and UC Roots failed me...meaning the res stunk like mildew and shit after only 24 hours.....I tried some 34% peroxide. I had no other choice. I did not have high hopes.
The next morning I woke up and smelled my res. No smell. That told me what I needed to know.

In general: Healthy bacteria can smell as well. So no smell is not per definition equal to 'healthy'.

5BY5LEC said:

I used H202 just as an experiment. After Shock and UC Roots failed me...meaning the res stunk like mildew and shit after only 24 hours.....I tried some 34% peroxide. I had no other choice. I did not have high hopes.
The next morning I woke up and smelled my res. No smell. That told me what I needed to know.

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I use some H2O2 everytime I feed because it is a great source of O1 for the roots. Weed roots love oxygen in dirt or water Plus it kills fungus gnats and other little pests

Keesje said:

In general: Healthy bacteria can smell as well. So no smell is not per definition equal to 'healthy'.

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For sure. When I was using hydroguard my res smelled like fresh dirt. Not at all like funk or anything.

I would like to mention in retrospect I should have waited to transplant them until longer. Having never used rockwool, I was unsure of myself but next time...next time I am just going to grow them out a bit before transplant. No big deal this time though.

I found that just picking up the rockwool cube lets you know if it needs water. Wait until its super light again and then dip it. Repeat when needed. Anyway.

My PH has been at 5.5 since Wednesday, just starting to creep up to 5.6 today. I have not done anything but look and take pictures.
Nutrients are at 260 - 80 tap. 180. 1-1-1 GH.
Everyone has nice long white roots into the water, gotta get some pictures of that.
Water smells like nothing since I added peroxide with the res change Weds. I used 60ml of 34% / 20 gal.
Yes, its hot and dry in there. I think I am ok up to around 85 with the chiller keeping the water around 65. Anything over 86 or so and I have been shutting my lights off early.

I regress.....I should have failed last year so I learned to be proactive about issues.
Peroxide....yeah it can be a bit dangerous and let me let everyone know that 120ml of 34% in 20 gallons is way too much. I have been trying to fight a slime problem that I did not have at all last year.
Every 3-5 days my airstones have been getting covered in this shit. A clear white snot which then gets on the roots.
It would then get on things like the bulkheads and PH and PPM probes but not the bucket walls.
These are the reasons I have been trying like bleach/shock UC Roots and Peroxide and all this and that.

Anyway I used all that peroxide and my roots were fucked.
Ever watch your girlfriend use nair and wipe the hair off her leg?
That is literally what I did with the roots. Wiped them off the netpot. They were tiny though, much much smaller vs last year at the same time.
The plants were not happy. I honestly am shocked they didnt die.

I read and read and I think what happened last year is I just happened to get some kind of bacterial/fungal balance in the water.
I figured at this point I just need to systematically try different approaches to keeping my water and roots clean and healthy. What the worst that could happen? The plants die. I can try again.
Decided to try the EWC tea approach, but I only half-assed it at first I guess. I drained out my system and scraped the slime off the airstones with a razor, and then just kind of scrubbed around the buckets. I then vacuumed out all the water before filling.
I ordered this stuff called Oregonism XL. It has a blend of all the fungi and bacteria you will find in orca and hydroguard plus more.
I mixed some up (the shit was dark like crude oil) and sprayed it down the stalks and all over the netpots (the bottoms of which were covered in slime).
I used maybe 100 ml in total. That was two days ago.
I pulled up my netpot lid expecting to see shit yesterday and this is what I saw.

Said product.

Try waterfalls! Ditch the air stones for good.

So I decided, well fuck it I will try to brew this "ewc tea" I see everyone talking about. This shit I sprayed on my roots has shown me better results than anything I have used thus far. It just is how it is so I am gonna roll with it.
My local grow store are good guys, and had some Ancient Forest on sale for 10 bucks. I went and got a bag.
I got a small air pump, two small airstones and some cheesecloth.
I put some AF in a small cheesecloth pouch. Dropped it in with a scoop of XL in a 1 gallon jug and have been bubbling it for awhile. I am going to one last res change and then add in the tea. It smells like my res did last year.

Axion42 said:

Try waterfalls! Ditch the air stones for good.

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Yeah, I am going to when I build my two tote system. I have seen so many experienced people on here recommend that. I mean I like the idea of frothing water but shit man, airstones are hard to clean and just seem to naturally harbor shit. Not to mention the air pump. Aside from putting it into a HEPA box, the air is a huge source of contamination.

So we will see if the tea works out. It won't take very long. I am adding it tomorrow. At that point it will have brewed for 48 hours, which I read is what you are supposed to do.

Well, the tea seems to be doing alright for now. My stones are a little brown but not covered in shit.
This plant is the top right one in the above picture. What a difference. They look happy again
***Should I chop the dead/dying leaves off or let it ride?****

The yellow squares are sticky traps cut into strips.

Well the EWC tea works pretty well, I can't lie. Better than any chemical I have used.
PH 5.8
PPM 270-280 Armor SI, Calmag, GH Trio