DIY EBB n FLOW question

what would make a sutiable plastic tub to hold plants ? Wal-mart plastic totes are either too deep, clear, or won't hold plants+H2O+rock. Just need a simple hard/strong plastic to use. any ideas ?

I use 18 gallon tupperware tubs for resivoir and 8-9 gallon tupperware tubs that stack perfect inside the 18 gal! Very cheaqp and simple with HUGE sucess!

willywooper said:

what would make a sutiable plastic tub to hold plants ? Wal-mart plastic totes are either too deep, clear, or won't hold plants+H2O+rock. Just need a simple hard/strong plastic to use. any ideas ?

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from Target I got some underbed storage containers (picture attached) and from Lowes I got these nice and strong reservoirs (pic attached as well)

I started with aero, then went to DWC... had a nice round of NFT, and now I'm doing Ebb and Flow .. or flood and drain, and I could NOT be happier. SO easy, with built in failsafes.

For the underbed storage container that I used I wasnt worried about it being clear. Who cares? The pots that you will put your plants in will likely be black and it wont be an issue.

I suggest a nice strong reservoir though, I've gotten some that werent that strong, and they bulge at the bottom. That is spoooky!

Good luck, and keep it simple! ebb and flow is awesome.

The only reason I was against clear is because it can produce algae. Not really a horrible problem just a nuisance I'd rather not deal with lol. I suppose some good ol' duct tape and spray paint would fix that tho

i basically have the same setup as yak (awesome name btw). if you can only find clear totes grab a can of black spraypaint and cover it. the whole point of DIY projects is they are going to look professional. embrace your homemade junk. thats half the fun man. good luck.

what should I use for drainage ? I was thinking of making a very small hole with aquarium air tubing (very small in diameter) so I only have to water once or twice a day and it will drain very slowly ....... I will also add a very large/quick release overflow incase something malfunctions of course

willywooper said:

what should I use for drainage ? I was thinking of making a very small hole with aquarium air tubing (very small in diameter) so I only have to water once or twice a day and it will drain very slowly ....... I will also add a very large/quick release overflow incase something malfunctions of course

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Algae has never been a problem in my flood table (aka cheap ass underbed storage thing) I flood twice a day, for 15 minutes each time, and that's only because that is the smallest increment of time that my timer allows. If I could, I'd flood it for only five minutes, twice a day.

I use 50/50 rockwool flock, and hydroton clay pebbles. the rockwool absorbs and holds moisture for quite some time, so you dont need to flood it for very long.

Do yourself a BIG favor and go to a hydro shop, and get an Ebb and Flow Fittings Kit by botanicare or any other kit that's specifically made for ebb and flow. If you fuck around with this you could end up with leaks, flooding, and just problems in general. I got my fittings kit for less than 7 dollars from the hydro shop... money WELL SPENT.

Can I hook a standard pond pump and pond tubing to the fitting ? Also, when the water drains out does the fitting regulate it so it wont all drain out real quickly ? and I'll probably invest in a good timer so I can do quick good floods like you said and not have to worry about it fu**ing up. I would go get the fittings now and tinker with it even though I'm not going to set my grow up for a while, but I went into my local hydro shop with a black friend of mine and was so insulted by the fact that ALL THREE people that were working there stared at him from the moment we walked in the door, I walked out with around $400 I had planned on spending to get my equipment in advance. If I didn't care to give out my location I'd tell you the name of the shop. It was a joke, and messy anyway. So I'll probably end up having to make a good drive or get a pre-payed credit card (even tho they r a pain in the ass)

man go to youtube.com and type in mr. green. watch that and you will be way ahead of the game. the man basically gives you step by step on everything. enjoy and good luck

clear trays shouldnt be a problem, i mean there is no lid and the light comes in from the top.
what is the point of painting the sides black ?

willywooper said:

Can I hook a standard pond pump and pond tubing to the fitting ? Also, when the water drains out does the fitting regulate it so it wont all drain out real quickly ? and I'll probably invest in a good timer so I can do quick good floods like you said and not have to worry about it fu**ing up. I would go get the fittings now and tinker with it even though I'm not going to set my grow up for a while, but I went into my local hydro shop with a black friend of mine and was so insulted by the fact that ALL THREE people that were working there stared at him from the moment we walked in the door, I walked out with around $400 I had planned on spending to get my equipment in advance. If I didn't care to give out my location I'd tell you the name of the shop. It was a joke, and messy anyway. So I'll probably end up having to make a good drive or get a pre-payed credit card (even tho they r a pain in the ass)

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Sorry to hear about the stereotyping of your friend, maybe they just thought he was a famous athlete or something.

Willy.... what type of media do you plan to use in your setup?

I think Mr. Green from youtube uses 4 or 6 inch rockwool cubes surrounded by some sort of rock, orchid rocks?

The water absorbs in the rockwool and doesnt really need to drain slowly. It really depends on the type of setup you want to run/emulate.

It's a good idea to set everything up first and do test runs, so that when you get your plants, you are READY!!

Pump size can make a difference as well.

I hooked up a pond pump and it was shooting water all over the place. Then I put a smaller pump, and it takes about 4 minutes for my pump to fill up the tray. For shits and giggles I tried an even smaller pump, and it filled the rez really slow, took about 20 minutes to fill, and it also drained fairly slow too going back through the pump.

There are lots of options, but watch out for overwatering.

I'll probaby start clones in rockwool and put them in some sort of media like rocks out of the local river, or hydroton. what kind of pump do you use if not a pond pump ? and can I hook the pump to miltiple trays somehow ?

willywooper said:

I'll probaby start clones in rockwool and put them in some sort of media like rocks out of the local river, or hydroton. what kind of pump do you use if not a pond pump ? and can I hook the pump to miltiple trays somehow ?

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I use a cheapie Via Aqua 400 gph pump, which you can get for less than 20 dollars.

I'm sure you could put a T on a fountain pump and fill multiple trays at once. Should be pretty easy, but as cheap as pumps are, I'd use one per tray. if you only have one, and it goes out on you make sure you have a spare handy.

did your pump come with hose or did you just get the measurement and buy it ? b.c it doesnt seem like all hose sizes fir pumps would all be compatible with the size of the EBB and flow fittings

simple and cheap are high top rubbermade totes at walmart flip lip upside down drill two holes add pump and a bit of hose and voila, flood and drain system for under 40 bucks canadian at that

I used a home depot mortar tray. Costs 3 bucks in the cement sction. I place it right on a 18 gallon rubbermaid. Easy. I used turbogarden pots witha lyer of tile mulch on the bottom and then 4 in rw and mini cubes to make up the diference.

I used the pots with mulch to get good drainage. Remember u need that or it is all fucked up. That is the problem with those flat underbed pans too.

I got my botanicar 3x3 tray with all the drainage for 40 dollars off craigs list. Every day I see 3x3 trays for cheaper too. Botanicare is the best. !!!!. Anyway I checke d the price for big underbed stirage bins.

If I had to do it all over again it looks like I could have saved 20 bucks and rigged the underbed. But for the superior quality and drainage I am glad I spent the 20 dollars.

Check craigs list.

Also I bought the botanicare ebb fitting for my mortar tray. For the botanicare table I use the american hydro ones you will see if you look. They allow me to flood higher. I flood about an inch up a 5.25 in pot filled with what I said.

Good luck. In rw i flooded once every few days in veg. I gotta flood every day in flower. If you over water rw they grow very slowly!