DWC Setup 2000w

I am getting ready for my first grow. I am planning on doing a grow journal on this site, but I wanted to run my setup by everyone to make sure I didn't make any mistakes before I get started.

I bought two gorilla grow tents. One veg room which is 4x4 and the flower room is 9x5. I have 2 1000w lights placed an even distance apart with 2 5-gallon buckets underneath each light, each bucket about 1.5ft from each other (also thought about putting two buckets in one row and the other buckets about a foot off in another room to create more space, let me know what you guys think about that).

I have a a basic airpump for each bucket with two airstones in each. I have attached a water level indicator so I don't have to worry about lifting the top of the buckets. I also purchased a 720cfm fan/filter/silencer.

I believe I will be buying a Girl Scout Cookies clone from a nearby dispensary. I read it should be a relatively easy strain to grow ( I figured I should learn all the same strain for my first grow so I can get the hang of it). I plan on vegging her to about 2.5ft and then using a scrog. I will be fimming, lsting, and super cropping as well. I will be feeding using RO water and the lucas formula. I have decided not to use calmag as I do not fullly understand if it is necessary and will buy epsom salt if needed.

If I forgot to mention something please let me know, Also, I would be more than happy if other growers had input for me. I am very receptive to constructive crticism. Thanks!

dwc rocks BUT water temps are critical. how do you plan on keeping them around 68F? everything else sounds good. if you can get clones of skunk#1, i'd start with that. one of the most forgiving strains out there.

Ppm and ph will be critical in DWC as too will be your water temps.

Calmag when using RO replaces some of the lost minerals of your tap water and helps to buffer the pH of the RO water.

Why aren't you using your tap water may I ask?

A lot of people when using RO water add around 200ppm of calmag before adding their base nutes.

Do you understand how ppm impacts ph and what to look for within each bucket when testing the ppm and ph of the NUTE solution?




J

jondamon said:

Ppm and ph will be critical in DWC as too will be your water temps.

Calmag when using RO replaces some of the lost minerals of your tap water and helps to buffer the pH of the RO water.

Why aren't you using your tap water may I ask?

A lot of people when using RO water add around 200ppm of calmag before adding their base nutes.

Do you understand how ppm impacts ph and what to look for within each bucket when testing the ppm and ph of the NUTE solution?




J

Click to expand...

Perfectly said. Once you learn how to read each bucket every single day and know what the numbers are telling you.

i do 5 gallon dwc buckets and i got 6 buckets under each 1k light. and i thought i was being wasteful with the lights. the general rule of thumb is 60watts per square foot. a 4x4 area or tent is 16 sq feet, divide 1000watts/16= 62.5 watts per sq foot. you sould be able to get 6 to 9 buckets under each light. 6 plants that you shape and supercrop to 3-4 feet height will yield lots more than 1 monster tree in 1 bucket, but that just been my experience. ps- another first timer mistake is to "chase the ph" set it at 5.4-5.8 and check it in a week. if you check it daily, you will go crazy trying to correct it. that will cause more shock to the plant than if the ph gets up to 7.

mandy1 said:

i do 5 gallon dwc buckets and i got 6 buckets under each 1k light. and i thought i was being wasteful with the lights. the general rule of thumb is 60watts per square foot. a 4x4 area or tent is 16 sq feet, divide 1000watts/16= 62.5 watts per sq foot. you sould be able to get 6 to 9 buckets under each light. 6 plants that you shape and supercrop to 3-4 feet height will yield lots more than 1 monster tree in 1 bucket, but that just been my experience. ps- another first timer mistake is to "chase the ph" set it at 5.4-5.8 and check it in a week. if you check it daily, you will go crazy trying to correct it. that will cause more shock to the plant than if the ph gets up to 7.

Click to expand...

Very true and daily checking IMO can help you understand the correlation between ppm strength and the pH.

The pH as you mentioned shouldn't be chased. More like monitored.

As long as it sits between 5.2-6.2 then it shouldn't be adjusted.


There's some good info
in here for the OP.



J

jondamon said:

Ppm and ph will be critical in DWC as too will be your water temps.

Calmag when using RO replaces some of the lost minerals of your tap water and helps to buffer the pH of the RO water.

Why aren't you using your tap water may I ask?

A lot of people when using RO water add around 200ppm of calmag before adding their base nutes.

Do you understand how ppm impacts ph and what to look for within each bucket when testing the ppm and ph of the NUTE solution?




J

Click to expand...

I was told the lucas formula works best with RO water. I read that using RO water makes it so that I know wxactly what's going into my resevoir. I don't understand how PPM impacts PH. I know the range my PH should be, but I'm not really sure what else you mean

mandy1 said:

i do 5 gallon dwc buckets and i got 6 buckets under each 1k light. and i thought i was being wasteful with the lights. the general rule of thumb is 60watts per square foot. a 4x4 area or tent is 16 sq feet, divide 1000watts/16= 62.5 watts per sq foot. you sould be able to get 6 to 9 buckets under each light. 6 plants that you shape and supercrop to 3-4 feet height will yield lots more than 1 monster tree in 1 bucket, but that just been my experience. ps- another first timer mistake is to "chase the ph" set it at 5.4-5.8 and check it in a week. if you check it daily, you will go crazy trying to correct it. that will cause more shock to the plant than if the ph gets up to 7.

Click to expand...

I did not know the bit about chasing ph. So if my PH gets up to 7 a day after setting it I should leave it?

rkymtnman said:

dwc rocks BUT water temps are critical. how do you plan on keeping them around 68F? everything else sounds good. if you can get clones of skunk#1, i'd start with that. one of the most forgiving strains out there.

Click to expand...

Never thought of the water temperature being an issue I always assumed it would be in normal range as long as everything ielse is set up correctly. I do have a device to check the temperature so I could figure out a way to cool or heat the buckets should that be an issue. Do you have any suggestions?

jondamon said:

Very true and daily checking IMO can help you understand the correlation between ppm strength and the pH.

The pH as you mentioned shouldn't be chased. More like monitored.

As long as it sits between 5.2-6.2 then it shouldn't be adjusted.


There's some good info
in here for the OP.



J

Click to expand...

Do you also agree more buckets is better? This seems to be a preference thing amongst growers and there are arguments on both sides. The argument that got me as a new grower is less plants to tend to. It may seem like a lot of work for me the first time so I thought four plants would be a good start.

Also what do you guys think about me getting a light rail for the tent? Is it worth it?

And thanks for all the replies so far, very helpful!

lucas formula works and works well. why you use RO water with it is so that you will have the exact same ppm everytime you mix up a batch. with tap water, your ppm's can vary from a lot to a little. and unless you have a water analysis, you don't know what is in your tap. RO is 0 ppm. the more you can keep constant in a grow, the easier it is to solve problems.

in tents, your dwc water will eventually be the same as the tent temp which is way too hot. 68 is optimal. when you get hotter, you risk all kinds of root rot issues that will kill your roots and then your plants. I personally used 2 27 gal tubs with 2 netpots each with 1 27 gal tub as a control res and the water was recirculated thru all of them. I had a aquarium chiller that would keep the res temps at 68 +- a few degrees.

i started out with single 5 gal buckets and after struggling with root zone temps went the chiller route.

and a simple explanation for ppm/pH: generally the higher the ppm the less fluctuations in pH you will have. a weaker solution will be harder to control pH in. I also found that as plants use up the nutes, the pH will drift up.

rkymtnman said:

lucas formula works and works well. why you use RO water with it is so that you will have the exact same ppm everytime you mix up a batch. with tap water, your ppm's can vary from a lot to a little. and unless you have a water analysis, you don't know what is in your tap. RO is 0 ppm. the more you can keep constant in a grow, the easier it is to solve problems.

in tents, your dwc water will eventually be the same as the tent temp which is way too hot. 68 is optimal. when you get hotter, you risk all kinds of root rot issues that will kill your roots and then your plants. I personally used 2 27 gal tubs with 2 netpots each with 1 27 gal tub as a control res and the water was recirculated thru all of them. I had a aquarium chiller that would keep the res temps at 68 +- a few degrees.

i started out with single 5 gal buckets and after struggling with root zone temps went the chiller route.

and a simple explanation for ppm/pH: generally the higher the ppm the less fluctuations in pH you will have. a weaker solution will be harder to control pH in. I also found that as plants use up the nutes, the pH will drift up.

Click to expand...

I've heard of chillers for RDWC, though I don't know really anything about them except that I assume they "chill" your water. I do not have an RDWC setup. Is a chiller something I can buy? Make? Do you have a link or more information about it? Definitely don't want root issues.

technically aquarium chiller. for dwc, rdwc, drain to waste(if needed), etc.

another thing to consider: how are you going to empty your buckets, clean them, etc doing a SCROG?

not to turn you off DWC, but if I were you, do 4 Hempy buckets under 1 1k in the 4x4 tent. just let them grow normally. use Lucas formula. learn as much as you can. be on the look-out for plant problems. keep it simple for your first grow. you should still get a decent haul off 4 plants.

rkymtnman said:

technically aquarium chiller. for dwc, rdwc, drain to waste(if needed), etc.

another thing to consider: how are you going to empty your buckets, clean them, etc doing a SCROG?

not to turn you off DWC, but if I were you, do 4 Hempy buckets under 1 1k in the 4x4 tent. just let them grow normally. use Lucas formula. learn as much as you can. be on the look-out for plant problems. keep it simple for your first grow. you should still get a decent haul off 4 plants.

Click to expand...

Have any links for an afforsable aquarium chiller. Everything I see is over $300 and I have 4 buckets. I installed a water level indicator where I can empty the bucket if needed. I was going to add water/nutrients right through the netpot. This is the best solution I could come up with unless you have a better idea.

rkymtnman said:

technically aquarium chiller. for dwc, rdwc, drain to waste(if needed), etc.

another thing to consider: how are you going to empty your buckets, clean them, etc doing a SCROG?

not to turn you off DWC, but if I were you, do 4 Hempy buckets under 1 1k in the 4x4 tent. just let them grow normally. use Lucas formula. learn as much as you can. be on the look-out for plant problems. keep it simple for your first grow. you should still get a decent haul off 4 plants.

Click to expand...

Seems like me best option is to run an rdwc system and get a chiller

I built my rdwc myself. stuff from lowes and walmart. what is your budget? are you a DIY'er?

make sure you buy a chiller bigger than what is recommended. don't get a 1/10 HP and think it will cool 300 gallons.

I'm not the best at doing things myself, but the good news is I have a couple handy men to do the work for me, I just have to go to lowe's and figure out what parts are best to get. I'll probably repost in a week or two after I figure it all out

rkymtnman said:

I built my rdwc myself. stuff from lowes and walmart. what is your budget? are you a DIY'er?

make sure you buy a chiller bigger than what is recommended. don't get a 1/10 HP and think it will cool 300 gallons.

Click to expand...

If you have advice on what parts are best to use at lowe's I'd appreciate it

Always check ph daily until your a pro. Don't listen when people say to not check daily.

Dwc can reward you greatly but can also be a disaster.ive done stand along dwc and I also built a rdwc system..EVERYTHING has to be on point for it to work.only tips I can think of off the top of my head is have massive air flow in the water(use more than those stupid fish tank air pumps) and get a BIG chiller.consistent water temps that do not fluctuate is key.
I've had some of my biggest most productive yields in rdwc but I've lost more harvests than anything.i decided I can't afford to gamble so went back to soilless and never looked back.id rather have to deal with rootballs and transplanting etc and have garaunteed harvests than take a gamble.
It's funny about 5 people I know did rdwc for years and ended up going back to soilless.