ebb and flow table question

so i am thinking of getting a 8X4 table to only flower clones in...... i see tables and resevoirs for sale pretty cheap.....

but how do i make the table flood, and the drain open when its ready to drain? i know i will need a pump etc, but what activates the drain?

how many clones can i get on a table this size using 3x3x4 rockwool cubes?

lighting: would a 1000 watt hps do it?

im hoping to get somewhere around 100 2 week vegged clones(12-15inches) on this table,

anyone have any ideas or used a similar set up ?

The Flood tray has two fittings for the tray. One is where you hook the pump to. The other is an over flow fitting. You flood the tray and take note of the amount of time it takes to fill the tray to the level you want. You then set your digital timer to that amount of time. When the timer goes on, the tray floods, when the timer shuts off, the tray drains back through the pump tubing.

haha, thats so simple! i dont know why i couldnt figure it out, do i need a special pump that allows the water to go backwards or would any work ?

get a submersible pump at any Hydro store, Lowes, or home depoe.

Also get the flood and drain fittings at the Hydro store, they are not that much money.

yes the fittings are less than 25 $ at my local hydro store.....AWESOME!
its getting them in without leaking i will have the most trouble with........LOL

anyone have any experience with how many clones i can fit on a 4 x 8 table ?

and if a 1000 watt hps is good for that size table?

1,000 watts is supposed to be good for a 4'X4" area, so get two of them.

now i have one more question, which is probally the most complicated what size pump would i need to fill a 4x8 table with about 5-6 inches of water in less than 20-30 minutes?

Hmmmm.. 20-30 minutes.... Why would you want to fill it that slow?

Anyway, I am not sure. a 3'X3' is big enough for my needs, But I used like a 280 gph pump, which would take about 8 minutes to fill it that much. So I would guess about 280 gph. maybe a little more.

i havent used one yet... but i thought if i flood it fast, all the plants would like kinda float up ?

I would get T 5 lighting if it was just for clones. 70 watts vs 1000 watts and it works better. I would guess you could fit 300 in there.

capncash said:

I would get T 5 lighting if it was just for clones. 70 watts vs 1000 watts and it works better. I would guess you could fit 300 in there.

Click to expand...

He is talking about when Flowering these clones, I think.

yes i will be vegging the clones under t-8 florescents

yeah the 20 dollar pump works fine for my 4x8. It also pumps the water 50 ft to bathroom when emptying resevoir. For flower you really need 2 1000w lights on a rail. The add a light system works really well. You only need 1 motor.

For flowering personally I would give each plant 1 sq foot. I would grow 2-4 colas per plant and give them adequate space. That would give you room for about 30-35 plants. Or if you were just growing single colas you could put about 80 in there. I would suggest doing 30-35.

how many times does it fill up a day?

mobby420 said:

i havent used one yet... but i thought if i flood it fast, all the plants would like kinda float up ?

Click to expand...

I am going to do the same thing. Check this out YouTube - Cannabis Cultivation - I Grow Chronic (3of9) Weed Marijuana. This will answer all of your questions. I highly recommend that you watch How to grow green parts 1-9. I have a 2x2x7 tray with 210 gph pump and a sm homebox OpenDNS. I am using two aerogarden delux to veg and clone and then i will put the clones in the tray. What i need to figure out is if i should use a CFL like this Brite*Ideas*Hydroponics*and... or a HPS like this Brite*Ideas*Hydroponics*and...? Would a 150w HPS be enough to flower my space? The only reason i am considering a CFL is because it puts out less heat and is more energy efficent. What do you guys think?

i would go for a 400 watt for that area and leave the ballast outside, thanks for the vid, im gunna check it out now!

You will be disappointed with a CFL like everyone else is.

capncash said:

You will be disappointed with a CFL like everyone else is.

Click to expand...

I will probally go with the HPS but i am not sure which to go with the 150w, 250w or the 400w for my size space. How much heat will they produce and how much will they cost to use on my electricty bill ? I am thinking about this 250w Brite*Ideas*Hydroponics*and.... Will this 250w do a good job and will there be much cost savings to operate vs the 400w?

fdd has some great threads on a table