Got problems with clay pellets wana switch,need advice

im running a ebb and flow table first time hydro and i keep having problems with the strenght of the nutrient solution,i cleaned the pellets alot and still after all they keep leaving a residue,the water runs clean and then after i leave em in a bucket for a few minutes and flush again the water starts red,now im sick of this, can somebody tell me can i run this system using pure perlite its much cheaper and probably easier to clean,are there some disadvantages in using perlite vs. the clay pellets

Perlite will float like a mofo. You will have problems with it shifting and it will get into your lines, tank, and may jam your pump.
I tried something called "structure" from Earl May. It looks like kitty litter. I think it is crushed hydroten but it also had a tendency to get into the lines and jam my pump. You can put screen on your in and out pipes, but if the screen gets plugged up you can either flood out the tray or the pump won't be as effective.
You could try large course fish tank gravel, but you then need to be sure it can't fit into your in/out pipes.

Hydroten will always have a little dust, no matter how much you wash it. I think it makes more dust when the top layer dries out.

I ended up using hydroten. I had to stop trying to track PPM because the dust jacks with that number. You don't know if your measuring PPM nutes or the PPM of the dust.

use SURE TO GROW growing medium

Dirty Harry said:

Perlite will float like a mofo. You will have problems with it shifting and it will get into your lines, tank, and may jam your pump.
I tried something called "structure" from Earl May. It looks like kitty litter. I think it is crushed hydroten but it also had a tendency to get into the lines and jam my pump. You can put screen on your in and out pipes, but if the screen gets plugged up you can either flood out the tray or the pump won't be as effective.
You could try large course fish tank gravel, but you then need to be sure it can't fit into your in/out pipes.

Hydroten will always have a little dust, no matter how much you wash it. I think it makes more dust when the top layer dries out.

I ended up using hydroten. I had to stop trying to track PPM because the dust jacks with that number. You don't know if your measuring PPM nutes or the PPM of the dust.

Click to expand...

You don't know if your measuring PPM nutes or the PPM of the dust

thats it,and im pissed,tomorow il have to try out one pot of perlite,on alot of sites i found they say u can use perlite.If the perlite is higher than the water level gets when i flood will it float off,couse at the start the pellets were floating too then i filled the pots to the rim and now they stay,

Dude pellets are so easy to use....who cares if your reservoir turns red....doesnt affect anything....

clay hydroton is completly inert, meaning harmless, thats false , that dust doesnt mess with ppms, like the other guy said who cares about that red dust, make sure the clay is clean enough that it wont leave red mud, yea its a bitch to clean, but cleaned well enough and its the best hydro medium ever, not sure on STG, for buckets they are a disaster though, rockwool holds much water and holds onto salts too easily, plus its an algea breeding ground, you have less control with RW, coco can be very good but too holds a ton of water and gets messy, perlite is great but gets into every little crack and is sure to find its way into some line of pump...this all leads us back to clay pellets and its abilities to oxygenate rootzones and stay somewhat moist that your roots can survive a night cycle with no feedings, i too hate cleaning the shit but IMO its best out here, as for the sure to grow, i have seen it on youtube, i know for a fact from other poster on another site in bucket systems its not good at all, but for trays i havent spoken to anyone who tried it

yeah grown in pebbles before won't hurt mate