Questions on DWC setup

I have a 18 gallon bin that I bought at walmart along with 3 10-inch airstones and 1 air pump(for an aquarium up to 60 gallons). I'm going to add another airstone and another air pump because the pumps only have two outlet holes and I don't want to deal with manifolds and sacrifice bubbles lol...

Lights: As of now I have a 400 watt MH/HPS lumatek ballast and a 400 MH bulb as well as a mogul light socket with cord... I also have some CFL's which will be used int he early vegetative phase.... I look to add more light obviously in the flowering....

Medium: Hydroton, but I am going from seed so I want to initially sew in pre-soaked rapid rooters under a humidome

Reflective material: I have some mylar and panda film from previous grows but I will prolly have to make another trip to walmart for some emergency blankets....
I usually end up mcguyverin a hood for my light with mylar and cardboard...

Questions:

1. I'm growing in a closet and the door will just stay ajar because that's where the outlet is, how could I do a better job of ventilating the closet? I was going to put a few oscillating fans in the closet because it is pretty big.

2. Whats a good size of hole saw to use on an 18 gallon bin with 4 plants? I was going to use net cups and I've never done this before so I was wondering if there was any specific measurement of hole saw drill bit that works better then others.

3. When the the lid is on and the net pots are in place, how far away should their bottoms be from the water level? if at all


Thanks much

The best way to vent would be to add an exhaust fan and force all the ait in the closet through the vent and filter, with the air being completely exchanged every 5 minutes. Ideally you will have an air intake too. Personally I wouldn't be able to do this to my closet without cutting a hole in the door. I just have an alarm set so that I can open the door when the lights come on, and shut it 12 hours later. I have two fans in the closet and one I set in the doorway. I got lucky and for some reason my closet was built with an air vent from the AC unit, so I have constant air being pumped in.

The size is up to you. I've seen people grow with 2 inch holes and little starter net pots. I personally use 3 inch pots.

The general rule is to have the water level about an inch below the netpot at first. The idea is to have the bubbles splash water onto the roots, without them being submerged. As they grow you can lower it a bit more, but eventually just let them grow into the water, no more than a couple inches of air between the water and the pots.

Here is a link to one of the best DIY I have seen. It helped me a lot!!
http://www.thcfarmer.com/forums/f95/diy-standalone-dwc-bucket-2551/

I woldnt worry about water height too much. As long as it is properly oxygenated you should be fine. I read a thread not too long ago about someone who kept there net pots submerged and the water directly below the lid throughout the entire grow. I however have seen fine results keeping my water pretty low.
Just my 2cents

VHS, you are going to have to use at lease two fans. One two get cool room air in and another to get the hot closet air out. Run the lights in the closet before you plant anything and see if you are able to control temps, if not start experimenting with airflow.
I have 3, 3.75 inch pots in my 18 gallon tub 4, 3 inch pots would be fine as well. I didn't use a hole saw I traced it from the pot, made it smaller and used a razor to cut it out. Just remember you can always make it larger, you can never make it smaller and they won't sell you just the lid. I filled my tub to 10 gallons made a mark with a marker then again at 12 gallons, this where I keep it, start to finish. Good luck with whatever you go with.

Just remember you can always make it larger, you can never make it smaller

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Actually a hot glue gun works wonders for DIY people, and if you have a hole that you cut slightly too big, you can 'build' it up with some hot glue. Just put a layer around the edge of the hole, let it dry, then a layer on top of that, ect until it holds the pot you want.

Put your water 1 inch into the net pot until the roots show thru the net pot the drop it 1.5 to 2 inches bellow . Do you by chance have a attic door in that closet ?

I would recommend you use at least a 4" net pot. And probably 3 plants in the tote you have. When the plant gets bigger it the more hydroton you use will help keep the plant from falling over. Then again 4 plants would work depending on what strain you're growing. If you're growing a smaller bushy plant 3 is good. If you're growing something that's sativa dominant than 4 is good.
I would also recommend you get 2 ecoplus airstones for your reservoir. These airstones aerate more than any other airstone I've used. The petshop ones are garbage and they don't last long.
And lastly, like said earlier, don't fully submerge the net pot at first. Let the roots come out of the net pot first and then you can add more water into your reservoir.

fatty nug sack said:

Do you by chance have a attic door in that closet ?

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No I wish then my ventilation would be a breeze lol

I ended up putting 6 3-inch holes in the bin... Is this too much? I didn't plan on vegging them for that long as it will be a scrog