BeaverPeltJesus
Member
Awhh I see.. I still have a lot to read about. Just getting my basic idea down, pictures to come
Dwc beginner. Looking for advice/pointers
- Thread starter BeaverPeltJesus
- Start date
firsttimeARE
Well-Known Member
Where do you live location wise? I floated on alright without a chiller for years in the northeast.
I use jacks 5-12-26 and calcium nitrate epsom salt and mkp. Dirt cheap. Easy to use. Great results.
Id use 12gal hdx black and yellow totes with netpot lid.
You need a pH/EC meter. Go with a GH dual diaphragm pump and put 2 air stones in each of the 2 12gal totes.
I use a bluelab combo. About $180. Two totes and lids $20. Air tubing $5. Air stones $8. Air pump $45. Nutes for a couple years $60
I use jacks 5-12-26 and calcium nitrate epsom salt and mkp. Dirt cheap. Easy to use. Great results.
Id use 12gal hdx black and yellow totes with netpot lid.
You need a pH/EC meter. Go with a GH dual diaphragm pump and put 2 air stones in each of the 2 12gal totes.
I use a bluelab combo. About $180. Two totes and lids $20. Air tubing $5. Air stones $8. Air pump $45. Nutes for a couple years $60
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
You miss out on some SERIOuS explosive growth if you don’t use a chiller though. Yeah, you might get by with no problems, but roots LOVE a nice cold system with the water moving constantly.
BeaverPeltJesus
Member
What would be the best PH/PPM reader I could find? Or where to look?
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
Blue Labs is very reputable.
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
I'll stick my oar in the water.
If you want dead simple just a Rubbermaid tote, dual outlet aquarium pump and a couple 12" airstones. Drill holes under the handle just a tiny bit smaller than the air lines so the fit snug. I slice the end of the line at a bit of an angle, apply a little spit and then cut it flush once it's through. A hot nail would work as well. Tungsten one preferably.
Rent a hole saw at a tool rental place if there's one around, (run it backwards so it doesn't bite in too hard and ruin the circle), or mark out the hole with a compass then carefully cut out with a box cutter or other sharp instrument. A thinner blade works best. The Rubbermaid plastic is softer than most so not that hard to cut.
Cut an inspection hole about 2" across. Doesn't have to be round but I have a set of smaller hole saws so use one of those. Use a drill pump or something that will suck water to drain the tub thru the hole and add water and/or nutrients and take samples from there. No holes below the water line means no leaks ever. The shorter tubs hold 35L/9USG and the taller ones hold 50L/13.5USG. The lids are the same size. I'll veg in the shorter one then when they get big and ready to flower have a tall tub loaded with fresh nutes and airstones then just switch the lid over.
If you want to keep it as simple as possible then get Advanced Nutrients 3-part pH Perfect nutes and use RO water for nearly foolproof operation. Same price as most other 3-part nutes and the ones I've been using for 16 years. The money you save on not buying a pH pen will buy a nice can of Big Bud powder for flowering time. I hate to grow without it. I also use Rhino Skin but it doesn't have to be used for big colas. Any old CalMag will do but don't use a lot. I load a fresh tub with a half dose Then just a bit here and there as the grow goes on as I only change nutes once per grow. A dash of Epsom salts maybe but that's dirt cheap at the drug store. Do get a ppm pen tho to know how strong the nutes are. 300ppm for clones, 500 once they have a few nodes then gradually work up to 750 - 1000 depending on strain, RH etc. Some guys go a lot higher than that tho that's pushing it and knowing what you are doing.
Keep peroxide handy in case root rot tries to get hold. I've never used any hydroguard or 'zyme type products and only had rot twice in 16 years that I beat with peroxide both times with little damage to the plants. Health food stores usually carry 29 or 35% food grade and that's what you want.
I like HID lights but there's lots of choices out there so look around. If you are going to get a tent to grow in then I'd get one of the cheapo package deals online that come with everything you need but the tubs and plants. I'd also go with the HID lights as the LEDs that come with those cheap deals won't do a decent job and I'm pretty sure the LED guys would agree with most of what's offered. More money will get you a better light tho. 600W HPS will flower out a 4x4 tent real nice. Do up your tub/s a proper ScroG style and you could pull a pound out of 2 plants with more than half a pound of sugar trim and popcorn buds to make hash, oil etc with.
You can run 2 plants in one tub or use two tubs if different strains. I had16 plants in this tub but it's a jungle.
Good luck with whatever you decide on and Merry Xmas!
If you want dead simple just a Rubbermaid tote, dual outlet aquarium pump and a couple 12" airstones. Drill holes under the handle just a tiny bit smaller than the air lines so the fit snug. I slice the end of the line at a bit of an angle, apply a little spit and then cut it flush once it's through. A hot nail would work as well. Tungsten one preferably.
Rent a hole saw at a tool rental place if there's one around, (run it backwards so it doesn't bite in too hard and ruin the circle), or mark out the hole with a compass then carefully cut out with a box cutter or other sharp instrument. A thinner blade works best. The Rubbermaid plastic is softer than most so not that hard to cut.
Cut an inspection hole about 2" across. Doesn't have to be round but I have a set of smaller hole saws so use one of those. Use a drill pump or something that will suck water to drain the tub thru the hole and add water and/or nutrients and take samples from there. No holes below the water line means no leaks ever. The shorter tubs hold 35L/9USG and the taller ones hold 50L/13.5USG. The lids are the same size. I'll veg in the shorter one then when they get big and ready to flower have a tall tub loaded with fresh nutes and airstones then just switch the lid over.
If you want to keep it as simple as possible then get Advanced Nutrients 3-part pH Perfect nutes and use RO water for nearly foolproof operation. Same price as most other 3-part nutes and the ones I've been using for 16 years. The money you save on not buying a pH pen will buy a nice can of Big Bud powder for flowering time. I hate to grow without it. I also use Rhino Skin but it doesn't have to be used for big colas. Any old CalMag will do but don't use a lot. I load a fresh tub with a half dose Then just a bit here and there as the grow goes on as I only change nutes once per grow. A dash of Epsom salts maybe but that's dirt cheap at the drug store. Do get a ppm pen tho to know how strong the nutes are. 300ppm for clones, 500 once they have a few nodes then gradually work up to 750 - 1000 depending on strain, RH etc. Some guys go a lot higher than that tho that's pushing it and knowing what you are doing.
Keep peroxide handy in case root rot tries to get hold. I've never used any hydroguard or 'zyme type products and only had rot twice in 16 years that I beat with peroxide both times with little damage to the plants. Health food stores usually carry 29 or 35% food grade and that's what you want.
I like HID lights but there's lots of choices out there so look around. If you are going to get a tent to grow in then I'd get one of the cheapo package deals online that come with everything you need but the tubs and plants. I'd also go with the HID lights as the LEDs that come with those cheap deals won't do a decent job and I'm pretty sure the LED guys would agree with most of what's offered. More money will get you a better light tho. 600W HPS will flower out a 4x4 tent real nice. Do up your tub/s a proper ScroG style and you could pull a pound out of 2 plants with more than half a pound of sugar trim and popcorn buds to make hash, oil etc with.
You can run 2 plants in one tub or use two tubs if different strains. I had16 plants in this tub but it's a jungle.
Good luck with whatever you decide on and Merry Xmas!
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
I found a great spot to download FREE POT BOOKS. I downloaded a grow bible first and got lots more. Books look great and complete like the real ones I have here. No web site but just a page of links. Just right click on what you want and then "Save Link As" to download so they don't open first as some are 50+ megs. They got lots. Enjoy.
BeaverPeltJesus
Member
Thank you for the input!! Having one or two plants in a tote so I can just switch lids over to already prepared and waiting res is what I’m looking for. Just simple stupid way to get my feet wet with DWC
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
The larger volume of water makes for much more stable ppm and pH too.
I actually started with tubs when I was first figuring out how to make DWC work back in '01. Never did grow in pails but have seen a lot of threads where people have and when the plants get big the numbers are all over the place. Plants yield best when things are stable. Much like us humans.
I actually started with tubs when I was first figuring out how to make DWC work back in '01. Never did grow in pails but have seen a lot of threads where people have and when the plants get big the numbers are all over the place. Plants yield best when things are stable. Much like us humans.
BeaverPeltJesus
Member
So I’m going to find a tote I like tonight, as far as air pumps and air stones go... a.m. I better off having a large aquarium air pump for each stone? Or just one pump with a “Y” split to different air stones...? And how many air stones are normally in say a 18 gallon tote?
Thank you for the help guys!!!
Thank you for the help guys!!!
HydroRed
Well-Known Member
Smaller individual pumps may be better if you dont run a chiller since they are less likely to heat the res in a DWC. The larger pumps create a ton of heat and it gets blown right into your res raising temps out of control. I use the cheap $10 dual diaphram pumps from Walmart. They are whisper quiet, run very cool and you can hook up 2 stones per pump or "T" both pump outlets together to run on one larger stone.
Aqua Culture: 20-60 Gallon, Double Outlet Aquarium Air Pump
Aqua Culture: 20-60 Gallon, Double Outlet Aquarium Air Pump
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
For the first couple of years I ran one 12" stone in my tubs and that seemed enough. Then I started using 2 of them and still do. Try to get air pumps that you can get repair kits for or get a spare pump just in case. When running two tubs with dual outlet air pumps I would run one line from each pump into each tub and have the pumps on different circuits in case a breaker or pump went out at least one stone in each tub would be working.
I've put my pumps in a cooler with bottles of frozen, salted water to have them feed cool air into the tubs to keep temps lower and it works for a few degree drop.
I bought an Ecoair5 commercial air pump with 8 outlet manifold to run the 4 tubs system I have planned. Should run for years and is aerating my dugout atm. 1300gph should be lots for 8-12" stones. It is not a quiet pump if noise is a concern. May invest in some micropore stones if I can get them. Can be cleaned and reused many times I'm told.
Axeminister117
Member
i run a 5 gallon bucket, 6 inch net pot closed bubble system..... went with the mars hydro 300 watt led for around 65 bucks......i also ran the flora series go pack that was a dream to work with. just finished my grow doing exactly what the box said divided by half and i have incredible results as a first time grower........some advised finding a cal-mag supplement and I agree. The only deficiency i encountered was in late flowering and i identified it as a cal-mag deficiency.
5 gallon bucket->$3
round air stone on amazon->$10
air tubing on amazon->$10
300W LED on amazon->70
Flora Series go-pack-35-40 dollars
Perlite from the shed mixed with aquarium rocks from a defunct fish tank- free(kinda)
The cal mag is optional, as i said i did fine without it but it did show in the end, for my next grow i grabbed a bottle of Cal-Mag from a different brand off the sale rack this holiday season at my local hydro shop. Gonna work it in my next grow.
pm me if you need any more pointers
Cheers!
5 gallon bucket->$3
round air stone on amazon->$10
air tubing on amazon->$10
300W LED on amazon->70
Flora Series go-pack-35-40 dollars
Perlite from the shed mixed with aquarium rocks from a defunct fish tank- free(kinda)
The cal mag is optional, as i said i did fine without it but it did show in the end, for my next grow i grabbed a bottle of Cal-Mag from a different brand off the sale rack this holiday season at my local hydro shop. Gonna work it in my next grow.
pm me if you need any more pointers
Cheers!
BeaverPeltJesus
Member
that is good to hear!! Had it went well! I was looking into flora series as a starting point! As a LED user and out of curiosity what did you pull with your mars hydro? New or old version?
Axeminister117
Member
Im not sure on either, its the 300w LED and only pulls 125 from the wall so its barely above a few light bulbs in terms of ur bill. New or old? Idk i bought it like 3-4 months ago. If its ur first grow just roll an economy light. Look on amazon for at least a 300w led thats on sale and pull the trigger. One thing that helped me is its a weed! It will do everything in its power to survive so as long as ur meeting the basic needs she will reward you
BeaverPeltJesus
Member
Real stupid question...Is too much aeration a bad thing? Like if I had three or four 6” inch all running in one tub or a smaller tote?For the first couple of years I ran one 12" stone in my tubs and that seemed enough. Then I started using 2 of them and still do. Try to get air pumps that you can get repair kits for or get a spare pump just in case. When running two tubs with dual outlet air pumps I would run one line from each pump into each tub and have the pumps on different circuits in case a breaker or pump went out at least one stone in each tub would be working.
I've put my pumps in a cooler with bottles of frozen, salted water to have them feed cool air into the tubs to keep temps lower and it works for a few degree drop.
I bought an Ecoair5 commercial air pump with 8 outlet manifold to run the 4 tubs system I have planned. Should run for years and is aerating my dugout atm. 1300gph should be lots for 8-12" stones. It is not a quiet pump if noise is a concern. May invest in some micropore stones if I can get them. Can be cleaned and reused many times I'm told.
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
Like lighting. Lots is good but when does it become to much and you're just wasting power.
It's not how many stones you have but how small the bubbles are that they produce and how much air you are feeding them. The finer the bubbles, the less air you need as smaller bubbles have much more surface area/volume of air and can more completely dissolve in the water. I use 2-12" stones so 4-6" stones is about the same. The 12" ones lay nicely in the two slots at the bottom of the Rubbermaid tubs but they make a lot of large bubbles along with the small ones. Cheap tho at about $5 each and sure seem to do the job.
There are no stupid questions but there can be stupid answers.
firsttimeARE
Well-Known Member
If you wanna run multiple stones per and are using multiple air pumps run one from each. This way if one pump fails they are still getting air. I used to do that. Now I use waterfalls
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
I'm not running any water pumps so waterfalls wouldn't really work for me.
As soon as I hear falling water I have to go pee really bad so that's another downside.
