DW hydroponics - Newbie questions

Redjasper30

Redjasper30

New Member
I’ve got a few questions about my setup if anyone can help please?
  1. Should I leave my water pump on 24/7?
  2. Same with the extraction fan?
  3. Would a CO2 bag make a big difference and should it remain in the tent?
  4. I measured the water PH and it 3.5, from what I can understand it should be 5.5 - 6.0. Is it would buying PH + Chen’s or is it not that important?
  5. How about an EC meter to measure the nutrient concentration, is it essential?
  6. How often should I completely change the water in the tank, every two weeks or just to it up?
Sorry for the barrage of questions, I just wanna get it right and there’s a lot of contradictory answers out there.
 
1dude1seed

1dude1seed

Well-Known Member
1. If referring to a circulation pump, I leave mine on all the time

2. My exhaust runs 24/7 since I do not run a sealed room

3. Don’t waste money on a CO2 bag

4. Damn, 3.5 pH from the tap???

5. A good EC meter is a valuable tool, so yes.

6. I run a sterile rez that gets cleaned and refilled every weekend. Also gets checked the pH checked throughout the week and addition pool shock solution added half way through the week. My rez isn’t huge and I use up pretty much all of it over the course of a week. I feel more comfortable cleaning it weekly.

Hopefully some of my simple answers helped you!
 
Drop That Sound

Drop That Sound

Well-Known Member
1. Use a digital timer to cycle the pump, and do multiple smaller feedings throughout the day, for best effect IMO. 3-5 feedings or something like that, depending on all the variables.

Make sure that roughly same amount of solution comes out of each feed line tube on each cycle (should be a looped manifold) , by testing each one over and over with just water and a measuring cup, until they are all the same. (like doing a cylinder compression test on a motor lol). You could use individual valves and make it perfect, but it really isn't a big deal unless you want to save water and nutrients by making sure one pot doesn't runoff more then the others..

Then, play with the cycle time of the pump until you get a few drops of runoff from the pots, and dial it in there.
 
1dude1seed

1dude1seed

Well-Known Member
^^This^^

I didn’t even think about that. My reply was assuming DTW, and my setup is an auto feeding Hempy system. Not cool enough to run coco DTW.

Your setup may/will differ.
 
Drop That Sound

Drop That Sound

Well-Known Member
2. They have fan/speed controllers that will go into other modes whether the light is on or off. Some are adjustable, and some are pre set. For example, when the light go's out, the fan will drop down to like 10% power, so your not exhausting out all the warm air in the winter
.

Some fans are even noisier at low RPMs though, especially with cheap controllers.. beware the hum.
 
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Mr. Mohaskey

Mr. Mohaskey

Well-Known Member
What is your set up? RDWC is a different pump set-up vs flood and drain vs dwc vs aeroponics.

I use rdwc and have it on all the time.

Extraction fan is on a controller to come on and off based on temps.

CO2 bag is waste with any extraction.

PH up and down are important for any op.

EC meter, just as important, especially starting out. Don't skimp unless replacing every grow.

Between 1 and 2 weeks. But depends on what is going on with your plant.

Gonna take a few runs to read what your plants are telling you. Shit, im still learning new stuff all the time. Never stop learning. Lot of good information in this site, just sort through the B.S. and grow thick skin.

Cheers, and happy growing!
 
White.Black

White.Black

Well-Known Member
PH meter and ph up ph down is, imo, the most important thing. Wrong PH, and nothing else matters.

EC i hardly use. I did use it for the first grow, and then just ditched it on the second grow. Once you get a hang of the feeding, the numbers on the ec dont really matter. In my opinion. I would get both ec and ph meters tho... It can be useful.
 
Bucsfan80

Bucsfan80

Well-Known Member
Redjasper30 said:
DWC
Click to expand...
So dwc, what size is your rez? No, need for a pump, Air stone and air pump yes. They should be running all the time. One airstone per plant. Exhaust should be on non stop. No need for co2 bags. Buy a good ph and ec meter. They are most important. Spend $ on those!. 3.5 ph is no good at all. 5.8 is the best number but 5.5-6.5 is good. Depending on rez size weekly change is a good idea..
 
Bucsfan80

Bucsfan80

Well-Known Member
Redjasper30 said:
Rez is 60 litres
Click to expand...
S0 that's lime 16 gallons. How big is your plant(s)? I'd change it weekly until you get a handle on it. Once you get it stable and your plant(s) are growing and not having issues you can kinda stretch out your change outs. How many plants?
 
Redjasper30

Redjasper30

New Member
Bucsfan80 said:
S0 that's lime 16 gallons. How big is your plant(s)? I'd change it weekly until you get a handle on it. Once you get it stable and your plant(s) are growing and not having issues you can kinda stretch out your change outs. How many plants?
Click to expand...
Bucsfan80 said:
S0 that's lime 16 gallons. How big is your plant(s)? I'd change it weekly until you get a handle on it. Once you get it stable and your plant(s) are growing and not having issues you can kinda stretch out your change outs. How many plants?
Click to expand...
4 plants
 
trippsy25

trippsy25

Well-Known Member
Good advice here.

I would add that in my experience you don't need to change res weekly or by any timetable. I personally just top up and never change through veg or flower, only doing a full res change after I flip and start flowering nutes. Imo, there's just no need otherwise. Just play it by eye, nose, and feel. If the water is clear, no algae, doesn't smell, your roots are white and aren't slimy then what is to be gained from a scheduled res chage?
 
Bucsfan80

Bucsfan80

Well-Known Member
I mentioned in an earlier post I don't maintain my rez. In a way I'd recommend lol. That's why hahaha. It takes a few good runs to kinda learn to dial in your routine and get a nose for it lol
 
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