First time ever grower wants to do hydro ...

[Jimski]

Jacuzzis are setup and put the sprouts in the bubbles ...
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... need to recover with the auto strains ... messed up with the photo strains It's not easy but I will try to let them germinate in the bubblephonics.

rockwool left visible to light can algea up

It's the most compact I get the system because off the tubes plumming ... In the future I like to see the buckets closer to eachother in my other tent.
Thanks @2WorldsFrog for the vent tip ... I have another two sitting as spair pieces.
I put allready nuts in the system at 1.6 EC. Hope I callibrated the thing correctly ...
My water temp is 18 degress Cels outside the tent. I only fill with cold water.
Lets see what those sprouts do ... hope I dont stress them out

Where did you get a suggestion for 1.6 ec for seedlings? thats over 700ppm.
I was targeting 300 ppm for my seedlings but due to a product called a scale sweeper my actual ppm was over 700 and the plant lived after I found the error but was damaged and I closed the grow.

If this mix is to hot look for bright lime green on new growth and plant starts drinking like crazy even for a small plant.
nute burn and death

 

[border&grower]

Thanks @Jimski ... Indeed I made a mistake with the ppm's ... need to clean off my water
My tap water already starts at 300ppm without adding anything ...
Did alot of bleach ... so hope the algea will not popup ... but I'm going to cover that rockwool with bleached perlite ...
When the sprouts hopefully get bigger in a few weeks I think I need to add one extra light to cover the tent area.
@Jimski what is the purpose of that yellow material in your pics?

 

[2WorldsFrog]

@Jimski I like how you insulated the grow surface. I put reflective duct tape on whatever I can and insulating wrap on the buckets.

 

[Jimski]

Thanks @Jimski ... Indeed I made a mistake with the ppm's ... need to clean off my water
My tap water already starts at 300ppm without adding anything ...
Did alot of bleach ... so hope the algea will not popup ... but I'm going to cover that rockwool with bleached perlite ...
When the sprouts hopefully get bigger in a few weeks I think I need to add one extra light to cover the tent area.
@Jimski what is the purpose of that yellow material in your pics?

sticky traps for insect identification and elimination.
my cold tap was 300 ppm but my first mix was with warm water from the hot side that had a base ppm of over 700. When I adjusted nutes on the second bucket fill I again subtracted 750 ppm and it was real low so i added till it said 300ppm. This is now known as a stop and think moment. something changed during the dilution but instead of repouring the bucket after the math somehow did not work out I adjusted it up to 750. Small seedling died bigger one hung on but even at 300 ppm the plant was damaged so I closed my first grow.

 

[Jimski]

@Jimski I like how you insulated the grow surface. I put reflective duct tape on whatever I can and insulating wrap on the buckets.
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Are you going to run a chiller? Even with wrap the buckets will reach tent temp without a chiller. I wrapped the same way for light even with the panel in place.

 

[border&grower]

Nice! I learn so much from you guys

 

[border&grower]

How big is your tent @2WorldsFrog? ... Your buckets are setup quit compact!

 

[border&grower]

I was thinking ... if my start off ppm is 400 and I add nuts ... then my ppm can be 700 ... no?

 

[Jimski]

I was thinking ... if my start off ppm is 400 and I add nuts ... then my ppm can be 700 ... no?

If your base ppm is 400 and your nute mix is 300 your ppm total is 700.

Now some things that will make the numbers move. Hydroguard added to a dwc that has biological material that it will eat and can produce nutes that drive up ec/ppm. Some types of ph adjusters can have the same effect. These numbers should be ignored and not added or subtracted from nute numbers. Also do not chase PH and make sure you study up on what happens when PH rises and falls and what it may indicate. In addition water use of plants in dwc along with PH directions of up or down all have meaning to a grower. Study study study. Print out what nutes are used at what PH in dwc. Print out the GWE bible with pictures of distressed plants really helps.

I have stopped trying to use my tap water with my Rdwc. I have purchased an RO water filter and will plumb it into the basement sink. I would recommend anyone using tap to get a full water test and taylor your nutrient purchase to compliment or improve your grow.

 

[border&grower]

@Jimski thanks for all your fine help so far. I use a scheme for my nuts ... that's why I confused the 700ppm instead off 300ppm for seedlings. It's in my native language

 

[border&grower]

Is 150 μmol/m^2/s ppfd per sprout ok?

 

[Jimski]

Is 150 μmol/m^2/s ppfd per sprout ok?

It depends.
If you are using a lux meter and are converting it to that value via one of a few apps then it is important to ensure the correct spectrum selection.
I have a BT tool like about everyone. I uaed this app to verify the loss of light at the edges and the hot spot in the middle. It looked like it was very close to the values put out by the light mfg.
I had been looking at the par map I printed and noticed a pattern. I printed up a second map and overlaid the values. Then I overlaid it as it would look with 2 lights with one slightly left and one slightly right. The values for the hotter spots expanded and the edges of the map instead of being down 30-35% were now down 18%.

The 2 lights complimented each other to spread the light much more evenly.

Now back to PAR problems.
I had set my seedlings with 4 leaves at 170 through the app. After just a few hours the largest leaf was curling. This was before nutes and everything. Rechecked light strength then turned the light down as the most reasonable action. Then I looked for the data.
Turns out the spectrum choice has a lot to do with the conversion. The built in app had like 12 choices and I picked the closest but it was off. Then I discovered this converter.

Convert Lux to PPFD - Online Calculator | Waveform Lighting

Online calculator to convert illuminance (lux) to PPFD (micromoles per second per meter squared).

www.waveformlighting.com

This calculator has only a couple of more choices but the spectrum conversion was much closer and it showed that my light settings were 2 High. Ha my light was high.
Anyways I treat light not so much as a data point to set but as a value to track to see what the plant likes. I track in Lux as I have a lux meter but I watch the plant to see what It needs.

As you grow you will hear terms that might not mean much to you. I know I did. Painting the nails is one such term. It is accomplished by tracking your lights and adding energy to your grow by increasing until the tips turn black or brown. This is NOT done in seedlings at all and is used in flower to push and stress the plant REASONABLY to increase the reasons we are here in the final product.
Good luck with part 2 I am still gathering parts for my Rdwc conversion.

 

[border&grower]

I will keep a close eye on those sprouts now
Had to put some Ice-cubes in the reservoir cause off upping the light the water temp raised till 23 degree Celsius.

 

[border&grower]

Good luck with part 2 I am still gathering parts for my Rdwc conversion.

For me in the pipeline is also a conversion from dwc to rdwc. I don't like the fixed pipe setup cause of the flexibility to adjust the bucket/tent spacing. What is your plans for the conversion?

 

[Jimski]

For me in the pipeline is also a conversion from dwc to rdwc. I don't like the fixed pipe setup cause of the flexibility to adjust the bucket/tent spacing. What is your plans for the conversion?

My tent is so small and with the panel that goes in it the placement is predetermined. I am cramming them in and they are very close.
Btw you are going to get your temps down and stable in the 65-68f range. Not only to prevent rot but for oxygenation of the solution.

 

[border&grower]

If I can't get the watertemp down with reflective tape and Ice-cubes ... I need to consider a water chiller.

 

[Jimski]

If I can't get the watertemp down with reflective tape and Ice-cubes ... I need to consider a water chiller.

From what I have read ice really only works for peak temp issues like a spike in temp during summer that will last a week. Icing a dwc every 4-6 hours for 16 weeks takes more discipline than I have.

 

[border&grower]

plus I need to make Icepacks ... alot of them

 

[border&grower]

For my converted dwc/rdwc system I want to use this tubing in black for my return water.

... and insert this 1" irrigation filter


... is this something that easely can clog up from nut and plant debris?

 

[Jimski]

For my converted dwc/rdwc system I want to use this tubing in black for my return water.
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... and insert this 1" irrigation filter
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... is this something that easely can clog up from nut and plant debris?

I was told by a few Rdwc that my choice of 1 inch Id was to small and would clog. That is even smaller. After thinking about it I am going to add a valve in the reservior to reverse water flow in the order of buckets. Roots are
not going to climb into the water in port against the flow but will use the exit. The plants will not care that the water reversed but I am hoping it will spit the roots out of the tube.
This stops being an issue when the root ball is too large to enter the tubes.
Also if using a filter a bypass type filter is needed as a blocked filter inline blocks flow possiby leading to a water spill event by backing up flow.
edit. LoL when down into the basement and looked at my contraption. I have no need for valves the method of installing the pump allows me to move the pump in 30 seconds with no tools to the other exit/entry hose. Will post some pics today If I have time.