bubble system (recirculating)

hi im new to the bubble systems (recirculating) and can not find the answers that i need can anyone help?

the step up:
(1) 10 gal res. ice chest (can use something else if need be.)
(2) 4in air stones
(1) 20 gal air pump
(1) 160 gph water pump
1/4in tubing
clay pellets
rock whool
(2) 4 or 5in net baskets
600wt mh
600wt hps

1. what is the best gph of water that you want to have dripping on the plants? have read about 2 gal per hour.
2. what is a good brand of nuits? was going to use dyna-gro all pro 7-7-7 for veg and the liquid bloom 3-12-6 for flwr.
3. how often should i change the water? have read every 5 days to every other day.
4. should i leave a gap between the net basket and the water level? have read yes and no. if yes how much of a gap?
5. should i start from seed or clone? would like to start form seed.

i have done a soil grow of some purp. train wreck and now want to try a bubble system (recirculating) to see what like better.
plz help!!!

If you have never grown DWC. Do not try RDWC. Do a round of all single site DWC before trying to hook them together.
hydro has much more variables to work with. best to start off slow, just like i wouldnt recommend a novice grower try aero.

the dropper said:

hi im new to the bubble systems (recirculating) and can not find the answers that i need can anyone help?

the step up:
(1) 10 gal res. ice chest (can use something else if need be.)
(2) 4in air stones
(1) 20 gal air pump
(1) 160 gph water pump
1/4in tubing
clay pellets
rock whool
(2) 4 or 5in net baskets
600wt mh
600wt hps

1. what is the best gph of water that you want to have dripping on the plants? have read about 2 gal per hour.
2. what is a good brand of nuits? was going to use dyna-gro all pro 7-7-7 for veg and the liquid bloom 3-12-6 for flwr.
3. how often should i change the water? have read every 5 days to every other day.
4. should i leave a gap between the net basket and the water level? have read yes and no. if yes how much of a gap?
5. should i start from seed or clone? would like to start form seed.

i have done a soil grow of some purp. train wreck and now want to try a bubble system (recirculating) to see what like better.
plz help!!!

Click to expand...

Simplify as the other poster said to DWC. No matter the system use the biggest airstones that can fit your container and then the pump to drive them adequately. Pumice is easy to work with and cheap. Understand Hydroton is OOB. Recirc is for very experienced hydro growers used to DWC. Learn to walk before trying to run. If like me you will find soil much easier and more forgiving but I persist with aero and hydro for yield.

Ok. I hear what you are saying and I take your works to advisment, but I would still like to try atleast 1 in a 5 gal. In theory would the nuits with that set up work?

Dont worry about it, RDWC is no more difficult than single site DWC, I've found it to be easier. Just dont run different strains in the same setup. RDWC makes for much easier maintenance, and you can put the res outside the grow area, easier cooling. Assuming you have both an external controller and res to refill it, you dont have to maintain RDWC but maybe once every week or 2 if you get your nute levels right, especially if youre using a good ph stable nutrient like DG(which I use and recommend). Bigger overall capacity, more stable ph/ppm, water level, etc.

You dont need a drip with DWC, theyre a hassle and provide no benefit. Make sure your water level stays nice and high and you'll be fine. Right around the bottom of the netpot is fine, a half inch this way or that isnt going to make a difference.

Change the water as often as you need. When I run a sterile res, its roughly every 3 weeks. When I'm using teas, I change about every 2 weeks. As long as your system is clean and slime/algae free, theres no reason to waste all those nutrients every few days.