DWC in 4x4x6.5 ?

hi everyone. I am looking to do a dwc in a spare closet of mine. I am thinking of doing a bucket setup like 4-6 maybe. I will be using a 600w setup. I was going to use the 3.5g buckets but I want to integrate them so I can have one bucket as a res that way I dont have to fumble around in the small area to top off water nute solution. any thoghts as to the best way to set this up would be great. is hooking the buckets together with one res a good idea and how would I do this the best way. I just want to use the space as best as possible to get maximum yeild. also what air pumps do you recommend? I would like to run two stones per bucket and do it using two pumps that way if one fails one will still work.

polishfalcon420 said:

hi everyone. I am looking to do a dwc in a spare closet of mine. I am thinking of doing a bucket setup like 4-6 maybe. I will be using a 600w setup.

You will need to VENT out the HEAT someway.
I was going to use the 3.5g buckets but I want to integrate them so I can have one bucket as a res that way I dont have to fumble around in the small area to top off water nute solution. any thoghts as to the best way to set this up would be great.


is hooking the buckets together with one res a good idea and how would I do this the best way. I just want to use the space as best as possible to get maximum yeild.
I don't have a clue.

also what air pumps do you recommend? I would like to run two stones per bucket and do it using two pumps that way if one fails one will still work.

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I like the DUAL airpumps from Walmart made for aquariums. I have used the same ones for 4 years and they still work good as new. One pump has two connectors.
And, let me add,
always spray the perimeter of the grow room with HomeGuard or a good pesticide to prevent spider mites and other bugs from invading.

thanks for the post Roseman. I have been reading your thread on stealth hydro theres lots of good stuff in there. I have been thinking about the stealth setup too. I like the thought of it cause of my height restrictions but I like the thought of keeping the plants seperate incase I have to pull males. it seems like it would be easier to deal with in that case as far as dealing with the roots. as far as the heat goes I am going to run a quantum 600w dimmable setup with an aircooled hood, it should work fine as long as I vent it properly. I was also wondering about bucket size as I would like to keep it as low as possible. if I use the bucket setup how big of a plant would a 2g hold vs a 3.5g? If this was your room how would you set it up to operate the most efficiently? I really am split between doing 10-20 small plants or doing like 3-4 bigger ones. all your input is greatly appreciated. thanks.

4-6 plants and a 4 by 4 area i would recommend a 400 watter

thats why I went with the dimmable ballast. I can run it at 300, 450, or 600w. if 600w is to much I can turn it down and have room to grow in the future. if I use the coolable hood and vent it right I shouldnt have any issues. my friend had a 600 in a similar setup and after we vented it the right way it worked out fine. he only had two plants and did lst. it worked out pretty good but it took forever it seemed like. thats why I am debating on what to shoot for here or figure out the most efficient way.

4 plants in a 4 x 4 closet just sounds hot to me!! that dimmable ballast might be ok but even 300 in such a small space is going to create some heat. i'm using a 3g bucket for my moms right now and she is tall and bushy. the only thing is she'll go thru that 3 gallons in 2-3 days so i have to keep a watchful eye out. good luck with this setup. once you get everything dialed in you should be moving right along.

I missed the 4 X 4 X 6.5? That IS tight!

and the advice given by chitownsmoking and by brothafromanother planet is good advice too. They ought to get some REP for that.

IF I had a 4 X 4, I 'd do one 8 gallon tank with 6 plants, and two 5 gallon buckets with two plants in each bucket. I'd think about SOG because of the limited Height, and I'd use a 400 watt or use CFLs. I and we all are telling you that you are going to have a BIG HEAT problem.

+ reps for all. I agree I am going to have some heat issues, but I think I can manage that with proper venting. Roseman with the 8g tank and two 5g buckets that you are talking about what is the reason for this? are you talking about keeping both of them on the same cycle or rotating them somehow? would it be better to use two 8g tanks instead maybe? with my figures I only have room for plants that would be about 3 feet tall max. is that about right? I am kinda thinking that more two footers would be better though. thanks again for all the input.

I was just considering your square footage space, of 4 X 4.

here is a pic from my thread of a friend's plants in his 4 X 4 space:

Who says you can not grow big giant plants in an 8 gallon tank?

thats what Im talking about. what kind of light setup did he have?

go to my thread here:
https://www.rollitup.org/dwc-bubbleponics/7897-stealth-hydro-bubbleponics-systems-666.html

scroll down to the post by Jonnybetreed, he has a half dozen pics there of his grow. He is trying to grow some Indica and some sativa..he is a first time grower.

and look at my pics, in a 2 by 8 ft closet, I harvest a pound a grow, from two tanks:

My PICS

well guys, thanks for all the input. I have decided to start with one 14g tub. so far I think its gonna work. I got a 185gph submersible pump and an eco plus dual outlet air pump running 4 10' stones. I grabbed the 6 way diverter from stealth. Im not sure what size net pots to use though. I have it pretty much setup except for the lid. I think the 185gph pump is a little small though it dont seem to have very much flow. cant wait to get started.

polishfalcon420 said:

well guys, thanks for all the input. I have decided to start with one 14g tub. so far I think its gonna work. I got a 185gph submersible pump and an eco plus dual outlet air pump running 4 10' stones. I grabbed the 6 way diverter from stealth. Im not sure what size net pots to use though. I have it pretty much setup except for the lid. I think the 185gph pump is a little small though it dont seem to have very much flow. cant wait to get started.

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You don't want a real FLOW or STREAM, you want a bubbley trickle.
A solid STREAM or FLOW can drown them.

Alright that sounds about like what I got. I was just looking into some meters for testing ph and ppm. I think I am leaning towards the Hanna growcheck 98129. I dont understand what they mean by the ec/ppm value can be adjusted. does anyone know what they mean and could possibly explain this to me.

My flower room is 3x4x7. I have six 5 gallon recirculating buckets, the reservoir is outside of the room. A 600 watt is hung vertically. Since I don't have much flat space, but I do have vertical space. You definitely want them to share water space either through drain lines or as one large container. There's no way to get access to the back ones.

I personally reccomend a larger res....just make changing h20 easy on yourself....Reading some of the DWC forum I see people have a lot of root probs...Generally caused by light and/or heat....A good black STURDY plastic tub will not cost much at lowes....I run a variation of the scrog method and eventually my canopy shields the res from light and heat, plus I have a fresh air in venting the tank

My DWC resides in a 3.5x4x6 box on wheels....dual 22gal tanks linked at the hip....4" air stone under each of 8 plants....4 strains....dual 600 hps....

Pushing the envelope......3rd time growing in the box....next time will be better yet!!!!

Good luck!!!!!

nice pics, +reps for you. how bout suggestions on meters. anyone?

yo man go with the dwc look at the GH Water farms. check out my pics. is your do a ABPT?

I use a hanna multi meter....It took awhile to grasp the E.C concept, but it comes to ya after a bonghit or two,3....