Help with recirculating/dwc hydro

evilelect

Member
Iv only been able to find scattered info so Im hoping to get some feed back fromn people a similar set up.

I have a grow and flow hydro system and am using 7 sites in a 4x4 tent with airs stones in each site and hydroton as medium. I also rapped the the buckets with lightproof tape. I have a 600 watt hps in a 6" vented tube and 8" cold air intake wich keeps temps at 70 to 75. Water is not cooled but stays around the same temp. For nuts/addatives I use humboldt master a&b, great white benificials, humboldt hydro honey, hygrozyme and super thrive.
I used a sweetener my fourth grow during the flush and ever since I cant clean out my system good enough. I have root rot like crazy but it only starts once the roots acually hit the water (I have 5" inserts right now and am using the set up more like a dwc with airstones at the bottum of each site)
My questions are.
1. Should I swich to just the master a&b with h2o2
2. Should I use the large inserts that came with the system and water (how ever many times a day) or should I use 5" inch inserts and treat it like a rcdwc with most of the root suspended in the water as opposed to most of the roots being in the hydroton with the large inserts.
3. How often should I flood and drain
4.I broke everything down and cleaned it and cut all the bad roots off my plants and tried again but its still happening. Can thaey be saved or should I break them down in to clones and start over.

This is my fourth grow and Ive done really well up untill now but Im guessing it only gets harder to kepp things clean as you go so any help would be great thanks.
 

Mr. Big Bud

Member
You need a chiller to keep res cool, like 65 degrees, i run recir. dwc and i always got rot rot until i cooled water temps. Also seal up any light leaks on res. and buckets.
 

superstoner1

Well-Known Member
constant warm temps will get you every time in that setup. at least brake the cycle by using frozen water bottles once a day until you decide on which way to go.
 

evilelect

Member
Theres no light leaks and the water temp never gets above 72 ( i have an air conditioner blowing cold air on to the rez) is that realy that bad. It jumps a little in the sites to like 74 75 sometimes but Ive never had a problem in a year and a half untill just now with this set up. Im wandering if it was the suger because its the only organic additive Ive used except for the hygrozyme and beni's. I know the chiller would help but I had way higher temps before with no problems and I just dont have the money for it right now. It would be cheaper for me to just start over. Mr big bud do you use the full inserts or the small ones and do you use enzymes/benis or just h2o2. This grow is the first time Ive used the 5" inserts because its easier to take the plants out of the tent to clean everything but it requires the sites to be flooded more. I think for now I might just go back to the full inserts and just flood 4 times a day untill I can get a chiller or a setup thats easier to clean.
 

evilelect

Member
you got great advice based on the numbers you gave us. do wit it as you wish.
Well I dont want to seem like an ass but no one really answered any of my questions. I know chillers can be helpfull but my temps rarely get above 72/74 and the optimal range is 65 to 72. I cant afford one right now and Iv had 3 previous grows with this system that were all amazing with water temps higher than what they are now since Ive been blowing ac'd air in to space where the rez is. This problem has happened since I went from using the full inserts to using the small 5" ones and swicthing back to beni's/zyme/humboldt honey and I just want to know how others with the same type of system do in those regards. Ill get a chiller as soon as I can afford one but for now i just want to know h2o2 or beni/zyme/carbs and full inserts being watered 4 times a day or 5" inserts flooded all the time like dwc.
 
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