I GOTTA LOSE THE AIR PUMPS! HOW?! Plus my awesome mini DWC :)
- Thread starter Airwalker16
- Start date
Ph raising is off gassing CO2 if water has good aeration with either system it's should never be an issue as it will try to reach equilibrium and CO2 is bith easily absorbed and off gassed, oxygen is much more difficult so if you have decent gas exchange for oxygen then you have many more times than needed for Co2 exchange. It's the atmospheric levels that will be of issue.
You often see ph rise after filling with tap water because it's under pressure and forces CO2 to form carbonic acid. The aeration being it back to equalibrium.
That's a ph buffer issue neither waterfalls nor airstones should cause ph to rise. If it does then whatever system is not rising is not exchanging gas as effectively
kmog33
Well-Known Member
So what?
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
Sdh777
Well-Known Member
And your posts give me the urge to get high, every time I see one...
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
not sure if that's a compliment or not?
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
Sitting by a waterfall I'd imagine. lol.
Solution... Get yourself a waterfall so you can piss then smoke a big fat joint. Lmao
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
i feel your pain brother. drug tests are the only tests i can't pass.
but yeah, i did the same. when i thought i was clean for a job years ago that i really wanted, i paid for a drug test at a local testing facility just to make sure i was clean before i pissed for the real one.
fragileassassin
Well-Known Member
I love the sound of my grow setups! I find all the water sounds very relaxing. Sometimes I just stand down there and listen to the waterfalls and the hum of the pumps.
In the early stages of veg, I can hear the waterfalls when its really quiet at night. Helps me sleep.
In the early stages of veg, I can hear the waterfalls when its really quiet at night. Helps me sleep.
kmog33
Well-Known Member
My shits loud. Tons of air moving around
I couldn't agree more... My wife used to bitch about my waterfalls and trickle filters for some of the tanks I used to have.... For me the sounds is peaceful as all hell. Hell I even built an underwater waterfall in my very last tank. Not that it made noise it was just cool af to watch
Keesje
Well-Known Member
Every systems has downsides and upsides.
I read an article from Wageningen University and their these researchers thought that the tiny bubbles in DWC cause too much movement for the roots, which might be the reason for the plants becoming more vulnerable for diseases. It was not a claim, but they thought that that might be a reason the plants got sick and thus got root rot. I don't know, and they also did not know for sure.
A risk with both waterfall and DWC is that when you have a huge, really dense rootball, that the water inside the rootball stagnates. It is not in contact with fresh oxygenated water. Only the roots on the outside of the ball get enough DO. No risk for this with E&F. But with pump failure, roots in E&F will be dry. If you don't notice within 48 hours or so, it at least gives the plant a shock. Not always dead as some think. Pump failure in DWC will at least not make your roots dry out. Lack of oxygen could be a bigger problem.
So when people say: My system is better, they always forget about the not so good sides of their system.
In the end it is all about: Does your plant get enough Water+DO+Nutrients? If the answer is yes, then the system is good from a biological point of view. Maximum DO is easy to reach. A waterfall, bubbles, a pump on the bottom pushing water up and make a bulge, E&F, sprayers.
I have seen all kinds of systems, and a lot of people claim their system is best. But I never saw a hydro-system that had a significant higher yield then 600 grams per 1 square meter within a shorter period then 10 weeks under 600 HPS. Sure with CO2, but that is not hydro
Sometimes people have a higher yield occasionally, but they would have had the same yield with other systems as well. But a system that continuously and with several growers performs better... did not see it.
Another thing: Does it suit you? If I sometimes see the systems that people build with fence posts and tubes, and sprayers, and God knows what, I want to give up this hobby. But other people think 'easy peasy'. That for me is important. What I like, others may dislike. Does not mean my system is better. It is better for my situation and my 'fears'.
I for example drowned plants in soil in past. A lot. The reason I switched to hydro. My friends who are still on soil and coco think I am an idiot. They think hydro is too much work. I also love how clean hydro is. They don't care. I am afraid of leakings. That is why a system with all those connected buckets would be a nightmare for me. I would get up every morning and think 'hope it all stayed put last night'.
So everybody has his angels & demons.
sorry for the long post.
I read an article from Wageningen University and their these researchers thought that the tiny bubbles in DWC cause too much movement for the roots, which might be the reason for the plants becoming more vulnerable for diseases. It was not a claim, but they thought that that might be a reason the plants got sick and thus got root rot. I don't know, and they also did not know for sure.
A risk with both waterfall and DWC is that when you have a huge, really dense rootball, that the water inside the rootball stagnates. It is not in contact with fresh oxygenated water. Only the roots on the outside of the ball get enough DO. No risk for this with E&F. But with pump failure, roots in E&F will be dry. If you don't notice within 48 hours or so, it at least gives the plant a shock. Not always dead as some think. Pump failure in DWC will at least not make your roots dry out. Lack of oxygen could be a bigger problem.
So when people say: My system is better, they always forget about the not so good sides of their system.
In the end it is all about: Does your plant get enough Water+DO+Nutrients? If the answer is yes, then the system is good from a biological point of view. Maximum DO is easy to reach. A waterfall, bubbles, a pump on the bottom pushing water up and make a bulge, E&F, sprayers.
I have seen all kinds of systems, and a lot of people claim their system is best. But I never saw a hydro-system that had a significant higher yield then 600 grams per 1 square meter within a shorter period then 10 weeks under 600 HPS. Sure with CO2, but that is not hydro
Sometimes people have a higher yield occasionally, but they would have had the same yield with other systems as well. But a system that continuously and with several growers performs better... did not see it.
Another thing: Does it suit you? If I sometimes see the systems that people build with fence posts and tubes, and sprayers, and God knows what, I want to give up this hobby. But other people think 'easy peasy'. That for me is important. What I like, others may dislike. Does not mean my system is better. It is better for my situation and my 'fears'.
I for example drowned plants in soil in past. A lot. The reason I switched to hydro. My friends who are still on soil and coco think I am an idiot. They think hydro is too much work. I also love how clean hydro is. They don't care. I am afraid of leakings. That is why a system with all those connected buckets would be a nightmare for me. I would get up every morning and think 'hope it all stayed put last night'.
So everybody has his angels & demons.
sorry for the long post.
Sdh777
Well-Known Member
Agreed Keesje. I still have much to learn & I’m constantly tweaking my systems for improvements. To me, that’s half the fun of growing with hydroponics.
This round, I’m growing 8 plants from seed in two separate tents; half in an Ebb in Flow & the other half in an RDWC just to compare performance. So far at 4 weeks from seed, it’s a total blowout in favor of my RDWC where those plants are already 3-4x bigger, so I’ve immediately made modifications to my Ebb & Flow because I now realize it’s performance is sub-par under current conditions
I added a lid to the Ebb & Flow tray because I was already seeing algae forming. The buckets are now suspended in air, I quadrupled the feeding schedule & added an air pump & stones that runs 24/7. The mod seems to be helping...the algae is gone & the roots are now growing out of the mesh pots & the plants seem to be responding. I’m thinking about adding sprinkler heads next to spray roots in between flood & drains to make sure the roots never dry out completely.
The 2 plants in the next to last picture were started from seed on the same day & moved to different systems roughly 2 weeks ago.
This round, I’m growing 8 plants from seed in two separate tents; half in an Ebb in Flow & the other half in an RDWC just to compare performance. So far at 4 weeks from seed, it’s a total blowout in favor of my RDWC where those plants are already 3-4x bigger, so I’ve immediately made modifications to my Ebb & Flow because I now realize it’s performance is sub-par under current conditions
I added a lid to the Ebb & Flow tray because I was already seeing algae forming. The buckets are now suspended in air, I quadrupled the feeding schedule & added an air pump & stones that runs 24/7. The mod seems to be helping...the algae is gone & the roots are now growing out of the mesh pots & the plants seem to be responding. I’m thinking about adding sprinkler heads next to spray roots in between flood & drains to make sure the roots never dry out completely.
The 2 plants in the next to last picture were started from seed on the same day & moved to different systems roughly 2 weeks ago.