Question, why is my ebb and flow system not draining back into the Reservoir below?

HighPar

Member
Hi I have an active Aqua 550 GPH pump. I have a connected to the system as you can see by the picture but it's not rdaining back into the reservoir below. Guys I honestly don't know what to think about this and I'm really upset because I really want to get this system up and running it's really almost done.
 

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horribleherk

Well-Known Member
It has to be in the fittings , the line or the pump try filling the tub & then shut off the pump then disconnect the line from the pump the tub should start draining if not run a piece of wire through the hose & once unplugged if the hose starts draining look at the pump it may have debris in it or ( remote possibly) a check valve in the pump
 

HighPar

Member
Thank you both for the help. I have filled the tank up to 50 gallons when it was at 45. And it seems to only drain when it's filled above 50 gallons is a 75 gallon Reservoir. I went way too big on the reservoir Jesus.

I let the plants dry out once because I wasn't available to water them for like a week ever since them they stop growing a little bit and they look very weak I think. I'm about to start the flower cycle and have restarted the tank.

I don't know maybe it's the genetics some of them got to be like two and a half feet tall and others are just like 1 1/2 foot tall.
 

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lusidghost

Well-Known Member
Thank you both for the help. I have filled the tank up to 50 gallons when it was at 45. And it seems to only drain when it's filled above 50 gallons is a 75 gallon Reservoir. I went way too big on the reservoir Jesus.

I let the plants dry out once because I wasn't available to water them for like a week ever since them they stop growing a little bit and they look very weak I think. I'm about to start the flower cycle and have restarted the tank.

I don't know maybe it's the genetics some of them got to be like two and a half feet tall and others are just like 1 1/2 foot tall.
They are definitely look rough. I'm not one to try to diagnose health issues, but it looks like you've been watering pretty heavily to make up for wilting them?

The drainage issue is a mystery to me. Maybe I'm not understanding something, but gravity is usually fairly reliable.
 

HighPar

Member
They are definitely look rough. I'm not one to try to diagnose health issues, but it looks like you've been watering pretty heavily to make up for wilting them?

The drainage issue is a mystery to me. Maybe I'm not understanding something, but gravity is usually fairly reliable.
Yes watering too Heavy thank you
 

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
Yes watering too Heavy thank you
Luckily they're still young. They'll be okay. Just cut back on the water. Are you only using those rockwool squares? No medium underneath? That's like driving a Lambo. Get yourself a decent moisture probe and figure out a proper watering routine.
 

HighPar

Member
It has to be in the fittings , the line or the pump try filling the tub & then shut off the pump then disconnect the line from the pump the tub should start draining if not run a piece of wire through the hose & once unplugged if the hose starts draining look at the pump it may have debris in it or ( remote possibly) a check valve in the pump
Thank you sir.
 

HighPar

Member
Luckily they're still young. They'll be okay. Just cut back on the water. Are you only using those rockwool squares? No medium underneath? That's like driving a Lambo. Get yourself a decent moisture probe and figure out a proper watering routine.
Yes this time I decided to use a lot of money over 7K for this setup I'm just trying to stay humble as well however thank you for your advice yes I will do that. I have a question about your Lambo comment that's like driving a Lambo I understand but are you also saying to get something underneath like a pad so the roots grow into the pad because right now I just have the 6-inch by 6-inch grodan. Also I actually just put two of the plants on another 6 by 6 in Rockwool to test and see if those will start growing again.

The main point is these plans haven't grown in over a week and a half they just stay the same height.


Also ohhh now I understand your Lambo comment I believe what you mean is it's very hard to drive so this must mean it's very hard to use the setup I have and that's very true. I've noticed that when the flood and drain table floods that will fill up the water quicker of course on the side where the fill plugs are so those get really wet. Have it set to only start filling for 12 minutes because that's all it takes but then it takes 20 minutes to drain. That's a lot of soaking.

On a side note I have been a sick patient of Crohn's Disease and so I've been in the hospital which is one of the reasons I let the plants dry out for one week and then they stopped growing I believe maybe they got nutrient luck. But my point for that is that I haven't been able to set up my floraflex top feed grow system which I have in boxes but I started using the flood system instead because it was faster to set up I wanted to get the plants between those two 650r lights instead of the Mars Hydro 430 watt that I was using. However now I realize there's also optimal light that you need so that the plants May stretch a little or grow bushier so it's not all about having the highest light when they're in vegetative state I realize that. I have a lot of growing to do I believe the next girl will be a lot better.


I have tons of nutrients ice probably spent over $800 it was a dumbass pits take to get a 75 gallon Reservoir my 64 square foot space cannot handle it I also got a 8 by 4 grow table that was way too big so I had to buy another one that was three by six.

I'm sorry for venting but now comes the point where I say I don't know whether to start the bloom cycle with the nutrients that Advanced Nutrients calculator says to or even half the amount. The water at the moment is 150 PPM and 6.0 pH.

I flushed it once today with this water had brought the PPM from 100 to 160. Just by flushing the grodan.

Now I will add some very light Bloom chemicals not the full dose that it says on the chart but I don't know if that's too little or too much.


The last point I wanted to make is I have this one plant that's so small and hasn't grown in like 3 weeks for no probably about two weeks the leaves at the top they stay the same size the whole time it's just totally not growing anything. It started before I up the nutrients to 900 PPM way before.. The nutrients was at 300 PPM for about three weeks the first three weeks.


I mean should I try to keep this in vegetative mode to try to keep from growing or should I say since it's been a month and a half or a month in a week should I switch it to bloom? I probably don't deserve you guys answers since I'm new and I don't have much to contribute but I do have good ideas. I did insulate the whole grow room myself so it stays 40 to 50 degrees higher with just one 200 watt IR heater. I have two Diablo 650rs Samsung leds and a mars hydro 430watt smd leds. I used the Mars Hydro up until four days ago. It's not growing even with more light.

I will leave the grodan to dry for a few days to see what happens maybe it will start growing again? Because of less water. The last time I did that though slightly a couple of plants just started drooping and they didn't really do anything else when you started water them other than stop drooping they're not really growing new leaves at the top at all.

That is why I'm so frustrated I started with like 14 plants now I have 11. And I only have like four big plants and even those have stopped growing sort of. The leaves on those take about two days to grow even like a few centimeters.
 
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HighPar

Member
Luckily they're still young. They'll be okay. Just cut back on the water. Are you only using those rockwool squares? No medium underneath? That's like driving a Lambo. Get yourself a decent moisture probe and figure out a proper watering routine.
Hello I just wanted to let you know I wrote a a lot in my new edited message thank you
 

HighPar

Member
For the unknowing you need a minimum of 1/4” fall per foot for passive draining. Minimum.
Sincerely thank you very much. After playing with it I had realized the drop needed and move the pump further into the tank to the left to try to get the tube to fall at the minimum that you told me before this I did the best job I could and now it takes about 15 minutes to drain instead of 20.
 

HighPar

Member
here is the top plant that I have from two weeks ago when it was flourishing nicely since then it's still looks like that but it hasn't grown at all no new leaves at the top just stays the same height maybe gets a little bit thicker I did use Silica on to of the Advanced Nutrients grow solution.

I also use the amino acids that I bought from kelp4less. I also have piranha tarantula and the other one. I also have a powder form of mycorrizae concentrate
 

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lusidghost

Well-Known Member
im sorry for your loss (of money)
I went too big and have a few costly trays holding stalks and whatbot now.
Yes this time I decided to use a lot of money over 7K for this setup I'm just trying to stay humble as well however thank you for your advice yes I will do that. I have a question about your Lambo comment that's like driving a Lambo I understand but are you also saying to get something underneath like a pad so the roots grow into the pad because right now I just have the 6-inch by 6-inch grodan. Also I actually just put two of the plants on another 6 by 6 in Rockwool to test and see if those will start growing again.

The main point is these plans haven't grown in over a week and a half they just stay the same height.


Also ohhh now I understand your Lambo comment I believe what you mean is it's very hard to drive so this must mean it's very hard to use the setup I have and that's very true. I've noticed that when the flood and drain table floods that will fill up the water quicker of course on the side where the fill plugs are so those get really wet. Have it set to only start filling for 12 minutes because that's all it takes but then it takes 20 minutes to drain. That's a lot of soaking.

On a side note I have been a sick patient of Crohn's Disease and so I've been in the hospital which is one of the reasons I let the plants dry out for one week and then they stopped growing I believe maybe they got nutrient luck. But my point for that is that I haven't been able to set up my floraflex top feed grow system which I have in boxes but I started using the flood system instead because it was faster to set up I wanted to get the plants between those two 650r lights instead of the Mars Hydro 430 watt that I was using. However now I realize there's also optimal light that you need so that the plants May stretch a little or grow bushier so it's not all about having the highest light when they're in vegetative state I realize that. I have a lot of growing to do I believe the next girl will be a lot better.


I have tons of nutrients ice probably spent over $800 it was a dumbass pits take to get a 75 gallon Reservoir my 64 square foot space cannot handle it I also got a 8 by 4 grow table that was way too big so I had to buy another one that was three by six.

I'm sorry for venting but now comes the point where I say I don't know whether to start the bloom cycle with the nutrients that Advanced Nutrients calculator says to or even half the amount. The water at the moment is 150 PPM and 6.0 pH.

I flushed it once today with this water had brought the PPM from 100 to 160. Just by flushing the grodan.

Now I will add some very light Bloom chemicals not the full dose that it says on the chart but I don't know if that's too little or too much.


The last point I wanted to make is I have this one plant that's so small and hasn't grown in like 3 weeks for no probably about two weeks the leaves at the top they stay the same size the whole time it's just totally not growing anything. It started before I up the nutrients to 900 PPM way before.. The nutrients was at 300 PPM for about three weeks the first three weeks.


I mean should I try to keep this in vegetative mode to try to keep from growing or should I say since it's been a month and a half or a month in a week should I switch it to bloom? I probably don't deserve you guys answers since I'm new and I don't have much to contribute but I do have good ideas. I did insulate the whole grow room myself so it stays 40 to 50 degrees higher with just one 200 watt IR heater. I have two Diablo 650rs Samsung leds and a mars hydro 430watt smd leds. I used the Mars Hydro up until four days ago. It's not growing even with more light.

I will leave the grodan to dry for a few days to see what happens maybe it will start growing again? Because of less water. The last time I did that though slightly a couple of plants just started drooping and they didn't really do anything else when you started water them other than stop drooping they're not really growing new leaves at the top at all.

That is why I'm so frustrated I started with like 14 plants now I have 11. And I only have like four big plants and even those have stopped growing sort of. The leaves on those take about two days to grow even like a few centimeters.
Ow, this is a lot. I feel your worry. 900PPM seems wildly hot for vegging plants. I would suggest flushing them and then keep it around 600. I'm not super knowledgeable on nutrient deficiencies and whatnot, but I feel they're too wet and probably about to also start burning.

What I meant by the Lambo comparison was it's sensitive and easy to wreck. It's definitely not a car to learn to drive in. You have a small window between overwatered and bone dry. This is why a good automated system would be recommended. If you miss a watering by a few hours they'll be wilted. Right now you should pick up the blocks to feel if they need water or not.

If you put this under your cubes it will keep them moist without watering so frequently. Line the trays as much as you can and make sure they're all touching. The roots will grow though it as well. Also I noticed that rockwool likes to be wicked, and if you sit a cube on top of another it drains most of the excess water out of the top one. It's a great way to prevent over saturation. I haven't tried it with coco, but I assume it will give the same results.

If you have to you can also transplant them into coco pots. You could still flood and drain them. That way your tray isn't a total waste of money.
 
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