Aircubes?

Hello everyone.
New guy here, been on the forum a very short while, and new to indoor growing in general. I had posted a thread a couple weeks back which described my current grow disaster that I'm trying to limp to the finish here. That grow is in autopots using coco/perlite. I got lots of responses and a lot of good advice, thank you all!

So, I'm definitely looking to steer away from the autopots but still trying to keep things automated as much as possible. Now looking ahead and after a little research, I've been eyeballing this system from grow ace.


I know nothing about hydroponics but this setup seams pretty strait forward. With a little practice and gaining an understanding of the setup, hopefully a noobe like me can get it dialed in without too much trouble.

I would be starting from scratch using an ebb and flow setup. Have no idea which medium would be best, how and when to add nutrients and so on. I know some will say build your own and save some $, but my thought process is this.. Trying to build something that I don't really have an understanding of, or buy something designed to do a certain thing and learning how to use it. I'll go with the latter.

So, was wondering if anyone is using this setup can they share their experience? Any general advice on this type of system for a new guy? Thanks ahead for any input!
TB

I will be making the switch and I go back at forth between the bucket company and diy.

Nope_49595933949 said:

I will be making the switch and I go back at forth between the bucket company and diy.

Cannabis Grow Guide - Coco For Cannabis - Science and Practice

Cannabis grow guide: articles, tutorials, DIY projects & more! Dedicated to the science and practice of growing cannabis in coco perlite and other media.

www.cocoforcannabis.com

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Thanks for the link! Looks like some good reading here. Yes, with the little research I've done, it seems that coco/perlite would be the most forgiving for someone trying to learn this type of set up

tree beard said:

Thanks for the link! Looks like some good reading here. Yes, with the little research I've done, it seems that coco/perlite would be the most forgiving for someone trying to learn this type of set up

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I plan to go coco/perlite as well

It seams with the flood and drain setup, a 50/50 mix of coco and perlite would be optimal?

My buddy has that exact setup. It's pretty nice. He uses 100% hydroton though. IMO perlite or coco is just too messy for that setup, and/or won't dry out nearly as fast as hydroton.

MtRainDog said:

My buddy has that exact setup. It's pretty nice. He uses 100% hydroton though. IMO perlite or coco is just too messy for that setup, and/or won't dry out nearly as fast as hydroton.

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Wow, beautiful! That's the same setup I'm considering only using 8 pots instead of 6. I'm wondering if I could just add 2 pots to the 6 pot configuration. Yes the pebbles seam like a good option too. I've been reading tho that beginners beware as they drain and dry out very fast. I guess this would be easily remedied by just increasing the watering cycles? Is the foil on top of the pots to prevent algae growth?

tree beard said:

Wow, beautiful! That's the same setup I'm considering only using 8 pots instead of 6. I'm wondering if I could just add 2 pots to the 6 pot configuration. Yes the pebbles seam like a good option too. I've been reading tho that beginners beware as they drain and dry out very fast. I guess this would be easily remedied by just increasing the watering cycles? Is the foil on top of the pots to prevent algae growth?

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You can definitely run 8 of those. The brain bucket can handle 36 cubes.

My friend said his flood/drain cycle was every 2 hours I think.

Why not drain to waste ? Seems more user friendly.

MtRainDog said:

You can definitely run 8 of those. The brain bucket can handle 36 cubes.

My friend said his flood/drain cycle was every 2 hours I think.

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Good info, thank you! If I go with the aircubes and clay pebbles this could give me a good starting point.

I guess I would need to make a decision as to which medium to use before even exploring which nutrients and how often.. thanks again!

buckaclark said:

Why not drain to waste ? Seems more user friendly.

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If I were to go with the aircube system I guess this would require some modifications? The room where my tent is doesn't have any type of drain so would probably have to use some sort of tote or ?? Forgive my dumb ass questions, I am completely new to indoor growing and anything other then soil is a whole new ball game for me. That's why I was looking for something more or less " plug n play".

tree beard said:

If I were to go with the aircube system I guess this would require some modifications? The room where my tent is doesn't have any type of drain so would probably have to use some sort of tote or ?? Forgive my dumb ass questions, I am completely new to indoor growing and anything other then soil is a whole new ball game for me. That's why I was looking for something more or less " plug n play".

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I'm not an indoor grower but dtw seems more doable as a beginner than flood and drain.My concerns with flood and drain are reservoir issues ,root problems and wierd deficiencies late in the cycle that I see from (beginners) here.Lots of growers understand all these parameters and do fine though.GL either way.

tree beard said:

If I were to go with the aircube system I guess this would require some modifications? The room where my tent is doesn't have any type of drain so would probably have to use some sort of tote or ?? Forgive my dumb ass questions, I am completely new to indoor growing and anything other then soil is a whole new ball game for me. That's why I was looking for something more or less " plug n play".

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You'd have to drain and clean the res once a week. You'll want a submersible pump for that job. My friend is able to run a hose to a close-by bathroom for this. He put together a RO water system for refilling water jugs that he uses to replenish the res.

buckaclark said:

I'm not an indoor grower but dtw seems more doable as a beginner than flood and drain.My concerns with flood and drain are reservoir issues ,root problems and wierd deficiencies late in the cycle that I see from (beginners) here.Lots of growers understand all these parameters and do fine though.GL either way.

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You're definitely not wrong. It can be a lot of work and monitoring and fussing.

MtRainDog said:

You'd have to drain and clean the res once a week. You'll want a submersible pump for that job. My friend is able to run a hose to a close-by bathroom for this. He put together a RO water system for refilling water jugs that he uses to replenish the res.

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I do have a bathroom close by where I could pump the res strait into the shower. I guess that's doable once a week. You guys have been most helpful and gave me some more food for thought, thank you!
TB

Well, I pulled the trigger on the aircube set up. Going to give coco/perlite a try first time around and see what happens. Will be using a coco sensi part A+B and try to keep it as simple as possible. What is appealing to me about this system is the diversity of mediums that can be used. Apparently if you keep it a couple inches below the fabric pots you can even use soil without making a mess. Will see how it goes. Thanks all for the good tips and thanks Nope for the coco linky!

Ok guys sorry for the amature question here but, trying to get an idea of the amount of nutes to add to the resevoir.
So as an example, say if a product says to use 5 ml per gallon, and I start with putting 40 gallons of water into a 60 gallon resevoir. That would require 200 ml of said example product per fill? Obviously I wouldn't be starting at full strength, just trying to figure out where to start.

And then repeating this process weekly, draining the resevoir and adding the 40 gallons of water and 200 ml of nutes again?

Sorry for the dumb questions, this is brand new to me.. Thanks ahead!

Hey Tree Beard i just pulled the trigger as well. Debating between Hydtron and coco. hows it growning?

rudy5523 said:

Hey Tree Beard i just pulled the trigger as well. Debating between Hydtron and coco. hows it growning?

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Yo man. I was dead set on doing the first aircube run in coco, but after thinking about it a while I flip flopped and just picked up a shit ton of hydroton. My first experience with coco was less then ideal, not the coco's fault lol. Just figured I'd try something else. I haven't set it up yet, waiting for that tent space to open up, hopefully a few more weeks..

Ill
Be firing mine up within the next 2 weeks. Let’s stay in touch. The one thing I did get based on reviews was a check valve and I plan on using an air stone in the res for added o2. Hope it doesn’t swing the ph too much.