Aquarium rocks in DWC?

I am going to be starting my first DWC grow soon and was wondering if I can use aquarium rocks as a medium? The nearest place I can get hydroton is a couple hours away, and to have a 50 lb bag of it shipped is ridiculous... so I was wondering if anyone has tried using aquarium gravel...

From what I've read, you want your water level just below the net pots and for the breaking bubbles to spray the bottom and I'm just not sure if they will allow the nutes to reach the rockwool or not. I have a bag of coco but was leary about using that in DWC because it looks like it will fall through just like dirt.

Thanks in advance!

I grow in DWC and I ALMOST ALMOST ALMOST used aquarium rocks. I was in the same position as you. No gardening store or any Wal-mart even heard of what i was looking for.

I had read that aquarium rocks could be used. The only down side is that they are usually smooth to the touch and dont provide that much grip for the roots to take a hold of. Another down side is that aquarium rocks retain little to no water. The clay hydrotons expand slightly , kinda like sponges because they are poreous they retain water and allow the roots to grip and grow. Also they are recycleable.

My suggestion is that if you cannot absolutly get hydrotons go with the aquarium rocks. They will do the trick but I would watch the plants closely.

How i resolved my issue and got my own hydrotons , I had some shipped to me from the internet. EBAY is your best friend. If you do a search on ebay for clay hydrotons you can get plenty of sellers that will ship you some for under 50bucks.

Hope this helped. This is just my opinion and my personal experience with growing. Hope this helped you and good luck with your first DWC grow! They are really fun and DWC will grow alot faster than soil!

Peace

Thanks nailz I will be doing a journal when I get everything ready to go... and I think I may try all 3 just to see which does the best. It wouldn't be a big deal to have the hydroton shipped, but I was just trying to think of something a little easier to get my hands on... plus I think the colored aquarium gravel would look cool.

I think I will compare the 3 since I've done some searching and haven't found much on the aquarium rocks... if it does work, then maybe the journal I make will be of some help to people who can't easily get/afford hydroton.

Same predicament as you here. Today I bought some red lava rock, broke it down with a hammer, and rinsed until no sediment was left. It will go into the cups as soon as I finish rooting in Jiffy pellets.

Right on man!

Sounds like a great idea. I'll be looking for your journal because I am also intrested how they turn out. Those neon green aquarium rocks would look wicked in a grow that's for sure. Send me a PM with a link to your journal so i can sub to it when you get it running. GOOD LUCK

Peace

yep, the aquarium rocks will work fine.
Actually, anything the roots can find their way through will work.
Just bury them deep so they'll have support when they get big.

pwizzle said:

yep, the aquarium rocks will work fine.
Actually, anything the roots can find their way through will work.
Just bury them deep so they'll have support when they get big.

Click to expand...

Will having the water lever below the pots let the water from the breaking bubbles seep through the rocks? That's the only thing I'm really wondering about because they don't have the porous surface like clay. Should I start with the water level a little bit over the bottom of the pots until the roots grow down?

What I did was top feed(watering-can type feeding) until the roots drop through the baskets.
Still keep the water level below the baskets so to create bubble misting action.
Shouldn't take long depending on the size of the baskets you use.
Once they poke through the bottom of the baskets the bubbles will water them from then on.
My baskets are 10" wide x 6" deep, so it took a few days lol

wow I said baskets a lot.....

big baskets..

Quik question...would it be posable to just use the foam quork mothed that some dwc cloners use just suspending the roots in the water...provided it was sterdy enough to support the plant as it grows? I have been looking for any info that would support this method but cant find anything. Any help would be great

TedNewget said:

I am going to be starting my first DWC grow soon and was wondering if I can use aquarium rocks as a medium? The nearest place I can get hydroton is a couple hours away, and to have a 50 lb bag of it shipped is ridiculous... so I was wondering if anyone has tried using aquarium gravel...

From what I've read, you want your water level just below the net pots and for the breaking bubbles to spray the bottom and I'm just not sure if they will allow the nutes to reach the rockwool or not. I have a bag of coco but was leary about using that in DWC because it looks like it will fall through just like dirt.

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

If you go with Aquarium gravel, make sure you don't get any colored kind. I have a bunch of aquariums, and that shit flakes off over time and will clog your water pump if you have one. Get the really cheap stuff that are just plain broken up rocks.

But, if I might add, you can use kitty litter without any of that scented stuff or crystals. All kitty litter is, is clay. It works fine and is a LOT cheaper. If you have a Lowe's around, you can buy a bag of perlite there. Some guys use perlite on here I've seen.

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it isn't 2013 anymore..... thought this was a recent post... what the chances I pull up a post that looks like it was posted yesterday....

Edited for the following reasons.
1. Stoned
2. Stoned
3. Stoned