how do you start a clone in DWC/bubble bucket?

So I'd done top feed forever, but after all the buzz around DWC decided to try it. Built a single RDWC unit to get the hang of it before going all out. Main 5gal bucket has a 8" net pot lid with hydroton and a dual air pump with fairly high output, second 5gal is the rez and circulates water through the main one.

So far the two cuttings(ez-clone) I've tried haven't really kicked in and grown well, despite lots of bubbles they seem like maybe they're drowning? Not sure. I've got the bubbles coming all the way up through the hydroton, is that to high? Should the water be lower? Seems like hydroton doesn't wick much so I'm afraid of roots drying out? What's the official method here? Thanks!

yeah you need to cut the water level down below the pots.
hand water(top feed) til roots poke through to the res

I've never had luck cloning in hydroton, it's always too wet or too dry. I aeroclone in a 3" net pot with a neoprene top and then transfer to hydroton if I'm using it.

oh I see now. yeah you should try to use a plug of some sort to root the clone then throw into hydroton.

Definitely lower the the water/nute level. You want more of a misting on the roots in the beginning until they start to hang below the pot and really take off. Good luck.

Sorry if I wasn't clear, the clone is already very well rooted in an ez-cloner BEFORE being transferred to the hydroton and bubble bucket.

Ok, so the clones roots shouldn't go right into the aerated water at first, but need to acclimate to it. It's strange that they can thrive in bubble water in the long run but not at first? I'll give it a shot and go lower the water level right now then.

sorry if I was unclear, as long as there are roots hanging, let them into the nutes. It's only in the very beginning when you don't want the stem/rooting cube soaked in water. Let those roots swim!

My apologies too, I was under the impression you were starting clones. I'm actually trying a new grow in an RDWC with no hydroton, just a 3" net pot FULL of roots under a neoprene top. Every time I pull the hydroton after a grow there are minimal roots in it, so why add a step. My new plan is cloner to Franken-Cooler and done.

Thanks guys. So here's a couple pictures of the current rooted cutting. At first I had the bubbling water right to the top of the hydroton/bottom of the foam collar, which is where of course it was staying wet in the ez-clone also, now I lowered the water just enough so the rock's are wet but not bubbling through. Like my first attempt the clone while far from dead is starting to get a little yellow and droopier than it was before going into the RDWC, and not seeming to be growing. I've got two large airstones going in the bucket so I'm surprised to see the clone look to be drowning. Obviously this method works for many people so I won't give up on it yet, and there's always an extra clone to sacrifice to it, just slightly baffled what I've done wrong? Alas, lol

cut the tips of the leaves so it will concentrate on root growth.
looks good so far, it just takes a while for them to take hold.

my clones take about 10-14 days in the bubbler before they start looking confident. You have to figrue they're going from a well fed branch without any restrictions to a foreign environment where they're now responsible for "drinking" nutes from their stems. give it time, no need to over water, cut 15 last week and have 8 growing roots, with the others just starting to show. Good luck

Well I'll be darned, it's working! Guess I shouldn't be surprised since a zillion people do it, it's just counter-intuitive for me after years of being careful not to over-water in other mediums. This cutting did seem to suffer a bit of shock for about a week adjusting to the change from ez-clone to DWC, but as the pic shows it perked up and there is new growth. Alright, now to build a four bucket system. Thanks all!

Just realized the title of this thread was misleading, I shouldn't have said "start a clone" but something like "get an already rooted clone started", guess I still call a rooted clone a clone, even for a while after transplant, next time I'll think this through, lol.

hell yeah, just give it some time