Questions guys! 3 bucket rdwc setup please help

hello everyone.. i plan on growing 2 indica hybrid plants.. i am using 2 dwc 5 gallon buckets. i was thinking of adding a third 5 gallon bucket for the res.. is this a good idea? will it be easyto setup and maintain. i heard that having a reservoir is better because you simply add the water and nutes to the res and it feeds both system. then you only have to change out the res every 10 days add the nutes on the schedule..

can someone help me out by describing the setup and materials i would need. my other main question is this: by having 3 airstones connected to a pump, will that itself circulate the water through the pvc pipe i will install on the bottom. i believe that the piping should be connected to all three buckets leveled i just dont know what will keep the water circulating to the res and plants. please help

I like the post,& that's a good idea,I need to do it also.But before I start asking I got to do some reading,cause I don't know all I need to.I do know that I need a water pump to circulate the water,keep light out of water,water temp 68-72 etc...I been growing for awhile have used up to 8 different buckets,befor I do that again I'll connect all together.
Good luck & heavy yields to ya!!

Use the third 5gal bucket as your control bucket, you will need a float valve for this. Then you connect a top off res to the control bucket.

When the water level in the system drops, the float valve will open, topping off the system.

yeah man dont have the space for all that im just sticking to the 2 dwc 5 gallon buckets . everything is set up . feeling good about this. im just looking to uy a good ppm pen and not spend so much on it. any suggestions?

You will need a sub/inline water pump to circulate the water. You are calling it a res, but technically it would be an 'epicenter' for the 3rd bucket where you add your nutrients. Basically you configure the water pump to pull water from the last bucket and bring it back to the epicenter, thus recirculating the water. I'm not sure if the air stones themselves would actually circulate the water.

You can get a cheap ph pen/ ppm combo pack on ebay/amazon for like $20. They do work, but I have to calibrate my ph pen often. You should get some calibration solution too. I use the drops to double check my ph. The really good meters are $100+
http://www.amazon.com/iMeshbean®-Digital-Aquarium-Hydroponic-Batteries/dp/B00J1YN2LK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1428805456&sr=8-2&keywords=ph pen ppm
http://www.amazon.com/Bluelab-PENGTB-Growers-Toolbox/dp/B00H90O26C/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1428805456&sr=8-6&keywords=ph pen ppm

OhGravity110 said:

yeah man dont have the space for all that im just sticking to the 2 dwc 5 gallon buckets . everything is set up . feeling good about this. im just looking to uy a good ppm pen and not spend so much on it. any suggestions?

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It's far from cheap, but Bluelab Guardians are the only meter I recommend for dwc.

Hey guys the seeds came in and im about to get started! Pretty exited. Right now im using the ph test kit to work with. Ill invest in the pen when i buy after nutes after about 2 weeks after sprouting starting the veg cycle.

hey guys so everything is set up i have placed the seeds in the rockwool and letting it do its thing. the seeds have sprouted so i have a few questions .

should i start my 18-6 light on/off cycle now with the seeds being in the rockwool? or wait until root has come out the bottom.