which hydro system to use?

So, I've been looking around and have definitely decided to go hydro for my next grow. So, now my question is which system. IMO i believe i would have more luck with a DWC system. I also think that's better for the space i have. I just want to know if you guys have seen better results from other systems like top feed drip or ebb & flow? I also am thinking about just getting a large tote and building it myself....it doesn't seem to difficult at all. I am getting a dr90 twin and have my previous 600w hps. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!!!

My first grow was a DWC bubble bucket over all I liked it and had successfully harvest with it. Its a good place to start.

This time around I switch ebb and flow because the main fault with DWC is water temps with and ebb and flow table water temps don't matter.

I run my table; 6in netpots filled with hydroton in the table with no hydroton outside the netpot, the table is covered with panda plastic so light doesn't reach the water. I flood for 15mins, 24 times a day.

Nice! I've looked at those too. Was that setup more difficult? It also seems like you have to do more work with that system?

siegalsmoker said:

Nice! I've looked at those too. Was that setup more difficult? It also seems like you have to do more work with that system?

Click to expand...

DWC was pretty much drill a holes in a rubbermaid tote.

My Flood table is little more work since its 2 parts, Res + table.

Over all it was pretty easy to build. Just took time in planning.

My table is very similar to this DIY:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=70262
[url]http://forum.grasscity.com/do-yourself/1047947-diy-ebb-flow-lucasized-under-100.html
[/URL]

I got started with a single tote bin ebb & flow which was eventually converted to DWC when the roots basically took over the tote bin..DWC is real simple to do for a small space.. Trouble with DWC is in keeping res temps low and/or preventing root rot which are related issues; a constant battle in DWC systems. See the above Heisenberg tea sticky for info on this common issue & how to combat it. I was inspired by stink buds aero sprayer op and have now built my own clone machine & aero tube sprayer system. I got tired of hauling buckets up & down stairs which makes res changes a real pain in the ass with DWC. The aero sprayers use less than half the water. Btw the dr90 is a great tent totally worth the few extra $. Don't want to discourage you from doing DWC because it's a good jump off point for learning hydro but I think in the future you might be thinking about an upgrade. Read stink buds thread too(harvest a lb every 3 weeks) before making a decision and good luck to you no matter what you decide.

Dwc is definitely the easiest and fastest system to build and can produce very good results. It takes me approximately 6 minutes to assemble a four bucket system from scratch and another 10 minutes to fill them and put plants in. You can't really beat the vigorous growth for such a small financial investment and time to assemble. Especially under one 600, four 5 gallon buckets would be borderline excessive with anything more than a 3 week veg.

Edit: I constantly see people having serious issues with their root system in dwc. It must be a serious epidemic, but in 10 years with no tea, h2o2 or bennies I have not encountered a single problem. Could have a lot to do with my climate though.

DWC works very well in a basement grow... Root issues can be combatted with cold res temps which are easier to maintain during summer heat on a cold concrete floor. You will still have issues with bacteria in your res. no matter how low your res temps but using bennies, adding hygozyme, changing nutes often, & checking ph religiously can mitigate this.

Yeah, dwc is super simple and a great place to start with hydro, IMO.

Personally, I started out in soil, and after I harvested my first run I set up a simple aeroponics system-- it was really easy to design and build, and I set up a 4 site for less than $40 including the fountain pump. I could've made a 6 site or whatever; I could've made it big enough to fit 15 plants honestly, (if I had the light) by buying one more 10' square tube.

Its just a simple res, with a square tube that sits on it coming in from the side. A fountain pump sits in the res, and pumps the water up a line, and the line runs down the inside of the square tube. Just poke holes wherever you want your sites. As long as you keep the far end of the tube higher than the res end, the water drains back down to the res where it will eventually get pumped back up again.

I was in the same dilemma as you, I wanted to try out hydro but wasn't sure which route to go. I figured I would start out with dwc, but then I saw a $300 aero setup and I thought "shit, that would be easy to make".

I highly recommend tho, that whatever you go with, you choose some type of recirculating system. It was a tip I was given by a caretaker in Colorado, and quite frankly I think it was good advice.

Wow, a lot of great input guys! Thanks. I've definitely been looking more into a ebb & flow system. It doesn't seem as difficult as i thought.

So, are you guys saying that there is less likely a chance to get root rot and bacteria issues with a EF system? Also, water temp is another thing that you don't have to worry about? Can you not just use an aquarium heater?

the waterfarm is the easiest system ive ever used and is perfect for beginners. with a lil practice you can amaze yourself on a daily basis. Its warm water you want to avoid in hydro adding a heater would b a bad idea

Oh ok, well i still have some more research to do. Getting my tent tomorrow, but no rush on building anything. Want to take my time and make the right decision. Thanks..

If you ran the same seed, lighting, and nutes...which system would produce the best yield? I will have a 3x3x6 space and 600w hps

Not sure about yield, you may just start a flamewar with that : ) But, I've been very happy with the simplicity of ebb and flow, got started a few months ago myself. I was originally feeding every hour like JCave, but I dialed it back to just every six hours after it looked like my plants were showing signs of overwatering.

Hey as long as everyone keeps it clean, and doesn't bring mama's into it it's all good .. at first i was leaning towards DWC, but now i think i might be really liking a E/F more. Just still need to do more research..

Thanks for all the info

Do you need an air pump when it comes to E/F? Also, i recall hearing in a DWC you should have something covering the water so the light won't hit it....in turn reducing the chances of algae forming. Is it the same for E/F?

Dwc is so easy and forgiving when you run seperate buckets, but it can be difficult to manage larger grows in this fashion.. Probably the easiest to run is ebb and flow with rock wool cubes if you are handling a larger operation.

how do you grow? one run at a time? perpetual? do you want staggered crops or crop out all at once? How much effort are you willing, and able( work,family,physical limitations?), to put in?

If your doing one run and then cropping out id say go with a system that has a shared reservoir, ebb&flow, top drip,Rdwc. Your only mixing one batch of nutes, temp control is easier, ph drift is mitigated by a larger volume of water. Ive decided on a RDWC probably a 6 bucket system in a 4x4 with a res big enough to go two weeks between change outs.

If you want a perpetual grow well things change. Single bucket DWC will allow you to mix nutes for each plant individually to whatever stage it is in. You could do ebb&flow troughs with a separate res for each trough/stage of flower.

No matter what system you run, for optimal results, make sure no light can get into your res,keep res temperatures around 68deg F, and keep the water well airated and constantly moving. . Covering you pot/buckets/flood tables/etc with light proofing is something else that can be done to curb algae growth. Keep looking around this site, everything you could want to know is here.

Thanks, I would like to have more of a staggered grow. Don't necessarily have to have harvest after harvest, but do want some kind of running system. Will deft have clones going while still in flowering of the previous grow. And, I'm not afraid of hard work so I'll deft be super involved with the system. Able to check daily, keep a journal, and make all the changes I can to keep it a healthy and efficient system. Thanks.

For ebb and flow u do want an air pump in ur res. Water temp should be between 60 and 75 F. I have had to add heaters for the winter in some situations. U should use a top to reduce light getting to the water and also reduce evaporation. Also dont water at all during the dark cycle, AND DEFINITELY NOT 24X A DAY. i only water 4 times a day. Once at "sun up" once 2 hours before dark and twice equally spread in between. that is for both flower and veg so there is more time between watering in veg. Also i recently abandoned the smart pots and filled the entire tray with hydroton with great results. More root more fruit.
Good luck with ur first grow!

I have done quite a bit of hydro DIY over the last 4 years, in search of the highest performance. Currently doing 2 separate 2 x 4 tents

High quality meds can be grown in a simple bubbler (see below). The keys are ample DO, daily topping off, and weekly replacing of nutes during budding

1. Simple bubbler using ~ 27 l/m air pumping O2 into 3 large oxystone cylinders (pump is a 4 head 35 lpm, but using one to reveg a mother). During flower, nutes are changed weekly
2. Modified Flood and Drain with my High Performance Rez, that combines magnets, separate small pump circulating nutes 24/7, flooming over polished ornamental river rock + 4" air stones, one under each pump

Clones are same genetics, but 2 under ~220w led are short; 2 under 432w hot5 are tall with long branches

Bubbler is in led tent with short clones. This tent will likely yield 4-6 ozs. The 2 taller plant's mother produced > one pound



LED