Ok first of all I want to say thank you to everyone on RIU. I have been reading the bubbleponics forums for a while now researching and researching before I built my own system. I could have went with the SH kit, but I this was a nice project to eat up a few weekends with. Well more than a few, the build has been a learning experience. Like everyone I made some errors and I’m bound to make some more. My first week was nothing but errors. But thanks to the guys at CERN for not ending the world as of yet and inventing the internet I have been able to rectify my errors with RIU. A lot of reading on rosemans thread, like a fine bourbon nice to sip on.

This all started a couple weeks ago as I lay in a nor cal blue dream haze. I decided that I should do something a bit more useful with my weekends and printed out the notes I’d been taking while reading up on bubbleponics, even had a small shopping list. Fist stop homedepot I find an 18 gallon tub I just bought one. I found some 68 watt cfls as well I bought two. Jury rigged them up to an extension cord with a Y adapter. They are on the orange side of the spectrum, I’ve thus added side lights in the blue spectrum. My closet will be the home to this grow for an undisclosed amount of time I painted the inside gloss white, even the inner side of the closet doors. I had a little seedling in there as my first victim, just living it up with the lights on 12/12. I know I know newb mistake. It now been corrected with 24hr on and I’m currently inducing veg state with 4 clones two pure kush and two ATF.

I have a 12 gallon reservoir and ended up going with General Hydroponics 3 part flora system for my nutes. And yes I did make sure to add micro first and my bloom and veg portions after. Right now I am doing 1-1-1 portion. I am using a tds meter, but I I’m not sure im reading the info its giving me correctly. For example I tested my water TDS from the tap at 451 ppm, I know a bit on the hard side. After I added all my nutes my ppm only gave me a read out of 752. I thought I was shooting for 400-800 ppm for just the nutes, but with this I’m only getting 300ppm. I know I measured my amounts correctly too. After all this I test and correct the ph. I also picked up another tub from homedepot to help me transfer the water. Used the pump to drain my planting tub, and ill use my 2nd tub to dup and mix. Is the gh system fine without any addat… I know im asking about additives.

On to my air and water setup. When I was looking for a WP I was reading about everyone going with a 200 gph. Well just my luck the place I went to was out of the 200’s and I ended up with a 320 gph. I thought this be overkill! But thank god for the man gene of aisle wondering at hardware stores. I ended up finding this amazing 8 port manifold with ¼ connectors and a ½ entry. I mated that with a 12” pvc tube attached to the pump and I have created my very own waterdusa!!!!! Attacking a baby near you!!!! Nice thing is the manifold allows you to regulate the water flow for each of the outlets individually, I have my four tubes bubbling right into the center of my net pots. For my air I have a tetra whisper 100 pushing two 8” airstones, one 48” airstone tube, and one 16” airstone. Maybe its overkill, maybe I just kept reading that oxygen is good and you need to make the water boil.

So all in all I’m pretty excited. Going to change water every seven days. I have a digital TDS and pH meter. Some pretty good nutes. Lastly because I enjoy learning new things.


Pics below. Missing a side light stepped on this afternoon. Missing the tetra whisper 100 delivery on Monday yay ebay!

Oh and any tips or advise please feel free!

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Hmmm my own pity post

Do you have calibration solution for your tds meter? If not you should get some. Your tap tds seems pretty high. To be honest, I dont know how high is too high though.

Just checked calibration and its fine. Is it ever ok to add water conditioner to the reservoir ?

some white residue showed up in my hydroton pots and also clogged my delivery manifold. Anyone have an idea as to what the cause is. I did just paint the closet I have the grow sitting in would it be possible some of the paint particals got into the water?

I was just over a friend's house where he's growing and his were white like that... It was from lack of soaking the hydroton rocks thoroughly before introducing them to the DWC system. I'd get them out of there and soak them for a while... regardless, if this is the case or not.

Good luck!! & I like the bong pic. I'm thinking of making one...never did.

Cool thanks. I'll try it if it comes back.


Ok so now another question.

The clones are in place and there is new growth, but some of the original leaves that were on the clones are dried up on the ends. I checked and the roots are recieving water. Why would this be happening?

So I come to the conclusion that one I had the lights a bit too close and two a lack of calcium. I also noticed that my ph is spiking up the 8 after a day or so is this normal? What would cause a ph rise?


Anyone use floralicious plus?

How are the tops of the plant ? I had a good deal of yellowing on the bottom leaves because there were so many and I hear that as long as the 'new growth' is strong you should be able to ride it....


How long have the nutes been in the same res water ? I don't mess with ph that much, and I dump my res out every 5 - 7 days and recycle it on my outdoor plants. Works out well.

I almost bought some floralicious plus instead of floralnectar but my regular hydro guy wasn't there, and the others at the store knew not a thing.

I'm interested in knowing too. Stop by my grow and say hi if you like... I'm about a month & change into flowering.

Peace.

The tops look pretty good even the bushy looking one, thing is they all have new growth. I just have the one that is struggling.



The water and nutes have been in since Sunday.

I've included some pics of the babies. one of them just looks horrible, then again so are my pictures taken from an iphone. bah

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