Howdy ya'll,

I haven't used a hydroponics system before. I'm considering aero or bubbleponics. I'm well aware that I need to work on my water source which has way too much lime and I believe calcium as well. I understand I can buy a water softener at Home Depot or Lowes or similar places. I was just wondering if anybody had any specific recommendations for a faucet unit or alternative softening unit. Buying water on a regular schedule is basically out of the question.

Thanks

(Working on making the jump...)

set up a rain bucket.

You should move...

I dont know what to do to combat hard water itself... filtering it doesn't really change it

Get hardwater nutrients.

i have very hard water myself and switched to dwc from soil and i have been having no probs what so ever. i have done a ton of reading and was worried as well but seems to me i worried for no reason i am using gh nova series nutes on this grow and on the previous one i used bumper crop ab nutes.my water reads out on my ppm meter at 390 and my ph is 8 but i keep that down with bumper down. the system is resurculating dwc and i cannot beleive my eyes as to how much faster the growth is with hydro compared to dirt...i am just amazed..but as far as the hard water i am doing well off 4 plants in a 4'x2' area every month i get roughly 9oz's and the little woman likes that..she's a cronick..lmao
this is my 3rd session and i think i am doing ok as long as the temps and ph is kept good i use the half is more theory and it works for me.gh offers hard water nutes as well. just my 2 cents hope it helps

You can try without doing anything special - it is a weed afterall

But like nongreenthumb says - they do make hardwater-specific nutes. General Hydroponics uses a 3-stage nute solution 1) Flora Micro, 2) Flora Grow and 3) Flora Bloom. Like any other 3-stage nutes, you use all three through the whole grow in different proportions (according to what stage you're in). Anyway, Flora Micro is also available as Flora Hardwater Micro - recommended for water with greater than 200 PPM (total) or greater than 70 PPM calcium.

Half is more theory? You are getting a half pound a month, that's more than enough for me ;p
Your 2 cents is some what helpful. I 'm curious if your dwc will start clogging down the road. Thanks for sharing.

I am using hard water. I fill a 20 litre pail with it. Add my nutes (DNF bloom A&B now and a bloom fortifier), test ph. Lower ph, test again. And so on. Get the ph down and you are good to go. I cover the pail and just use a 2 litre jug to fill my grow tub. I check the level everyday and fill if need be. Once pail gets low, do it all over again.

__________________
Chiceh
Peace, Love & Weed

never had that prob but i went with 1 inch drains and all the plumbing is pvc. was always worried about leaks and over flowing who needs that right. maybe i went overboard but no leaks no clogging no probs i even have auto top off rigged up on it . everything works a okay this is the third time around with this and i was a dirt lover before for years and i am having alot of fun with the dwc. did alot of reading before deciding to go with this setup and i like it..any questions i will try to answer as best i can

the half is more theory worked for me and never had a burnt plant yet. then i just move ppm up from there was a base line because i have never done hydro before and wanted no problems thats how i started with soil and worked my way up till i new my limits. i think in the whole time of growing ganga i have nute burnt two plants during one grow 6 years ago. i think i have been very lucky. started with white widow changed to sour deisel and then went to love position #2 and after that i went to blueberry kong mix not sure where that came from but it was a hermi strain i am sure every feno type went that way and in the mist of it all i polenated a awsome white widow with a sour deisel male and i think i found what the wife likes..kinda funny how it took this long i love growing it it is a stress releiver for me but i do not smoke it on acount of my job.....i am really liking the hydro and think i will be staying with this format it works very well..and a big thaks goes out to all of the diff forums for all the great reading material because this is were i learned it all