Need help with making DWC container

This is what I have, The 12L container which I am going to paint black, 40Gal air pump with 2 hoses, does it matter how many net pots I set it up with and how far apart they are? I am going to use auto flowering small plants. If there are too many will the plants be to close together and not grow properly. Also is the 12 litre to small or will it work, I got a small one so I can use less nutrients. I've never done hydroponics before just soil growing.

You definitely should be able to get at least 2, maybe even 3 decent plants in there... I actually used a container slightly bigger, i think it's 27qt... I put in two seedlings with a 4w airpump and two air stones with about 4.5gal in the tank to start and things have gone extremely well.. I placed them about 5 inches apart, but I'm sure I could have done em closer... The first pic is when i first put the seedlings into their new home (Dec 21st) and the following two are each plant, left then right on the Jan 3rd. I didn't do ANY nutes until after the first week of my seedlings being transplanted into this setup. After that I only used 5ml of Sensi Grow A/B on my first feed, I have since upped the amount of feed by 1ml (for each plant) per feed which I do about every week and half. I also bought a second container of the exact same type so in case I have any nute problems early on I can easily switch to a clean res with new water. I'll take more, newer pics soon so you can see their recent improvement... I've topped the one on the right which was the day I took these pics.

Edit: I wanted to add that I just started this grow out of nothing. I spent maybe $70 on it total since my bro was able to lend me his t5 and I just had to buy a couple bulbs... Hopefully you will be able to have similar if not better results. Good luck!


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Alright thanks for you reply and help, I think I am going to do 4 plants and see how it goes, 6 would probably be too many, if it doesn't work out ill go down to two. I am going to use a florescent t12 60w dual fixture 6500k light for the first week or two, and then put it under a 400w mh lowered to 50% so it's 200w. I am using advanced nutrients 3 part micro grow bloom. It wont be for a while as I am still doing a grow in soil. Also i'd love to see updated pics on how your plants are doing.

cut the holes for the inside diameter of your net pots not the outside.... but it doesnt seem like your res is that deep anyway

i don't know if four would even work man, past early veg stage you may get room problems... If you are adamant on doing 4 plants, i'd suggest a bigger, mainly taller tank... again good luck. And your first grow, any growth is progress!

I just built 2 individual SOG containers, both with 50gal capacity. I cut 15 holes in the lid. I will be running one system with 8 plants the first time, and the other with 15 to see the difference, if any. Either way, I'm giving each of my plants at least 3 gallons of space, and still plan on going 12/12 from rooted clone. I can't honestly recommend you put more than 2 plants in that reservoir. You're already going to be fighting to keep that tub's water level correct, as well as temps and nute concentration, as such a small amount of solution can change fast.

Erik30 said:

This is what I have, The 12L container which I am going to paint black, 40Gal air pump with 2 hoses, does it matter how many net pots I set it up with and how far apart they are? I am going to use auto flowering small plants. If there are too many will the plants be to close together and not grow properly. Also is the 12 litre to small or will it work, I got a small one so I can use less nutrients. I've never done hydroponics before just soil growing.

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Don't paint it black, black absorbs heat, you do not want a hot reservoir.
Yes, too many plants will be counter productive.
Yes it will work, but a res that small will require constant attention with 1 plant, let alone many.
You will not use less nutrients, you will use the same, instead of say a 24L tub lasting a week and using say 20ml of nutrients, your 12l tub will use 10ml of nutrients but have to be filled twice a week, meaning you are using 20ml of nutrients.

I sometimes do a single plant in a 10L res and that needs a careful eye kept on it, i would never contemplate multiple plants unless i was growing them with the aim of keeping them 6 inches tall.

Alright thanks, what size container should I get to accommodate 4-6 plants, and I heard if the container is clear it can promote algae growth, so I shouldn't paint it black?

I wrapped mine in mylar and used foil tape to attach it. It reflects the heat and light out instead of absorbing it, and more reflected light = more photosynthesis. High res temps are bad so you don't want to absorb heat either. Those mh's get hot as fuck, so you might already have a problem with such a small rez

I wrap mine in aluminium tape to keep the water cool.

My reseroir are 20L plus and i wouldn't grow more than 2 plant in them. Your plant cou/nt in DWC should be as much to do with the capacity of the reservoir as it is the footprint.

also, why are you set on having multiple plants? DWC's biggest advantage is explosive vegetative growth, so you could have a single plant under 200w and only veg for maybe 2 weeks to fill that container. I wouldn't recommend multiple strains if that's what you're thinking. Strains can have very different needs and you won't be able ot meet them all at once.

tip top toker said:

Your plant cou/nt in DWC should be as much to do with the capacity of the reservoir as it is the footprint.

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How does the footprint affect it? I figured it would just be total capacity.

footprint means space for the plant to actually grow. Bigger the footprint, more space available, less chance of overcrowding, less chance of causing mould issues etc. You can compensate by growing the plants as single colas, but then the quesiton arises of why not just grow one bigger plant instead (like you state above). Having too many plants can reduce your potential yield and cause issue where there need not be any.

Hahah I feel retarded, I was thinking footprint for the root system not the plants. Good point

Definitely agreeing with the "Less is More" advice here. The roots will be happier as well from the lack of crowding.

If you have the space, I'd personally do separate reservoirs for each one. Perhaps 3 or 5 gallon buckets with lids on top. These containers are usually around 14" in width and get taller as the gallon capacity raises. If the plants get sick or you accidentally overfeed them, then the problem will be isolated this way. Also if you have male plants you can easily take them out of the mix. The negative side to this? They're circular in shape so there is some wasted space once you push them all together...and you have to fill up the reservoir / pH each bucket instead of just one reservoir, which takes more time. Plus you'd need more air pumps and hoses.

Going your route though that you initially chose with the all-in-one reservoir, I'd recommend taking a look at some non-clear Rubbermaid containers.

I haven't started the hydroponics yet, so I am still open to all the different ways on how to grow. The idea of separate buckets sounds like the best idea. My grow tent is 4x2x5 and I have a 400w mh and hps light. Since I have 2 hoses, I guess two buckets would work.

Igloo coolers , team water jugs. good luck and happy growing.

I want to grow big plants, but it would be too much and I would rather just do a few autoflowers that are feminine, all the same strain SnowRyder and get 15-30g per plant, so I could have some every few months and have less to deal with for trimming, size and smell. I want to grow 2-3 plants at least. Do you think a Rubbermaid 37.9L would hold 3-4 small plants or 2 containers with 2 plants in each work. Later on I will probably do buckets for each plant and have explosive grow in DWC, but for now just a few autoflowers would be great.

rubbermaid totes aren't really meant for water and the big ones tend to bulge a bit if you fill them . I do recommend one 54 quart igloo marine cooler. cut 6-8 holes in it. I use 3 inch netpots and you can grow them pretty big or leave them small, you also can just cap off extra holes with a netpot and neoprene insert. The cooler will cost a little more than a tote (approx 50 dollars) but its well worth it. Although if you aren't equipped with and know how to use a drill and hole saw its not for you.

Throw 1 plant in a normal 5 gallon dwc bucket tbh, if space is an issue use the 3gallon containers which are the same footprint but about a foot shorter. 5 plants in that wont last....