Aero cloner + water chiller

MustangStudFarm

Well-Known Member
What would the "perfect temp" be for the cloner? W/O the chiller, temps get above 85F. I had problems with the water being 68F also. They looked well, but nothing for 21 days.
 
I just build an aero cloner, and I am already starting to see tiny roots on some of the clones 3 days in.

I read that some people put aquarium heater in there, but I am having success without one. Running the pump put heat into the water also.

I run a 290gph pump misting 15min on 45mins off, so that is a total of 24 times a day.

What I did was just put RO water into the cloner, my water temps are around ~75F.
 
I heard of people using tap water with good results cause of the chloride. I just got some pool shock treatment. I am going to treat the water and let it spray overnight and PH tomorrow before I start.
You said 75F worked well for you? I think I had them too cold... I read that aero water temps should be around 68F, so that is what I set my chiller to and it was a mistake. I was hoping to get better results from the chiller compared to the cycle timer... Maybe during the summer it will play a bigger role lol...
 
With aero you do want temps around 68, but the cloner is different. The big worry about high temp is root rot but you have no roots to worry about. The cloners actually like a little warmer temp and will usually root faster around 73-75 but it is still a minor issue and I would never put a heater in mine.
 
Ya for cloning it'll root quicker with 75-85f water, but as soon as you have roots you better be running bennies or they'll go to shit.
 
Not really true. I run tap water only and never add bennies to the cloner and sometimes, depending on schedule, the roots on my clones will be 10-16" and stay in cloner for a few extra days with no problems.
 
I run R/O water from well water, so I have to add everything. I am using pool shock after I found this article. I think tap water from the city is treated with either chlorine or fluoride and it sterilizes the water and creates a "dead" rez.
The first couple of times I used an aero cloner, it worked great. Then, I could not get anything to root because of the brown slime. I was using R/O and rapid start without bennies or cleaner. That is why I cannot run my R\O at higher temps.
This time, I used the shock to clean with and used very little in the rez with rapid start... Shooting for 7-10 days!
https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/423650-make-2200-worth-clear-rez.html
 
Things look much cleaner inside my cloner! Thanks for talking with me. I think high temps with pool shock is the way to go... With a 2nd pump inside the cloner, it is easy to get higher temps.
 
So, yall know I love to bring up old shit...

Lol anyway I just found this while looking into adding a chiller to my aero cloner. But am I understanding correctly you guys are trying to raise the temps? My water has been running hot, and I've noticed a slight decrease in productivity.
 
So, yall know I love to bring up old shit...

Lol anyway I just found this while looking into adding a chiller to my aero cloner. But am I understanding correctly you guys are trying to raise the temps? My water has been running hot, and I've noticed a slight decrease in productivity.

I find that when my cloner reservoir temperature is higher than the ambient air temperature, the clones do better. I keep my cloner at about 78F, and the ambient air about 68F. I use a 50W fish tank heater on a cycle timer (3 mins on, 30 off or so) to keep the res temp up.

I use water straight out of the tap (~65 PPM, 7.1 pH and chlorinated) with nothing added at all. I also clip the larger leaves in half when I drop them in.
 
I find that when my cloner reservoir temperature is higher than the ambient air temperature, the clones do better. I keep my cloner at about 78F, and the ambient air about 68F. I use a 50W fish tank heater on a cycle timer (3 mins on, 30 off or so) to keep the res temp up.

I use water straight out of the tap (~65 PPM, 7.1 pH and chlorinated) with nothing added at all. I also clip the larger leaves in half when I drop them in.
Hmm, that's crazy, bc I always thought they liked the exact opposite better. Not saying I don't believe you, I'm just shocked really. But thank you for the info. I have a second cloner on the way now, I'm going to try and run one each of the ways. And run a side by side.

But I gotta confession, I know Jack shit about hydro....

If heat is the way to go, then that's awesome bc its alot easier to heat then it is to cool!

Heres my cloning recipe, well not mine, but it's what I use.
20200419_015806.jpg
 
My cloner stays 78-80F. Run my 450gph pump 15on/15off.
Dyna-gro KLN for rooting + DG pro-tekt (silica) at recommended rates and a dose of southern ag fungicide keeps it going strong and clean.
I leave cuts in it for months sometimes and I dont clean or change the water. Just top off if it starts getting close to the pump line.
Have yet to have an issue with this combo/setup.

20191220_191105.jpg
 
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