Need advice from DWC experts

Hi everyone! I'm diving into growing for the first time, and I've decided to kick things off with DWC (without top feeding) and autoflowering Six Shooter by Fast Buds. After the seed sprouted and a tiny taproot appeared, I transferred it into a rapid rooter and placed it into the DWC setup. It's been 8 days since germination, and I'm just starting to see the roots peeking through the net pot. I'm wondering if the size of the seedling matches its age. Does it look too small like stunted growth?

For lighting, I've got the Mars Hydro TS600, hanging about 20-22 inches above the seedling. My tent measures 2.3 by 2.3 by 5.2 feet. I've also set up a 6-inch exhaust fan with a smart controller, providing airflow up to 402 cubic feet per minute. The pH level is sitting around 6.1-6.3. In the last couple of photos, taken on the 9th day, there hasn't been much visible growth yet. I'm noticing plenty of roots poking through the rapid rooter, but they haven't made it down to the reservoir just yet. I'm following TA tripart schedule for feeding, but I've cut it down by about half. Additionally, I've added some voodoo juice into the mix two days ago.

The plant looks great!

pH isn't play quite yet but I would set my pH for 5.8. pH impacts nutrient uptake. At 6.1 your plants' roots aren't able to absorb all of the chemicals that it needs but 5.8 is considered optimal for cannabis.

Are you top feeding still? Top feeding will provide them with moisture but they know where to go because plants sense gravity. Watering will help them, as much as you want since you're in hydroton.

Water level should be about ½" from the net pot.

Re. light - why did you set your hang height to 20-22"?

Not much visible growth - yup, "visible" is the key word. There's a lot going on but it's hidden in the hyrdoton.

Your sensor is picking up the temp and RH of the net pot. Unless you want to know that info, move it to a position near the top of the seedling. Is that an AC Infinity sensor, BTW? I'm a big fan of their products (except their lights). I just now finished swapping in their 8 port controller.

What are you doing to keep your res temp in range and to stop root rot? I ask that because in the photo of the net pot, it looks like it might have some slime growing on it. It looks white and slimy which you do not want. You might

The hanging bottles? IV drip?

Delps8 said:

The plant looks great!

pH isn't play quite yet but I would set my pH for 5.8. pH impacts nutrient uptake. At 6.1 your plants' roots aren't able to absorb all of the chemicals that it needs but 5.8 is considered optimal for cannabis.

Are you top feeding still? Top feeding will provide them with moisture but they know where to go because plants sense gravity. Watering will help them, as much as you want since you're in hydroton.

Water level should be about ½" from the net pot.

Re. light - why did you set your hang height to 20-22"?

Not much visible growth - yup, "visible" is the key word. There's a lot going on but it's hidden in the hyrdoton.

Your sensor is picking up the temp and RH of the net pot. Unless you want to know that info, move it to a position near the top of the seedling. Is that an AC Infinity sensor, BTW? I'm a big fan of their products (except their lights). I just now finished swapping in their 8 port controller.

What are you doing to keep your res temp in range and to stop root rot? I ask that because in the photo of the net pot, it looks like it might have some slime growing on it. It looks white and slimy which you do not want. You might

The hanging bottles? IV drip?

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the response. I'll take note of the optimal pH information and aim to keep it around 5.8.

>>Are you top feeding still?

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I occasionally spray pH-balanced water on the rapid rooter and around it. Would it make sense to add tripart nutrients to this water?

>>Your sensor is picking up the temperature and humidity of the net pot. Unless you want to know that info, move it to a position near the top of the seedling.

Click to expand...

Yes, thanks, I'll move the sensor closer to the top of the plant. No, it's not an AC unit. It's a brand called Snake Ray (no idea what that is). It was sold as a kit along with a carbon filter, and I decided to buy it. Anyway, it looks quite solid to me.

>>Re. light - why did you set your hang height to 20-22"?

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I thought that was close to the optimal distance for seedlings, according to the manufacturer's information. How high should I set the light in your opinion?

>>What are you doing to keep your reservoir temperature in range and to prevent root rot? I ask because in the photo of the net pot, it looks like it might have some slime growing on it. It looks white and slimy, which you do not want.

Click to expand...

Personally, I don't see any signs of root rot. It's probably just an unfortunate angle in the photo. Oh, and I recently added baking soda to the reservoir to raise the pH lol. Now I see sediment from it on the walls of the reservoir. Maybe that's why the roots look like that.
The reservoir temperature is around 22-23°C. I'm not sure what I can do to manage it. Can you advise me on something?
By the way, can I change the water in the reservoir already to get rid of this buildup?

I was thinking of getting Hydroguard, but where I live, it's impossible to find. So I bought voodoo juice, as I heard it can help prevent root rot.

>>The hanging bottles? IV drip?
These are two air pumps with a capacity of 1.8 liters per minute. I didn't have much of a choice lol.

I hope it's visible in the third photo that the roots look healthy (or not).