140 gallon RDWC

[Bennyweed1]

PPM is not all the same. Think of it like this. If we both use 6 mL Micro and 9 mL Bloom, your meter might say 980 PPM while my meter says 700 PPM. Not all PPM is the same. How much more clear can I be. Set your meter to EC cause EC is understood as all the same for everyone.

Snype I understand that, it was what you said previously about the 500 and 700 and which is considered TDS or PPM. My meter gives me no reference to anything like that. When I go into PPM mode I can select (KCI, 442, NaCI)

My meter has 2 setting for EC. Micro and milli siemens. I prefer milli siemen because it seems everyone likes talking with the decimal in place.. 0.6 or 1.0....yada yada.

This is what throws me. When I go into TDS mode to read parts per million (NaCi) I read a 1200 ppm. When I go back into mS/EC mode I get 2.39

2.39 seems astronomically high mean while 1200 ppm isnt.

So in EC mode I am reading 2.39, is this my problem? I increased nutrients yesterday to see if it would help with this damn pH problem I am battling. I was reading in PPM NaCI and was at 1200ppm last night. It is still reads 1200ppm today but the pH spiked again.

I pH down to 5.2 last night around 6pm and today at 1:30pm I was back at 6.8pH

The plants still look healthy and are growing though. I do know what else to really do. I have flushed my reserv twice now in the last week and now I am out of pH down, more is coming tomorrow.

Is it the pH down powder? Should I use liquid instead? I am at the point where I am starting to consider unrealistic possibilities of what the problem could be. Is it my rockwool, should I have hydroton.....all I know is I have to get this to work. I spent to much money on all the stuff I needed.

 

[Snype]

Snype I understand that, it was what you said previously about the 500 and 700 and which is considered TDS or PPM. My meter gives me no reference to anything like that. When I go into PPM mode I can select (KCI, 442, NaCI)

My meter has 2 setting for EC. Micro and milli siemens. I prefer milli siemen because it seems everyone likes talking with the decimal in place.. 0.6 or 1.0....yada yada.

This is what throws me. When I go into TDS mode to read parts per million (NaCi) I read a 1200 ppm. When I go back into mS/EC mode I get 2.39

2.39 seems astronomically high mean while 1200 ppm isnt.

So in EC mode I am reading 2.39, is this my problem? I increased nutrients yesterday to see if it would help with this damn pH problem I am battling. I was reading in PPM NaCI and was at 1200ppm last night. It is still reads 1200ppm today but the pH spiked again.

I pH down to 5.2 last night around 6pm and today at 1:30pm I was back at 6.8pH

The plants still look healthy and are growing though. I do know what else to really do. I have flushed my reserv twice now in the last week and now I am out of pH down, more is coming tomorrow.

Is it the pH down powder? Should I use liquid instead? I am at the point where I am starting to consider unrealistic possibilities of what the problem could be. Is it my rockwool, should I have hydroton.....all I know is I have to get this to work. I spent to much money on all the stuff I needed.

Your meter is reading TDS which is 500 conversion just like mine. 2.39 EC x 500 = 1,195 TDS. So there you go. I can't see you needing anymore nutes at those levels.

Now that you told me that you are in rockwool makes more sense. Rockwool pH is high. You probably have your rockwool sitting in the solution which it should not be.

 

[Bennyweed1]

I bought some different pH down and added SM90 to reserv today. So far the pH as only risen .2 over about 8 hours. Gonna see tomorrow what the numbers are. Hopefully this does the trick.

 

[Bennyweed1]

Well I dont know what it was exactly causing my pH problem because I switched so many things all at once. What ever it was seems to be gone, my pH is finally holding still. It has held steady at 6.0 today and the plants are looking awesome. I flipped the switch today so I could move the rest of my soil plants back into one bloom room. The soil will be cycled out over the next six weeks.

white widow x big bud

purple kush

groupy

And here is the next batch to fill the remaining 5 RDWC sites I still have to build.

They will veg for 5 weeks. They are in a mini RDWC setup.

 

[Bennyweed1]

So I think I may have/had a brown algae problem because my containers are not 100% light proof. I think the SM90 is only holding it back but not stopping it.

I am trying to figure out a way to light proof my containers. Its difficult because the outer edge is not smooth, it has a large hump. Taping panda film on will be hard because of this hump. I am thinking spray painting with a rubberized black bed liner made for trucks. Only problem is I dont know if that stuff is light proof.

Any suggestions?

 

[SPG*]

Can't beat Bubbles.By R you mean Recirclulating or Return BW?
Not read theAbove but I see no Airstones!? Cheap and Excellent I say...

Currently using the 4 Outlet Pump from my knackered Aquarium on two Vegging plants
2 Airstones in each

 

[SPG*]

Yea Woa (pictures changed) Cool set up

 

[Skunkpassion]

Nice room dude.. Keen to see your yields..

 

[Bennyweed1]

Just a correction. I did add air stones. I plan on having about 3000gph of air when I get the other sites put into place.

The only thing I did different form most people was I recirculate the water into the top plant site and draw it under current back into the reserv. Does that make sense?

The size of pump needed to create enough pressure for each plant site is to damn large (2.8a@120vac @ 245w). It did a number to my temperature. I went down to a 951gph inline mag drive pump and have a nice 68f temp. Once winter settles in it will probably drop down to the low low 60s or high 50s

I also addad a tatra fish tank bio filter to the reserv. after reading some interesting findings.

 

[Bennyweed1]

I totally went pic crazy

Here is the tetra fishtank bio filter. My reserv is noticeably clearer after adding it. It also puts in insane amount of o2 back into the reserv.

holding steady. Been 24hrs with no adjustments

The girls seem to be growing quick

 

[Bennyweed1]

and here are the remaining soil jams

 

[Bennyweed1]

The new clones veggin out. They were topped 2 days ago. They started official veg on the 3rd of this month. The roots are now just starting so hang out the bottom and expose them self.

Can you have to much air? I have a 951gph pump for 15 gallons of water. I went so large because eventually I will veg 8 plants at a time.

Sensi Star

white widow x big bud

sensi star

purple kush

all plants in veg are on a 75/25 maxigrow/maxibloom diet @1.2ec/600ppm

Oh and hey SYNPE...i addad clorox bleach to this set. Did I read you correctly.....you advise only 1ml per 44 gallons?

 

[Snype]

The new clones veggin out. They were topped 2 days ago. They started official veg on the 3rd of this month. The roots are now just starting so hang out the bottom and expose them self.

Can you have to much air? I have a 951gph pump for 15 gallons of water. I went so large because eventually I will veg 8 plants at a time.

Sensi Star
View Image

white widow x big bud
View Image

sensi star
View Image

purple kush
View Image

all plants in veg are on a 75/25 maxigrow/maxibloom diet @1.2ec/600ppm

Oh and hey SYNPE...i addad clorox bleach to this set. Did I read you correctly.....you advise only 1ml per 44 gallons?

Looks like things are working out. clorox did just change their formula not long ago so I don't know which version you have but that will still work regardless because the low end will give you 0.5 ppm chlorine and the high end will give you 1 ppm chlorine. I would add back the bleach every 5-7 days because it goes away after a few days and I don't like to give them too much.

 

[Bennyweed1]

I am feeling real good about this now. My roots are that purely white, I have not had to mess with pH for the last 2 days and the plants are growing a 1/2" a day.

That tetra filter is so awesome. They should become a staple in everyone's regiment.

 

[Skunkpassion]

Love the fish tank filter, genius...

 

[Bennyweed1]

Love the fish tank filter, genius...

ohh it is not my idea. I found it by collectively searching for a solution to the problems I was having.

In did it is, a very genius idea. I mean it only makes sense that a hydroponic system would have some type of filtration method in place. Just about anything requiring water to operate has some sort of active filtration established.

People report that using lava rocks (rinsed) in place of the filters even works better. Something about housing beneficial bacteria although I dont know how much of that I can believe. None the less, people are reporting positive results are being had while using lava rocks....biobuckets they call them. I want to try something simpler....

I want to setup a simple catch tray filled with lava rocks right underneath the two water falls so the water cascades down and over the lava rocks. It will for sure add another level of filtration and create a even wider area of surface contact and perhaps more dissolved o2 if that is even possible at this stage.

 

[Bennyweed1]

one more thing I have to toss out there. I am already thinking about the summer months and the fact that a chiller will be mandatory.

What do most folks do to insulate their plant sites and reserv?

I am starting to question whether I should continue to use these plants sites when I build the next 5 or can the containers altogether and get something better and well insulated?

I wouldnt mind getting some nice size coolers but I dont understand how one installs a leak free bulkhead for the RDWC? Some type of union bulkhead would be needed.

 

[Snype]

I don't use chillers, even in the summer. I just put air conditioning in the room instead. I set the day temps to 75 degrees and the night temps to 65. Of course I use chlorine as well.

 

[Bennyweed1]

I am a true believer in these filters...so much that I added lava rocks to the equation. My reserv was never this clear before, the water is a champagne color and smells fresh. Like walking through a lush ass forest fresh.

Anyway.....the plants are looking awesome. This being my first time growing hydro, I dont really know when they will stop stretching. I dont think these first three plants are going to get very big but I could be wrong....because......all three plants basically grew all new roots right when I decided to flip'em. The Pythium problem before left the roots brown and stunted but now all three plants have regrown a full set of healthy purely white roots! I wish I could have vegged for a week longer but I had to stay on schedule.

This size of this plant currently is the size I want'em to be when I decide to flip'em....... but this plant has already been in flower for 6 days....

and the same plant back on 10/30

 

[Bennyweed1]

figured Id leave with some nug shots that are coming down very soon

Jack Flash

what a magnificent plant......