ebb/flow fittings not draining all the way

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

I have a botanicare 3x3 low tide tray with ecoplus fittings for the outlets. the fitting sticks up and doesn't sit flush with the tray leaving the channels filled with water. I tried raising one side a little bit so it naturally flows out but it still leaves standing water. I've tried looking it up as this is a concern and some people say it's not okay and some people say that it is fine. Has anyone experienced this before? Thank you!

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

could I convert it into continuous feed doing something like RDWC or top feed drip to make it less stagnant?

 

[70wDreams]

In my ebb and flow table, there's a bit of water that stays in the table between floods. Initially, it was kind of "sliming up", but since I increased the flooding frequency, added H2O2 regularly, and the roots have formed a mesh, everything is ok. That shallow pool feeds the roots between floods. H2O2 is keeping the bacteria in check.

 

[ThcGrower4life]

why dont you build a syphon bell for your ebb and flood table they work excellent

 

[meltybubble]

Is tilting the table at a slight angle an option for better flow?
With the correct angle no water should be able to stay.
Pooling can stunt growth and allow plants to fall behind.

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

I was told I should set up my ebb and flow to run as an undercurrent. So I took the drain tube and cut it short so it waterfalls into the rez creating oxygenation on a 24/7 "flood" that is more like NFT where only a 1/4" of water covers the tray creating a good amount of water movement. Then I covered the 3x3 tray with panda film so no light hits it. There is also a 170gph air pump in the reservoir with the pump housed in a giant drink cooler with a gallon ice jug to blow cold air into the rez keeping it 68-70F. with continuous water flow I am hoping that it won't be so stagnant.

hydro101: the fitting and rubber seal are a little less than a 1/4" high so the water that pools catches in a small catch basin where the channels flow into. the rest of the table is dry. even with tipping, theres a small amount left.

THCGrowerfor life: I was reading about that and am going to try to make one to increase the flow rate out since the table takes about two minutes to drain

70wdreams: sounds like my first grow. I looked over your journal and I have a few tips for you from what I've learned about root slime/rot issues, standing water, purple stems and leaves (yes I saw that and ph flucutations. purple stems is a phosphorus def probably caused by nute lock out from your ph being low. I know you hear anything from 5.5 to 6.8 but if you bring up our ph to 6.0 then calcium and magnesium will be more available so you won't get the orange marks on your leaves and you shouldn't need to be adding so much extra cal/mag with your water ppm being 175. you have hard water which is what is causing your ph fluctions to rise so quickly. another reason your ph is rising quickly is that you said you got slimy stuff in your water and you're using h202. go buy some Dutch Masters Zone to sterilize. it's some serious shit, adds copper for your plants and will kill any root issues while not evaporating from your rez every couple days like the h202 does. then you need to block any light getting to your water. I fill by tray with hydroton so the water sees less light and I use less water to flood the tray leaving more water in the rez so it doesn't heat up as quickly. water temp of 68-70F is the best way to not get the slime and avoid any light getting to your water.

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

70wdreams: I forgot to post the link to a LONG read which really put all the info into place to help me understand how my rez works in regards to ph fluctuations and why the do it, how to use the info, yada yada...

word of warning: it is written by big mike from AN but the marketing of his products is minimal and it's more focused on the scientific info of cations and anions which is what causes fluctuations depending on what nutrients are being uptake. it is the only piece of info that has all the information together in one source so it really helped to explain what was going on when I went to mix up my nutes. what I do is set my ph at at 5.7 or 5.8 (can't be too picky lol) and let it float up to 6.2, 6.3 before I drop it back down. it likes to sit at 6.0 6.1 for a bit before going up again generally. http://www.growersunderground.com/pH_Manifesto.pdf

 

[ThcGrower4life]

hey doubleddsnugs i have an inlet & outlet on my table i put a plastic cup over the outlet and after a few floods too adjust my table emptys really fast job done

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

hey doubleddsnugs i have an inlet & outlet on my table i put a plastic cup over the outlet and after a few floods too adjust my table emptys really fast job done

wow! I never thought of just using a cup. haha!

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

I put expanded shale to fill the bed. since the channels have less room in them from the shale, the water level is higher and now with the incline, drains all the way. the shale houses the bennies and also provides silica without raising my ph! everything was running smoothly until I woke up this morning to a tent filled with water and an empty rez. whoops! the drain tube must of shoved itself out of the rez when the flood cycle started or something. not sure how it happened but everyones ok and the pump isn't broken from being dry.

 

[Cat Jockey]

What color is your tray? I think Botanicare are white. If it is black, I wouldn't worry too much. White trays seem a little more prone to algae growth (I think it has to do with light reflection, in addition to it just showing up more because of a white background). I've run white trays just fine, though. There will usually be some residual solution in the tray channels. If you have a multiple times per day flood cycle, you really don't have too much to worry about.

If you have time to snap a pic of how much solution remains in the tray, it could help us compare yours to ours.