Regular grower trying micro for fun.

[Chem&M]

I would probably wait for the case to turn up before sinking your teeth right in, bro. Study how they've attempted to run things, and see how you can improve, and see if your containers actually fit. Have you perused Boleman's guide to making an acrylic res?

Yeah, I know I need to wait. I just wanted to have all the stuff here. Actually, I ordered an 8" air stone and the supplies for the filters too.

I looked at the acrylic rez, but it's not really the route I want to go this time due to time constraints, my other grow, my job ( I own it, so it consumes a lot of time), but it looks like a great idea. I may utilize that in the future depending on how this goes.

Should be up and running within a week I estimate.

 

[Chem&M]

Here are some more pics of the moms who were recently flipped. This is the same 2 plants.

 

[Chem&M]

I was passing a pet store today and I found all this stuff inside so I'm ready for whatever comes! I'm getting more into this than I thought.

Given my previous items, I think these will work much better in my space limitations. Although I know it's a PC, I don't know the exact size.



This thing is only 3 inches wide and hold 1.25 gallons.



Long air stone and water heater. The heater was a just in case, or will be saved for a larger micro down the road.




And now, the cream of the crop. I went looking for charcoal to make a filter and found that someone had made one for me!




That bag of carbon should be easy to put over a fan. You can't see it, but air can easily pass through it.


SO I think I'm pretty ready to go once this thing gets here. Need it to be sooner this week rather than later. Some of those clones will barely make it. The ones I want at least.



I should also say that I love the plants I'm growing right now so much that I think whatever doesn't go to the PC case grow, will be made into a mini bubbleponic hydro chamber. It can be larger, it's just that I have too many clones and a sprouted Fem Double X right now too. I want to grow at least one of each, but not enough room in the case. I only have until halfway through april, but the Double X is a 60 day flower. I just don't have a ton of veg time for it.

 

[b00m]

Hey bro, i don't know if that bag will have thick enough carbon to filter any smell, not sure about it though, can some one else chime in here and prove me wrong, otherwise you have got the ball rolling, good stuff.

Peace

 

[Chem&M]

Hey bro, i don't know if that bag will have thick enough carbon to filter any smell, not sure about it though, can some one else chime in here and prove me wrong, otherwise you have got the ball rolling, good stuff.

Peace

The bag is a 1/2 inch thick, so I thought it would work. There are 3 of them in there, so it should help, but if not, I have some net cups in case.

 

[Chem&M]

Well, today is the day it gets here, which is good since the clones need to be moved asap.

One question, or two:

When filling up the rez initially, what should I put in the solution? I have FF, GH, and GO lines as well as hygrozyme. What type of solution do freshly rooted clones like in DWC?


I'm sure I'll have more as the day goes on, but those clones need to move now if I'm gonna use 'em.

 

[Aerohead]

Use the GH 3 part nutes you have with a seedling mix from the bottle label. This would be a safe starting spot, then increase the strength as your clones begin growing more roots. I would also forget about the water pump you pictured earlier, it will just heat up the res water. Just go with the air pumps, both of them.

 

[Chem&M]

Use the GH 3 part nutes you have with a seedling mix from the bottle label. This would be a safe starting spot, then increase the strength as your clones begin growing more roots. I would also forget about the water pump you pictured earlier, it will just heat up the res water. Just go with the air pumps, both of them.

Thanks! I got the water heater too, but odds are I'll need a cooler.

 

[Chem&M]

Well, it's here and it's very small. I can't fit ANY container in it. With the thing in there now, it only allows 7" of vertical growth. Here is a pic.

See how the lights droop? I'm going to fix that, and try for a plexiglass shield. I'm also going to go back to the store and get a decent sized rez. That shit is just a pint really. Check out how much room is here.

Any suggestions before I go to the store? I may try to find some way to add onto this thing.

 

[Helis]

Get some acrylic and acrylic glue. A good scoring knife and a few hours... Aero's suggestion of a custom waterspace is the only thing that is going to serve well.
That said this looks like it will come together for you... I am more and more tempted every day to build up a PC growcase. Soon, soon.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Heheh, shiiit, I'm going into business! Hopefully when you fix the lights you can move the whole lot up. Mine are almost touching the roof.

 

[Chem&M]

Today's the day! And at this point, I'm fucking exhausted. The case obviously wasn't going to work, so after work I went to Lowe's. Again. I started at 5 pm and I stopped at midnight, but I think I'm done.

I'll detail it tomorrow through pics, but for now, here is how it ended up. It's running now with my two ready clones and seedling strength GH 3 part.

I installed the light guard and new fan that pulls the heat away from the lights. I also used the double air pump and 2 air stones. 1 wasn't cutting it. Filters are on, need to finish screen mods and light proofing.

I'm leaving it running tonight with the clones in and the lights are on a timer, but the pump always runs. The water is just under the net pots. Also, I've oly got one light in there right now. They were under a T5 Strip and I thought that might have been a little harsh. I'll ease them into it. Maybe a week on veg.


Whichever of these two clones is best I will keep and then replace it with the female seedling that will start on 12/12. Bushmaster too. Not sure what to do with the other clones, but I could throw them in a set-up using what that guy sent. I'm a bit happier with my own work I think.

I feel like the fan pulling over the plants is too strong for the seedlings. It's pretty direct. Can I make it slow down? I do have a tiny computer fan, but it may be too small.

Check out them bubbles! That seems like a good amount. It's not the quietest.

I'll go through the process tomorrow, but I'm cashed tonight. Haven't had that much fun in a while. Green dreams!

 

[Helis]

I love those long nights of DIY!
Result looks awesome, if you want to step the PC fan down, run it on a lower voltage. "Wall wort" transformers are good for this.
Now I've got the itch for a PC... I have the space, the gear, and cuts I can take.
Uh oh!

Helis

 

[Chem&M]

Well, I left it running all night with the one light and temps stayed between 70-78 the whole time. Unfortunately, the humidity is a staggering 18%!

I think that if I replace the large 4" fan intake with the 2" fan, that may help. I'm going to wait and see how hot it gets.

I think I can get maybe an inch more height outta this thing. Plants looking good this morning, if a little wet, but I'm not use to rockwool.


First Hydro Question: Why would my rez jump from 5.5 to 7.0 overnight?

 

[Chem&M]

Alright guys. Here is the process I went through to get this PC case. I'm going to try to lay it out and only highlight the important stuff, as well as the problems. Hopefully, I can make it all the way to the end.

I have a bunch a questions and will highlight problems at the end.



This is what we started with from eBay. Had I known anything about electricity, I would have done all of it myself. Good waste of money that was.

Notice how small the space is for 4 plants. There is a ridiculous amount of space left over to use too.


This was the largest container I could make to fit inside the case. I tried with acrylic and a plastic knife, put that wasn't going to happen. This thing is tinier than you'd imagine at only 15" long.

I made 2 holes for air lines and have a 4" air stone and a small air stone. I ditched the pump the box came with a bought a decent one, which is honestly too powerful. Not for the plant, but for the noise. It's loud. I may just get a longer air stone and return to the smaller pump.

The rez is only 1/2 gallon and I wanted to add a screen attached to the top, so I needed a way to drain the thing. I got this valve thing in the plumbing section and threaded it through. It was locked on the out side with Gorilla Glue, but none got near the inside.

Next, I figured that the more reflective, the better, and covered the rez with tape. It's thick, so I doubt it will get too hot, but I can monitor it.


Also, I thought the addition, option of a way to LST might come in handy, so I put these tiny screws in the top so you would have an anchor to tie the branch off to. They do not go through the side at all.

Now I had to worry about air. With 3 26 watt CFL's, it's going to get hot. Honestly, I think it could be done with 2, or even 1 - 150 watt equivalent.

There was an intake and exhaust (no filters, I might add) But I wanted to separate the light chamber from the growing, much like my regular grow room. I added 2 fans to the top and separated the chambers by using a custom cut piece of plexi-glass.

We started here....

... and ended here.

I used panty hose stretched out and filled with activated carbon, and placed them over the exhaust areas.

I will finish in the next post......

 

[Chem&M]

Next I made the screen from a clipped locker-insert stand. It is held together by zip-ties and attached to the top of the rez. If it's SCROG'ed, you're going to want the whole thing to come out in one piece.

To monitor temp, I have a line inside at plant level connected to a gauge on the back. Notice it in there right near the pump and screen.

I didn't even know why I bought the hooks I used to hold the gauge, but upon using them, I officially used everything I bought without having anything left unused.

And that's that.



Inside.......

Outside..........

The two problems I'm having are keeping cool temps and keeping the rez PH'd. I put the solution in at 5.7 and when I check it hours later it's up at 6.5. I soaked to air stones, but maybe not long enough?


Also, it gets to be about 83 degrees in there, so I'm going to add more power to the fans. All 3 are connected to the same thing and I think I'm hurting more than helping with that many on the same thing.


I'm really not positive what I spent, but I tried to be as thrifty as possible. However, the fun I had making it was priceless. Seriously, why don't I do this more often?


Now we start to see if we can actually get to the end of a grow, ideally in 100 days from tomorrow. It does't really need to be stealth, but I'm moving and I'd like to be done for it.



Help, comments and suggestions would really be appreciated.


Be well.

 

[ScrubNinja]

The smaller your res is, the quicker it will swing ph. The effort you put in making an acrylic res would pay off in the long term, I suspect, as you could easily double that size. But the pipe design is pretty cool nevertheless.

Running lots of air line can help silence it, I use like 3 metres. For the fans, check here. It's pretty easy to make sure they're all safe and ship shape, just check the amps. Peace.

 

[microgram]

Im quite impressed, I hate those pre-bagged filters. I had such a pain in the ass with mine. I ended up giving up with it and just building my own out of bulk activated charcoal. What fabric did you use to build your scrubber? And for the first little bit, put up a paper (with double sided tape) on the wall that you'll face the rear too. You'll get a bunch of micro particles getting spit out of the fabric. Just like bubble bags, you always lose some crystal.

For one of the intake fans, You'll want to put it on a 9vdc (but i recommend a 6vdc *and hope it works*, if not just disconnecting it), You'll get odor leaks otherwise. You have the 'same' cfm fans, but you're restricting flow because of the scrubber.

Cheers, I've pulled up a chair on this one!

 

[Chem&M]

Im quite impressed, I hate those pre-bagged filters. I had such a pain in the ass with mine. I ended up giving up with it and just building my own out of bulk activated charcoal. What fabric did you use to build your scrubber? And for the first little bit, but up a paper (with double sided tape) on the wall that you'll face the rear too. You'll get a bunch of micro particles getting spit out of the fabric. Just like bubble bags, you always lose some crystal.

For one of the intake fans, You'll want to put it on a 9vdc (but i recommend a 6vdc *and hope it works*, if not just disconnecting it), You'll get odor leaks otherwise. You have the 'same' cfm fans, but you're restricting flow because of the scrubber.

Cheers, I've pulled up a chair on this one!

Thanks for the fan advice. Seems like I still have a bit of work cut out for me.


Honestly, hydro in such a small space is killing me here. I have to change the rez about 3 times plus a day. Even another 1/2 gallon added would still be a pain in the ass. I think I may go my usual coco/hydrton, or just micro-hempy it. I have to much to worry about with my other grow to change this rez that many times a day.


It never ends.....


I have my 2 Afghani clones still in there and 2 more sitting around, but from the original batch, most hermmied and I didn't label them. I also have a White Widow Fem seedling since the Double X didn't pop. Whatever doesn't get put in this case is going into the WaterFarm under the HID. I think that'll be W.W.

 

[rollinmachine]

if ur ph is a problem try maxibloom i use it in est.1/2 gallon dwc plastic candy containers and plastic coffee containers and only top off the nutes wen they get low never changing the res. never had a problem with ph in them with maxi. i also heard pvc can attribute to ph problems i may be wrong though as it looks like ur tube is 4in pvc pipe. my candy containers are 4'1/2" inches square and 7 inches tall. think mine came from GFS with gummy pumpkins in em. might cut down on height but if u scrog i dont see too much of a probem unless they decide to go crazy with strech. but then again im pretty new to this micro thing myself so just my 2¢. good luck with ur micro im sure you'll figure it out.