mini DWC bubbler setup question

[kuri]

i'm wanting to make a mini bubbler system for my plant to sit in until my nft system is cleared and ready to go in another 2-3 weeks.

i have all the items i need to make it, just wanted to hear others remarks.

for ONE plant, i have those new 34.5 ounce Foldger planstic containers with a nice black lid and i am using dark black tape to cover the red plastic to keep out light... i have my basket that i'm fitting into the lid nice and snug. i have a couple air rocks for good bubbles and have it sitting on a medical heating pad to keep temperature of the water stable in the mid to upper 60's. and plan to adjust the nutes to that amount of water with 1/3 strength since it is DWC technique.

i'm not trying to fully harvest with this but keep it going until i can transfer it over. i know some may thing 'why change from bubbler to nft when bubbler is way better?' well, that is just my personal choice. just wondering what everyone things about this mini bubbler setup. thanks

[lordsoth666]

That sounds like a very size/space efficient means of vegging the plants, be very sure that your light-proofing is complete. Algae in your bubbler can be catastrophic, and it does not take much light to make it. I would suggest that you use a layer of aluminum foil with tape on top of it.


Also you must check your PPM and PH EVERY DAY! You are useing ~0.25 gal of nutrient solution, this will get used up fast. The more nutrient solution you have the more stable your PPM and PH will be. I put 3 plants into 9 gal. of nutes, thats 3 gal. per plant, this must be checked every-other day, and adjusted twice weekly, it's a pain in the ass. Now I use 18 gal. of nutes per 3 plants, and I check it once a week, and adjust it probably every 1.5 weeks. I'm just saying that more water/nutes makes it more stable...


L0rdsOth :D

[kuri]

thanks for your advice. it still sounds like i can do but have to pay attention and i am able to do that.

[Nosehit]

That sounds like a very size/space efficient means of vegging the plants, be very sure that your light-proofing is complete. Algae in your bubbler can be catastrophic, and it does not take much light to make it. I would suggest that you use a layer of aluminum foil with tape on top of it.


L0rdsOth :D

At the risk of sounding like a complete idiot :o , what are the problems algae will cause? I had one of my DWC buckets become algae ridden but I saw no noticeable problems, of course that doesn't mean much I realize.

[kuri]

other than the mess, i've read many places that algae doesn't effect the grow at all, just looks nasty.

[lordsoth666]

Other than the mess, algae can coat the roots, starving them of oxygen. Algae also feeds off of the same nutes as the plants, creating competition for the nutes. Algae also seems to raise the PH of the nutrient solution (not fact per se, only in my experience).

If you read an article that said algae is NOT bad, they must have been talking about the algae that forms on top of the rockwool, because that is the only place I know of that it is considered acceptable.

L0rdsOth :D

[kuri]

lordsoth, you are correct there, that is what i was thinking about. algae on the top. i add hydrogen peroxide to the water so the roots stay free of algae that way.

[KanMan]

Watch the water/nutrient temps. Black soaks up the heat and light.

Good Kannabis Growing!