new to hydro having problems

i just started growing hydro in a 10 or 20 gal fish tank and it was going well until about a week ago. in the tank i have some fish tank lights my friend gave to me and they seem to be working i don't know what they are. a small computer fan in the top and a small air pump and a bubble stone. the leaves first started to turn a kind of yellow then started to turn brown and dry. i added more water and made the ph exactly 7 and it seemed to work itself out. now the leaves are yellow and kind of curling down and the edges look kind of dry. so i think the water is cold and so is the whole tank so i just added a small 2-15 gal heater and i am hoping that will work. is there something i am doing wrong?

Well fred your PH for hydro should be 5.6 to 6.2. The heater will help if clod but you have many questions to answer.

How are the plant put in there? and then go to the plant problems and fill out the problem form. You will get much more help. Seeing as how you already thought PH was to be 7.0 sounds like you need to learn alot. Fill out he form and keep reading.

where do i find the problem form?
my plant is growing in two thin Styrofoam squares with a small bucket for a fish tank plant filled with rocks.

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/743/69090.JPG its in the thing this plant is in but there are rocks in it

I'm guessing deep water culture? The light you have wont be sufficient at all for growing.

Go to the plant problem section and it is a sticky at the top of the page by stinkyattic. Answer as much as you can. If your floating them in those net pots with hydrotron rocks the netpots maybe hanging too far down in the water and drowning. Are the roots nice and white or bown and slimey ?

got any nutrients in the water?

I have been doing hydro for MANY yrs and even I spent bout a month reading hundreds of posts before trying a different process(DWC) so I would suggest same because you seem to need even the basics..no offense. Takes mad knowledge to get equal results.

yea i don't know much i just wanted to do this quick and see what happened



Problem Form

H=Answer if you grow hydro or aero - hydro
C=Answer if you grow coco - ?
S=Answer if you grow traditional soil - no
L=Answer if you grow soilless other than coco (Promix, Hyponex, SunshineMix) - yes
R=Answer if you grow in RockWool - no
T=Answer if you grow in HydroTon - no
D=Answer if you run any type of automatic drip system, including into soil or soilless - no
E= EVERYONE needs to answer lol!


E-indoor or outdoor - indoor
E-soil, soilless, coco, aero, or hydroponic - hydroponic
E-specific medium - fish tank rocks... i know its wrong
CSL-Soil type/brand - ?
HCL-Hydro/aero/soilless system type - ?
SCL-Anything you have added to the soil - none
SCLR-Soil or slab runoff pH - ?
E-Water source - in tank
E-Source water pH - 6
HRT-Source water EC (if hydro) - none?
E-Age of plant - 2weeks
E-Type of fertilizer - small amount of miracle grow
E-Rate of application (if hydro, this is your PPM number, preferably after each component is added) - ?
E-Lighting source and distance from plant - coral growth light about 8" away
E-Air temperature (both day and night if you are running a dark period) - i don't now
HD-Reservoir temperature - 65*F
E-Air % Relative humidity - not sure
E-Lighting schedule - 18hrs light 6hrs dark
E-Type of ventilation your room has - small computer fan
TR-Did you pre-soak your media in pH corrected solution? - no

Everything you listed a ?, don't know etc are very important elements of a grow so all that you're not sure of is the place to start on ur research. The fish rock are def no-no and not sure how ur using a soilless and rocks? Ur plant will take the same amount of time so getting it off "real quick" is not gonna happen, but if they struggle with problems then you can expect it to take longer. Make this section a daily main staple and you will find every answer you could imagine. Search button with a key word will bring you lots of subject specific reading.

Did he say miracle death ?

so basically how much money does it take to make this work? just average i see i am going to have to start over.

what i have
10 gal fish tank
coral grow light (seems to work but obviously i don't know if it works right)
small fish tank air pump for bubbles
small fan for ventilation (don't know if necessary)
2-15 gal heater


what do i need?
if you can supply a link for items i need please do so
thanks

any way this would work?
The Growing Edge - Windowsill Wonder

fred not only is all the info here. go to progressivegardens(dot)com. Go to Hygronimics(dot)com. Those site are just hydro not just dealing with what we do here. Progrssive explanes all the types of systems.

Yes the system you gave a link to will work but I would inverst in some hydro nutrients to go with it. This is the big rule. The bigger the light the bigger the buds. However with the big lights you must have control of everything. Heat , cold, nutes, fans, and A/C if needed. You can start with that fishtank light and add more fluro's for veg but you will need more light to bring the buds home.

There is no set price. Light, PH meter a TDS meter help and nutrients are the big cost. Most everything else can be made cheap.

Do yourself a favor and SLOW DOWN!!! Take the advice of these guys and read, read and read somemore before you go hog wild on buying and thinking that your gonna grow something. Alot of peeps (myself included) jumped right into stuff without having a clue and I can say that personally it cost me about $2000 that I didnt need to spend because I jumped right in. Take your time and do it right, you will be much happier in the end with both the outcome of your grow and what is still left in your wallet!! :jointsmile: