Need help picking the right hydroponics set up

What would be the least time consuming set up for say like 20 plants under 1000W HPS? Or any other suggestions of # plants with different setups that are little maintenance. Its just that I don't have much time recently and I am spending time on setups that just fuck up. Like I had a 80 gph pump (for like water columns) being used with a drip system but it didnt pump enough to get through all the lines so I went and bought a 383 gph pump and it still doesn't pump properly it will pump out a ton on the line that is hooked up to the pump but all the lines coming off it will pump slower and the last one doesnt pump at all so I wasted like 80$ on this pump which pissed me off. I have nozzles that limit flow to .5gph. Any help or suggestions would be great this is really starting to bug me. I was doing hempy buckets, worked fine but was just way too much work watering all of them every 2 days.

Im open to any ideas/suggestions please help!! :)

Ebb-N-Grow Hydroponic System - Interior Gardens

this is the one i use.it's an awesome set up.

Almost nothing is going to be less maintenance than hand watering pots but people agree that ebb and flow is the bullet proof. But if you want least headaches go with a tray over rez system.

I just bought one of those systems that Dive put a link up for and cant wait to start using it. Just have to "finish" basement first hehe. Currently use to tray over res setups and they are pretty simple but lack the ability to move plants around if needed.

I use a 10 pot ebb and flow but you still have to keep checking water it only holds 6 gal and when them bitches start drinking, I,ll have to put 2 plus gals a day.

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Originally Posted by Big len

I use a 10 pot ebb and flow but you still have to keep checking water it only holds 6 gal and when them bitches start drinking, I,ll have to put 2 plus gals a day.

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Time for a bigger res. the set-up i use has a 55 gal. res, you can run up-to 30 buckets comfortably.

I hope your doing a sog if you have 20 plants under 1000w's.

Hey Dive I thought those could run up to 48 pots? atleast that is how the 1 I bought was advertised /shrug

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Originally Posted by tinytoon

Hey Dive I thought those could run up to 48 pots? atleast that is how the 1 I bought was advertised /shrug

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Yea ..but 2 gal. pot's X48 = 96 gallons.....not gonna work with a 55 gal res.
The hydroton does take up some space tho,but even still...im not sure you can comfortable run 48.


Dive:stoned:

Thats kinda what the math in my head said but wasnt sure so thought I would ask ...... you know the only dumb question is the one that noone asks lol

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Originally Posted by socialistpete

I hope your doing a sog if you have 20 plants under 1000w's.

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of course lol

Thanks for all your replies! The thing is I don't have all that much vertical space (about 70 " in total) so to put in a table and reservoir in the space (not to mention the water may get a little too warm being in there) I dont know if DWC would still work? Can you still do DWC without having reservoir directly underneath the table?

DWC is nothing really but a bucket, a net pot and an airstone.

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Originally Posted by tinytoon

DWC is nothing really but a bucket, a net pot and an airstone.

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oh i meant Ebb n flow sorry

with the ebb/flow i showed you, you can have the res at the neighbor's house if you like.
and you set the buckets right on the floor so it will max out your avail. height.


Dive:stoned:

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Originally Posted by Divestoned

with the ebb/flow i showed you, you can have the res at the neighbor's house if you like.
and you set the buckets right on the floor so it will max out your avail. height.


Dive:stoned:

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Oh ok cool. Well I don't quite have 500$ to spend on setup, but I could probably come up with something myself. How does the water return to the reservoir?

gravity

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Originally Posted by bloodbrother

Oh ok cool. Well I don't quite have 500$ to spend on setup, but I could probably come up with something myself. How does the water return to the reservoir?

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No, they don't make their money by you being able to replicate it for $50. But actually I am more worried about the temp inside your space. If you can't keep the water temps below 68 degrees, don't do hydro. Go with soilless and hand water. Otherwise you will definately need a chiller.

yea man. sound's like your gonna be more of a soil man. get some buckets of soil and a light an go like hell.

Dive:stoned:

hmmm ok well thanks for your input.. currently im just running a drip soiless setup kind of thing so I guess ill stick with this i just run water thru like once every two days, but im going to try to figure out a way to deal with temperature to lower it and maybe ill try some later. Soil is just kind of a bitch cause getting all that soil inside blows.

Im sure I could replicate it for 100$, but I was actually just wondering how the water goes back to the reservoir... like a pump or what?

System has 2 pumps and a controller box. 1 pump flows water out of res into controller box and then gravity to all the pots. pump 1 shuts off and pump 2 turns on to pump water from controller back into res, gravity flows from pots to controller. pots and controller are suppose to be at same height for gravity flow to correctly work.

DWC is stupidly simple if you can keep your water temps down and keep enough air pumping into he buckets to support a large root mass. But those two things are harder than it might seem.

Also, sweet avatar! :jointsmile: