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These pictures are over a 14 day period with no carbon dioxide enrichment. These results came from a bucket system I designed that uses a Venturi drive and a Vacuum drive run on siphons.
Strain: Blue Dream
Ph: I was at 5.5, but went up to 6.2 to adjust for various strains.
Humidity: 62-64 constant
Temperature: 79 degrees constant, there is about a 4 degree drop as lights phase in and out.
Medium: 2" lavarock. I've tried rockwool and was not satisfied with the aeration in cube form, but I now use it in shredded form in layers that work as filters. I shred it up with my fingers into little flat pieces like a stretched out cotton ball. Then fill in all the cracks 1 chunk at a time paying special attention to sides. I make sure to cover the whole layer of rock, and make it 1" thick and at least 2 layers. This way whether you clean your lavarock or not the particles won't get in the system, and you can augment your nutrient
salvo with powdered organic soil-based nutes which have certain advantages and could be a potential goldmine for Aquaponics.
Lighting: Vertically mounted 1000 Watt HPS with 8" flange and chilly air drawn in from an inconspicuous window. Horizontally mounted 600 Watt HPS, and about 250 watts of CFL in 6500k in various arrangements- I have 4 double-outlet timers that control everything from a centralized station in the corner; light, electricity, air, and water. I use many fixtures and angles for my flourescents, and I have an Oxidation system driven by 4 special CFLS to control odor, mold, pests, and disease. As the air enters the room it is treated and heats the house with clean, warm, odorless air that oxidizes on contact. If anyone cares to comment on this process please look up hydroxyl radicals and oxidation for clarification as these are not merely ozone or ion producing systems.
Hydroponic method: This system uses flood and drain, wick, drip, nft, dwc, and hybrids. The main feature is the "Suckit Bucket"; a 5 gallon bucket which acts as a vacuum to suck air in from the top of the bucket all the way through the medium and root systems. By making adjustments to the exterior fittings, different effects are achieved; flood height, flood time, drain time, frequency, and torque/pull(up to 40LBs). When roots penetrate into secondary chamber they reach a 5" compartment of pure air, no water at all; making it semi-aeroponic during the time that timer is off. The roots dont dry out because there is a 100% seal from the previously mentioned rockwool layers, and the drainpipe. The pump to this particular "Suckit Bucket" fires 5 times a day for 15 minutes, however my bucket fills and pulls in massive amounts of air every 3 minutes. My pull has a lot of weight because of my fitting arrangement, height, and because I use a 12' length of 1" acceleration tube to return reservoir.
Ph: I was at 5.5, but went up to 6.2 to adjust for various strains. I now have a Romaurie drive for my reservoir. With the need for more water to keep a solid buffer, I again looked to technologies in Aquaculture. In my intro thread TerraPharma gave me the idea to add a sump which improved it much. I now have 80 gallons, and I have infinite res capability with the drop of a hat. Because I have seperate res chambers, I can mix fluids at specific rates proportionate to the fluctuation of the waterlevels in the active reservoir and the size of containers and the tubing I use. This means I can adjust ph realtime using 1/8" tube. I currently have it configured so that my satellite reservoir will recirculate 3x a day. To achieve this I use 2" diameter clear plastic tube going into the sump, out of the sump, and into the active res. The water level transfer has not bottlenecked with induced fluctuations. Its so exact that I can literally just add water to any table, reservoir, or bucket in my entire system, and all the connected reservoirs will even out. I may post more on this specific technology, as it has other applications. In addition to the reservoirs, I also use a Venturi to mix nutrients as it allows clean dispersion.
Nutrients: I love Aquaponics, but I am using a line of "Advanced Nutrients" products to test benchmarks. Currently I am using "Sensi Grow A and B", "Superthrive", "Bud Candy", "Schultz Micronutrient Plus", Hydrogen Peroxide, Epsom Salts, and Azamax systemically. I use 1/4 to 1/2 of recommended dosages of any of the previously mentioned fertiliziers, but I use strong Azadirachtin dosages systemically as a feeding inhibitor.
Pest Control: "Safers Soap" concentrated form, which has a instant effect, and a long-term product "Azamax" which is Azadirachtin in concentrated form. Azadirachtin has a powerful effect on the cycle of insects through miticides, limonoids, and carboxylic esters. It comes from the Neem tree, and can be used systemically as well as in a foliar spray. I have inflicted foliar burns from both of these products at recommended doses with lights off for 12 hours post treatment. I am very careful about dosage now. I use 1/4 the dosage, and use nothing but distilled water, and flush with distilled water 20 minutes after; this diminishes the effect of course. I learned that repeated applications and confirmation of death is crucial with a microscope if using lower dosages of safers. I use full doses of "Azamax" in the solution itself, and it has had a profound effect on my relationship with spidermites.
PPM EC: Very high, off the charts. But this is due to various experimentations with organic substances, and a very hard local water supply. I do not filter, but now I have a sump that allows for my Citric Acid based "Ph down" formula to negate part of the calcium coming in, as well as wick off various agents in the tap water.
I have "Lab" section now to test effeciency in fittings, nozzles, and anything related to gas-fluid transfers. Its connected to the system and I've included a picture of a test Venturi test fire, causing massive oxidation and oxygenation.
I will continue to experiment with my bucket, as it has proved to be effective for growing large plants quickly.
