Help with bubbleponics

[Weezard]

Relax Brah. Your tank temp is OK.
As long as the water is clean and the light is excluded you can run as high as 90 F. in the res.
Maybe higher, ah dunno.
But I've run near 90 for 3 weeks and did not change out the water at all during bloom.
I use no preventative other than what's already in my tap water and have yet to see any problems, (3rd grow).
Course, that could just be luck.


H.S. is right about the PH.
You'll want to keep hydro at 5.2 - 5.8.
Don't have to be too ridgid about it, they benefit from a little PH "drift".

I see you are using Hydrotron clay pellets.
I'd advise you to start your res water at 5.2 because the H'tron will try to raise your PH constantly, even when properly conditioned.
You can use that fact to schedule PH adjustments and sweep the range where plants use all the basics well.

Shake is also right about your form filling.
It's a pain, but it's why you have not been "being served"

Aloha,
Weezard

Weezard Reviewed by Weezard on 06-27-2009. Help with bubbleponics I just built a bubbleponics and has been running for 48hrs. This morning i woke up and it was filled with foam so bad that the pump was barley working. What would cause this? Also the bottom of my plants are yellow greenish now (is that from transplanting?). My temp is about 75 degrees with 65% hum. am using the same setup as stealth hydro sells but i made it myself. My lighting is 2 100 watt cfl and 2 leds. (2 leds are equal to one 400 hps so they claim). My plants were started in dirt pots Rating: 5

[Weezard]

Aloha again.

Did some searching.
Found that you use well water.
That's a likely pythium source.

Not sure what to do about it but I'd guess that a water disinfectant and preventative in the original fill would help.


Tupenny Weeze

[Bongtok4u]

Thanks wizard, i have seen some of you post and you sound like you know what you talking about. What would cause a build up of foam in the res?
I just checked my ph and its down to 6.1 and still going down. i clean my system from all the foam and tonight its building up again and giving a stinky smell. do you know what that could be? also if i went and bought distilled water would that help? thanks

[Weezard]

Thanks wizard, i have seen some of you post and you sound like you know what you talking about. What would cause a build up of foam in the res?
I just checked my ph and its down to 6.1 and still going down. i clean my system from all the foam and tonight its building up again and giving a stinky smell. do you know what that could be? also if i went and bought distilled water would that help? thanks

It is not supposed to smell bad kine stinky.

Brown foam sounds like mold/fungus.
Just scooping it out will not help.

You can try adding H2O2 ,(Hydrogen Peroxide), but mo' betta start with a new squeeky clean tub.
1/2 teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water will prevent bacteria and slime molds from getting a toe-hold.
Might even be able to use the well water, if you disinfect it first.

Sure, you can use distilled water.
Just gotta add some CalMag to it, (about 200ppm), then nutes, then check the PH.

Better luck,
Weezard

[Horsemanrocks]

I see you are using Hydrotron clay pellets.
I'd advise you to start your res water at 5.2 because the H'tron will try to raise your PH constantly, even when properly conditioned.

Iâ??m so sure that Bongtok wanted to know more about conditioning Hydrotonâ?¦..that I (the good fellow that I am) asked it for him.
Bongtokâ?¦â?¦no need to thank meâ?¦..Iâ??m a giver.

Horsemanrocks.

[Horsemanrocks]

I did a lot of reading, and the consensus was that Hydroton is inert and had no effect on Ph (other than Weeze, there was only one dissenter).

I ran a test w/ new hydroton (well rinsed) with tap water ph 7.12. I soaked the Hydroton for 36 hours. The water then phâ??ed at 8.62. I poured out the 8.62 (rinsed well) and replaced it again w/ 7.12. Iâ??ll try to remember to report again after a second soaking. I realize that in a situation where the solution has a much lesser contact with the Hydroton the ph raising aspect will be lessened. But something to be considered as â??part of the wholeâ?�.

I'd advise you to start your res water at 5.2 because the H'tron will try to raise your PH constantly, even when properly conditioned.

It seems that the WeeZard knew his stuff againâ?¦..gottaâ?? pay attention to experience!

As instructed,
Horsemanrocks.

[Weezard]

"It seems that the WeeZard knew his stuff againâ?¦..gottaâ?? pay attention to experience!"

So?
What?
You thought I was just another "pretty typeface?
Some sweet, young, Font to be trifled with?
Humph, I say!

No worry brah.
Hermie did da same t'ing wit' coco vs' doit.:thumbsup:
Made me proud.

Nevah, evah, accept all of some kahunas pontifications as proven fact. - Weezard

"What's da matter kid, din't ya know that gurus are full of shit sometimes too?" - da levy

My best advice?

"Try sumpin yerself, an' see what happens." -To paraphrase Old Mac.

Aloha,
Instant Ralston

[Horsemanrocks]

Weezeâ?¦I figured that you were out there lurkingâ?¦.you fit the profileâ?¦.definitely a lurker.
It appears that you subscribe to the â??if you give a man a fishâ?¦.you only feed him for a dayâ?� school. (how annoying is that!)
Another 26 hours in fresh 7.1 ph water and the Hydroton runoff phâ??ed even higher at 8.73 (I imagined that if would be somewhat lowerâ?¦.not higher). And after 48 hours still at 8.73

[attachment=o224769]

The rock and pool, is nice and cool, so juicy sweet.
Our only wish��. to catch a fish��so juicy sweet.


The thing that I havenâ??t learned is how to â??condition hydrotonâ?� (and from all appearancesâ?¦..youâ??re not gonnaâ?? tell me)â?¦..letâ??s try this:
1: Dose with Acid solution until the ph neutralizes
2: Switch to lava rock before I even get started
3: Suggestions?
It seems a little foolish to needlessly chase ph.

Fish for the poor?
Horsemanrocks.

[Weezard]

Aloha, syncopated quadraped.

So, ya wants fish, does ya?

Want me to catch some fish for you?
A beeg Halibut, or maybe two
Go sit in da hot sun all day.
Den bringum home wit' out delay

Shall I scale, gut, and fry it as well?
Shall I dry it inna sun 'til dere's hardly any smell.
If I does all dat, your tail gonna wag?
Maybe mo' etta, you jus' read da bag.


Directions are usually written on da bag ya know.

Yeah, I unnerstan'
When dey ask me; "did you read da manual?"
My usual reply is; "Do I look like a sissy?"

So, jus' dis one time.
Here's da dish finner ya ordered;
Bon appetite!

"The thing that I havenâ??t learned is how to â??condition hydrotonâ?� (and from all appearancesâ?¦..youâ??re not gonnaâ?? tell me)â?¦..letâ??s try this:
1: Dose with Acid solution until the ph neutralizes

That's what they recommend.
Soak in PH 4.5 or so for 8 hours.
I did that for 8 hour.
Then 24 hours.
Then 3 days.
And no matter how much you rinse it, that superfine red powder is ubiquitous and never quite rinses clean.

2: Switch to lava rock before I even get started
.
Not a bad idea. Same thing I did.
Longstoryshort, nothin's perfect.

3: Suggestions?

(Fasten da seatbelt brah.:stoned

Then I stumbled upon coco.
Coco is very near perfect for my needs.
You can store it easily, it's sold in highly compressed "bricks".
Lightweight, PH neutral, excellent nute delivery system.
Looks like soil, smells like cocoa, works like hydro.

I grew peppers and tomatos in coco, foxfarm ocean forest, and DWC , as a test.
And was taken aback by their size and health vs the foxfarm.
The DWC was the clear winner, but coco was a close second.
The FF? Feh! I'll never use it again.
Still have the pictures if ya wanna see 'em.

It seems a little foolish to needlessly chase ph.

Agreed!
But, since he was already committed to 'tron I was just saying he should "make lemonade", yah?

You've seen my square peg DWCoco, rig.
(Mahalo fo' da busy mind comment.)

Finessed it a bit.
Did not need that big a coco backup, so I dialed it down to a 4" pot with a few extra holes drilled in it.
The idea here is; if/when I forget to check the DWC water levels,
all is not lost, the coco will then be life support.
'tron is worthless as life support, so is lavarock.

Well, you asked.

Weeze

[Horsemanrocks]

Directions are usually written on da bag ya know.

Yeah, I unnerstan'
When dey ask me; "did you read da manual?"
My usual reply is; "Do I look like a sissy?"

Okâ?¦.I get itâ?¦.Read!

Profit oriented folks that sell RO filters, say crap like that all the time.
That does not make it fact.

Okâ?¦.I get itâ?¦..Donâ??t believe what you read!

Nevah, evah, accept all of some kahunas pontifications as proven fact. â?? Weezard

Okâ?¦.I get itâ?¦..Donâ??t believe you!

Thanks soo muchâ?¦.that pretty much clears things up for me. No chance of goinâ?? wrong now.

Directions are usually written on da bag ya know.

Usually being the operative.
I wonâ??t be buying from that dollar store again!

Want me to catch some fish for you?
A beeg Halibut, or maybe two
Go sit in da hot sun all day.
Den bringum home wit' out delay

Shall I scale, gut, and fry it as well?
Shall I dry it inna sun 'til dere's hardly any smell.
If I does all dat, your tail gonna wag?
Maybe mo' etta, you jus' read da bag.

And if it had been on the bagâ?¦..My entire life would have been meaningless without this alluring verse. Forget daâ?? bag. Viva la poet!

2: Switch to lava rock before I even get started
.
Not a bad idea. Same thing I did.
Longstoryshort, nothin's perfect.

And you thought school was outâ?¦..Hahahaha.
And the shortcomings of lava rock are��.

Then I stumbled upon coco.
Coco is very near perfect for my needs.

I wonâ??t even ask until I read, read, and read some more. But when I do find itâ?¦.trust meâ?¦I wonâ??t believe it!


Rocksâ?¦.out!