do you mind my asking why you chose to go with such a complicated system as a new grower? ...might it not be better to put the active hydro on the back burner until you learn your way around the plant?

coco hempy buckets are a passive form of hydroponics that are adapted from ancient Roman technology and they are brain dead easy to run and give awesome results so they are perfect for the inexperienced, they are very forgiving so there is much less stress and drama.

here's a couple of examples to illustrate.

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...anyway, i'm sorry to say i can't answer your questions directly being a hempy grower other than to say that if you stick with the ebb and flow system you must also consider the duration of your floods and not just the frequency, rapid draining is the preferred method i believe as it pulls more oxygen into the root zone.

peace, bozo