Planning Small Rdwc, First Hydro Questions

[xjking]

I'm not sure if this will work so I'm gonna fire it at ya and give me your opinions. I've got one successful soil grow under my belt and want to build a small rdwc system.

I don't smoke but my friend prefer sativas so I want to go with 1 Sour Diesel and 1 Girl Scout Cookies

Cabinet will be 24"x30"x80" built out of plywood and lined with mylar. My space is very limited and I want to add a seperate 2x2 Veg tent in the future.

I will have 2-4 gallon grow pots and a 4 gallon control pot. 6" Net pots with Hydroton media. Control may be outside the cabinet depending on space. I'm thinking a 15-20 gallon tote for a reserve. I want to put a float in the control bucket and gravity feed auto fill.

My tap water measures around 60 ppm TDS so I am not going to bother with RO at this time to save money. I also cannot afford a chiller atm so I am hoping my basement will be cool enough to keep water temps low. If not I will be using ice.

Lighting will be 4-QB132 LED's which performed well for 2 plants in soil. I want to build a COB system as money allows.

I want to use 1-2"x4" air stone in each grow pot. How much air will I need to power these 2 large airstones? I'm guessing a walmart airpump will not be big enough, but I don't want to bubble my water out of the buckets either.

I'm figuring I should circulate my water around 100 to 150 gallons per hour. Is there a good inline pump available for such a low flow rate, I'm having trouble sourcing one?

Please help a noob get things sorted out and Thanks in advance.

 

[Badrice]

https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/complete-diy-undercurrent-rdwc-instructions.98360/

Check out what [URL='https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/members/heisenbubble.81297/']heisenbubble [/URL]is doing there, its a very inexpensive system and will do very well for you.

 

[xjking]

https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/complete-diy-undercurrent-rdwc-instructions.98360/

Check out what heisenbubble is doing there, its a very inexpensive system and will do very well for you.

Thanks, I have read the thread and watched all of the videos. My questions relate more to sizing of pumps and my grow area. I'm not sure just how much air will be required for 2 large airstones. Also having troubles finding a small inline circulation pump.

 

[Badrice]

I was told to shoot for about a 250g/hr pump which was found on Amazon pretty readily. And air pumps depend mainly on how many sites you are planning. The 250g pump was the recommendation for a 4-8 site setup.

 

[scubascrog]

the ice endeavor isnt going to be worth it. I'd hate to see you invest a bunch a time and money and get root rot. just wait until you can afford a chiller

 

[xjking]

the ice endeavor isnt going to be worth it. I'd hate to see you invest a bunch a time and money and get root rot. just wait until you can afford a chiller

Thats not what I want to hear :(

 

[Badrice]

Yeah a few years back I tried RDWC and did some fancy stuff trying to keep res temps in check. This time I am taking no chances and going chiller.

 

[TerpyTyrone]

Whats a legit 4 site chiller go for?

 

[scubascrog]

1/10 hp active aqua for about 250

 

[Badrice]

Depends on the capacity of your system. Just look for chillers and what they claim they can chill per capacity and I would always go a size higher if you can afford it just to keep it from cycling all the time. So if you plan on using 4 gallon buckets x4 and only fill them to say 3 gallons, thats 12 gallons + whatever you plan to use for your rez. The type of lights and room temp also will affect how much heat needs to be removed.

 

[Badrice]

1/10 hp active aqua for about 250

Or simply put. This ^