hydro res, air and circulation pumps, chillers, and ozone.

  • Thread starter GreenGalaxyFarm
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GreenGalaxyFarm

GreenGalaxyFarm

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Hi Guys/Girls

Have made a final decision, after extended research, to build a sterile nft hydroponic system.
I naturally have many questions and hope the hydro minded types on here can help me out.
But lets please start by determining sizes need of reservoir ,pumps, airstones, and ozone vs h202.
To help in determining the factors that have in impact on making these decision please ask any question you feel would benefit the conversation.

I have made calculations on the volume of the four 110mm(4.33inch) diameter tubes 3000mm(118.11inch) long.
It equates to 28.5l(7,52gal) total. They however are only needed to be supplied with a steady flow of between 1l/min(0,264172) and 2l/min(0,26gal) from what i understand.
The water intake to the tubes will sit around 600mm(est) form the top of the ground, 400mm(est) above the reservoir water level.
 
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GreenGalaxyFarm

GreenGalaxyFarm

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My first concern would be the reservoir, i have a 160l(42,26gal) tote, i would be able to use that, unless it is too big? information i am getting is to double up on what i think i need? Then also, there is the consideration of plastic vs food grade plastics does this matter in hydroponics?The 42gal tote doesnt state so im assuming non food grade.
 
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freezeland2

freezeland2

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GreenGalaxyFarm said:
My first concern would be the reservoir, i have a 160l(42,26gal) tote, i would be able to use that, unless it is too big? information i am getting is to double up on what i think i need? Then also, there is the consideration of plastic vs food grade plastics does this matter in hydroponics?The 42gal tote doesnt state so im assuming non food grade.
Click to expand...
I would recommend food grade and as large a reservoir as you can accommodate. A couple reasons for that. 1) large reservoir helps with stability of your nutrient solution and 2) reduces the amount of topping off needed when the plants are transpiring heavily in flower.
 
GreenGalaxyFarm

GreenGalaxyFarm

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i am planning to reuse a pump i purchased around 5 years ago (how long do pumps last again) the pump in question is a pondmaster mk2 3600ph. it ran for a few months in an outdoor aquaponics feeding setup.
https://pumpsonline.co.nz/products/pond-one-pondmaster-mk-ii-3600ph. this model doesnt have any adjustable flow control so i need to figure out using possible ball valves to manage this, but is there a better option? wont the pump working against the added resistance break down quicker?
 
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GreenGalaxyFarm

GreenGalaxyFarm

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freezeland2 said:
I would recommend food grade and as large a reservoir as you can accommodate.
Click to expand...
the pipe i can get a hold of isnt food grade plastic but rather the same plumbers pipe used in sewerage systems. this pipe and the fittings available for it would enable me to build the whole tube and stand system using only pvc. so going with that type of plastic i think i might as well use the tote i have as it would be the only part of the system that will be foodgrade if i swop it out. the plastics in the pumps, sealants, netpots etc possible isnt foodgrade as well.
freezeland2 said:
A couple reasons for that. 1) large reservoir helps with stability of your nutrient solution and 2) reduces the amount of topping off needed when the plants are transpiring heavily in flower.
Click to expand...
when you say stability of the nutrient solution what does that mean? yeah im also keen on going bigger than needed so that i can take breaks from the operation over weekends.
 
GreenGalaxyFarm

GreenGalaxyFarm

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Dr.Green55 said:
Just curious, how many plants are planning on growing estimated size of each, and what nutes are u using?
Click to expand...
thanks you checking in guys. across the 3m tube my thought was to do 7 pots( https://futurama.co.za/net-pot-70mm-100-pack ), 4 tubes 7 holes each totals 28 plants. ( i would like to do more just not sure how big these roots get you know.. maybe i can fill some more in? im going to be running a local breeders regular autoflower cultivar for my first run in the new system. first time hydro and first time autos. ive no experience in using any brand of hydroponic nutrients and up to a few days ago saw salt/mineral based nutrients as a microbe killers, i have learned that everything i knew about hydronutes are wrong. so anyway what nutes will i be using. i have 2 good people each running their own hydrostore telling me to use different products, on the one hand ive been recommended to go with the MEGA nutrient pack ( https://marijuanasa.co.za/product/mega-nutrient-set-xyz-5l/ ). and on the other hand and lovely couple asked me to run a new product they are stocking, EHG (https://greenmammoth.co.za/product/ehg-grow-micro-bloom/).
 
freezeland2

freezeland2

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GreenGalaxyFarm said:
the pipe i can get a hold of isnt food grade plastic but rather the same plumbers pipe used in sewerage systems. this pipe and the fittings available for it would enable me to build the whole tube and stand system using only pvc. so going with that type of plastic i think i might as well use the tote i have as it would be the only part of the system that will be foodgrade if i swop it out. the plastics in the pumps, sealants, netpots etc possible isnt foodgrade as well.

when you say stability of the nutrient solution what does that mean? yeah im also keen on going bigger than needed so that i can take breaks from the operation over weekends.
Click to expand...
By stability I mean more consistent and controllable EC and PH values. That’s hard to do with a small reservoir.
 
GreenGalaxyFarm

GreenGalaxyFarm

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freezeland2 said:
By stability I mean more consistent and controllable EC and PH values. That’s hard to do with a small reservoir.
Click to expand...
ok i wasnt aware. thanks for the confirming that going bigger is better and wont lead to issue rather add to stability this is great. does the 160l sound sufficient though? ill probably only fill half way
 
GreenGalaxyFarm

GreenGalaxyFarm

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freezeland2 said:
It will make your life a lot easier. Having a controller that not only monitors your values but can also control them is a god send when running nft.
Click to expand...
can you send me a link to a proper product, i can definitely try and find something similar locally, although i dont have high hopes of its affordability. honestly the purpose of this entire grow is to produce bud for members of my cannabis social club. im not going to be receiving much in terms of profit rather just to cover expenses.
 
freezeland2

freezeland2

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GreenGalaxyFarm said:
can you send me a link to a proper product, i can definitely try and find something similar locally, although i dont have high hopes of its affordability. honestly the purpose of this entire grow is to produce bud for members of my cannabis social club. im not going to be receiving much in terms of profit rather just to cover expenses.
Click to expand...
Google blulab or American Hydroponics
 
GreenGalaxyFarm

GreenGalaxyFarm

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freezeland2 said:
Google blulab or American Hydroponics
Click to expand...
checked it out blue lab offers the controller and peripod dosers here but they are way beyond my budget. but honestly i dont mind the effort needed to make this work manually
 
freezeland2

freezeland2

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GreenGalaxyFarm said:
checked it out blue lab offers the controller and peripod dosers here but they are way beyond my budget. but honestly i dont mind the effort needed to make this work manually
Click to expand...
Got it. Well having a large reservoir will make it a little easier to maintain values. Have you looked at chillers? You’ll need a high capacity chiller running with a large reservoir depending on your ambient.
 
GreenGalaxyFarm

GreenGalaxyFarm

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freezeland2 said:
Got it. Well having a large reservoir will make it a little easier to maintain values. Have you looked at chillers? You’ll need a high capacity chiller running with a large reservoir depending on your ambient.
Click to expand...
ive no idea if the chiller would be needed in sterile setups. the low temp by chillers to increase the amount of oxygen in the water is a benefit but i have heard warmer temps, although transporting less oxygen, does promote faster growth. doesnt sound right.
 
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