Tex Kid is exactly right. I had 2 bad runs with the UC system but knocked it out of the park on my 3 run and now my 4th run looks even better. My problem was with root rot but now that I'm running a compeltely sterile setup I've had no issues. I've had failures with other systems too, failures aren't exclusive to the UC. With this system I've almost achieved the 2lbs per light which I had never done before...I got 7/8 of a lb per plant, 3k watts, 6 plants.
The trick is to KISS. My suggestion is to stay away from the additives, RE, basically anything that will drive up PPM's and dirty up the system. To pull in almost 2 per 1k watt I used GH 3 part, pk 13/14, and mag pro with weekly water changes with RO water. I use zone and pythoff to sterilize the system and I put it in my top off water which I keep chilled too. My suggestion for a newbie....
1. Make sure you use a chiller and keep between 65-70
2. Rooted clones at 150-250 PPM, slowly increase to 500-750 ppm for veg, 800-900 for transition, 900-1200 for late flowering. Being new its better to under do it than over do it.
3. Weekly water changes which aren't necessary but can't hurt
4. IME keep the water level 1.5" on the pot through the full cycle, this will alow the sterilizers to get in to the root ball.
5. For newbies....stay away from organics and additives....keep it clean
6. Get a ph doser, you can make one for about $200 and worth it
7. Don't dump ph up or down or nuts straight in the epi center without diluting it.
8. I top feed rooted clones constantly with a dripper for a week or so to get the roots going faster. I always remove it after the roots come out of the pots. This speeds up the veg cycle for me.
9. Oh and always wash the shit out of the hydroton rocks, wash, wash, and then wash again.
Things that will kill you cycle....
1. Letting the UC get warm
2. Over fertilizing can stunt the growth and cost you time....less is more!
3. Pythium/root rot, I would recommend for newbies just running a sterile system and keep the water level on the pots
4. PH problems, a doser is an easy fix.
5. Not washing the rock properly, dust gets on roots and causes problems with uptake.
Personally I like this system the best because it really simple to use. I don't have do anything but prune my plants and change the water. Also there are far less plants to deal with than any other system I have used...less clones, smaller mothers etc. I'm using 6 plants instead of 36 like I was. There is very little waste after a harvest (6 pots of hydroton) and even though I do weekly water changes the nutrient costs are very low in comparison to the harvests.
Good luck and don't get discouraged. There will be a learning curve on any system that you use. People that left the UC because of problems tells me that they never figured out how to fix the problems they were experiencing. I had to learn how to use the UC for MY application and once I did know I will never go back.
