Reservoir Type Opinions

[Shanatical]

So I am looking for some opinions on reservoir types for a DWC setup. Up until now I have used 12 gallon totes of which I put a single plant in. I usually have 2 of those inside of my 2x4x7 tent. They take about 6 gallons of water to start, plus top offs as the week progresses. I notice once the grow is done that the roots have expanded through quite a large part of the res considering they have the room to do so. I have been considering switching to two 5 gallon buckets in the same area as it would save space, easier to move around when needed and would save water. I used my first bucket on an autoflower my last grow and it seemed to do ok but I am going to do a full feminized plant this time which will grow considerably larger thus having a larger root system.

So my question is are 5 gallon buckets suitable for a standard grow? Will I need to add more airstones since it is deeper and the roots will be more congested? I am using the same bucket setup I used for the autoflower which has the netpot in center, a permanent hose attached for pumping water in and out from the bottom of the res and two holes for 2 airstone lines.

[LurkingInTheGrass]

Yes
I run both 2.5 gallon (1,5 gallon water) and 5 gallon (3 gallons water) pails
Flowered in both

I seen pictures where they lift the plant, and the rootball comes out like a cork, shaped like the bucket
I got close once, more like a puck

Downside of flower in the 2 5g pail: you have to be on the pail daily. No vacations, she can and will empty it

5g pail: you can get away with missing a day

And the bigger the lady, the more you have to be there



66 days in 5g pail (flower)
couple or 3 months veg, in 2.5g pail

[Tersky]

I use 2 gal buckets, for my 250w hps setup. the 5 gal were just too tall for my plant, light and carbon filter in my 2x4x5ft tent. I do a dwc so i have to refill simi often during flower but im fine with that since there are only 2 buckets. And i only use one airstone. I wouldnt think you would need more than that in a 5 gal though i honestly dont know.

[Obi-Wan]

I run 4-5gallon bucket connected to an external 5 gallon reservoir. Eliminates the need to constantly check on the reservoir and I can top off whenever I choose, lights on....lights off doesn’t matter. I Veg for 8-10 weeks in 3 gal buckets in a 2x4 tent and then switch to the 5 gal buckets in my 3x3 tent. The smaller buckets in veg just save on nutrients, why veg in 5 gal if the plant doesn’t need more than a 3 gal bucket? The roots on my plants generally take up about 1/2 of the 3 gal bucket before I switch them to the gallon and again about 1/2 the 5 gallon when I harvest. I run 4-3 gallon in my 2x4 veg tent but I could probably squeeze in 5 and I run 4-5 gal in my 3x3 but I can’t imagine 5 plants flowering in it, it’s already pretty tight with 4. I use 1 large cylindrical air stone in every bucket, laid on it’s side and placed in the center of the bucket and I won’t use an air pump that puts out less than 60 liters per minute.

[LurkingInTheGrass]

Yà bàby!

Grow room porn

What light do you run for flower tent?

[Obi-Wan]

400 watt hid

[Obi-Wan]

4 plants in my 2x4 1 day before flip

[Obi-Wan]

Same 4 plants in my 3x3 the next day after defoliation.

[Obi-Wan]

Same 4 plants 10 days into 12/12

[Obi-Wan]

The roots on a plant coming out of the veg tent.

[LurkingInTheGrass]

Obi-Wan
Do you turn your plants (netpots) during the grow?

[Obi-Wan]

It really depends on how they’re growing. When the colas closest to the light grow a bit taller than the rest I will turn them so the shorter colas are closer. This allows me to get the taller colas away from the light without adjusting the light higher.

[Shanatical]

Awesome thank you everyone! And those pictures were super helpful and inspired confidence Obi-Wan. Especially the root one. It seems my airpump might be lacking in the LPM though. Can you suggest an airpump that is quiet that hits that volume?

Also Obi-Wan.. how are your roots so white? By then end of my grow my roots are always tinted, not like rot brown but as if they took on some color of the nutrients. Possibly lack of airflow I am wondering due to haveing only a 15L per minute airpump?

[Obi-Wan]

This is the pump I use, it’s somewhat quiet but my grow space is in my basement so I really don’t hear it much on the main level.
VIVOSUN Air Pump 950 GPH 32W 60L/min 6 Outlet Commercial Air Pump for Aquarium and Hydroponic Systems https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XDKRYC6..._YP4QDb7QKW41E

As for the white roots, the picture above is just before the flip so they’re only halfway through their life at that point. I use Dyna-Gro nutrients and they don’t have much more than a green hue to them so that contributes as well. Finally, my max EC never exceeds 1.8, and that is generally only for the middle 4-6 weeks of flower so my solution is never too heavy on nutes for too long.

[Shanatical]

Obi-wan I actually have that same pump. I wasnt using it cause it was louder than my others but I'm going to plug it in for this grow and see how it does. Thank you for the clarification on the roots. Im using advanced nutrients and general hydroponic which are a little darker so that would make sense. My EC has that same max EC as well

[Eliot Pryor]

Seems like a lot of people use 5 gallon bucket set ups successfully. I have been doing it for 6 years. I use one 4 inch air stone and an air pump that is for a 10 gallon aquarium. I have harvested more than 3 dozen plants. I am still learning about growing and like to hear how others go about it. I have limited height but have grown lots of them that were 48 inches tall.

[Farmall]

Shanatical before I knew 1/5 of what I have learned I found this for my first attempt.... it performed terrifically.... you may need to search amazon for some things but it’s all there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1Eg-XesZGU&t=532s

[Shanatical]

This video was great farmall. Giving me some ideas

[LurkingInTheGrass]

good lord - RDWC on the cheap, with flexible piping - not the huge interconnection of rigid piping

now I got ideas (and lots of parts)

I don't know if I should curse you or kiss you

truly - thank you

[Farmall]

LurkingInTheGrass How about we just call it even 😂

Actually, I brought this video up a few times as it made a big impression on me and I knew nothing about getting started except from what I saw on Nebula’s article on GWE. As a master tinkerer...( like you, with a shitload of parts) I had to give the mechanical portion of it a try. Without trying to advertise another store...search out a few videos by PAHydroponics on YouTube. He added some extra ideas in my head and demonstrated some parts to hold things in place that I found on Amazon for cheap. That harvest also produced over 3 1/2 dry pounds...so with the success of the mechanical process of the DWC and the great crop yield, damn!

I’d say I’m looking forward to seeing both of your thoughts

[Farmall]

Shanatical. That ‘s how it starts ....haha. I tried making those top feed rings out of a bunch of different tubings... but found it easier to just buy them and avoid some potential crazy flood in case. If you go this route, measure the 6 or 8” net pot lids 1” or so below the bottom to keep the water draining back to the reservoir at that level. Try to find blue tubing if you’re adding a side water level view port to keep light from invading the root zone in the bucket creating algae issue. Amazon has loads of do-dads to keep things in place or attach stuff. Those bulkhead fittings can be expensive or reasonable depending on where you get them. Add a fish tank type pickup screen on the overflow befitting under the net pot to help keep roots from blocking up the return drainage to the reservoir. With a little pre-planning, you can build a really good DWC. Made 6 buckets and a 17 gallon reservoir with zero problems. My problem then was plants getting 7 foot tall due to my lack of training....but it turned out GREAT!

also remember you need to have the bucket about 8-10” higher than the reservoir to enable an adequate return gravity drain.