root rot

[mitch1075]

hi can anyone tell me if i can use a dwc bubbler without a chiller if i was to use some sort of root protection????

[Burny]

How high are you talking about the water temperatures getting up to?

[mitch1075]

im not sure but ill be using a 400w hps , in a 4x4 tent, so poss up to 80

[alltatup]

Hey mitch, welcome to the forum! I would say from my own experience, just don't have any light leaks into your reservoir!! That resulted in a tough case of root rot on my previous grow.

Burny's question is the right one...

[Burny]

I agree with alltatup light leaks can be a big problem also. I tape all sides(except the bottom) of my reservoirs with white gorilla tape. Seems to be working great so far.

[mitch1075]

are you not using a chiller??

[Burny]

No as long as I keep my air temps low enough the water temperature seems to stay ok. You can sit your air pump over top of your air conditioner register to lower water temps. I.also use hydroguard.

[alltatup]

mitch1075 I did install a chiller at the beginning of April, and things have been much better in my res since I did. I didn't want to get a window AC for my grow room, and ultimtely decided that the chiller would be the best investment.

[DW2]

Howdy mitch1075, and welcome to the forum.
I'm starting my sixth grow in DWC. I use ice bottles (32 oz. smooth straight sides) in my reservoirs to keep the water temperatures between 65° and 70° F to help keep the algae and root rot down. I also add 2 ml/gal. of GH Florashield as well (do not use this if You use 'live' organic supplements or soils). A lot of folks use Hydroguard (a live bacteria the feeds on the algae and root rot organisms) to control it. It is also helpful (for the plants and to control root rot) to keep the water very well aerated. The I qt. ice bottles will lower the temperature of the 6 gallon reservoir by about 4 to 5 degrees and usually keep the temperature down, within limits, for 2 t0 3 hours. I also have my reservoirs insulated with bubble wrap (I know, too high tech for most! LOL) and a reflective top also helps to keep the water from heating up and bounces the light back to the plants.
Good luck with your grow.

[berrypilot]

🌱 Yes, I just use Hydroguard and no chiller in a 10 gallon reservoir. Room temperature is 75-80°F and reservoir is usually 73-78°F. General Hydro Flora nutes with Calimagic. That's it! No root rot! I've heard that plants tend to grow a little slower when their roots are cold, so you want to avoid it if you can find another way to prevent root rot. I don't have any experience with that or water chillers, though, that's just what I heard from a friend. 🌱

[mitch1075]

but are you using a DWC system???

[berrypilot]

🌱 Yes. I am following the GWE DWC tutorial. 🌱

[OzBud]

I've seen a couple of mates of mine use an esky with holes cut in the lid (not sure if that's what people call them outside of Australia). Since they've got some insulation to help keep cold things cold they've got a bit more protection against temperature influence from the growing environment