DIY Aero-Veg Tub

[liquid069]

herbal great setup props to you! 2 things

1. would you mind filling me in on that one step with the sprayers?

Also what happens when they are done vegging do you have an identical setup for flower or are there mods ?

[HerbalRemedies]

Originally Posted by liquid069

herbal great setup props to you! 2 things

1. would you mind filling me in on that one step with the sprayers?

Also what happens when they are done vegging do you have an identical setup for flower or are there mods ?

Basically what your going to do is:

Once you've made the manifold out of the PVC pipe, you'll drill into the pipe itself and screw the sprayers in place so it looks like this:



Those little red things are the sprayers, don't drill all the way through the pipe or you'll be starting over.

When they are done their veg phase, I have an AeroFlo system that uses 3" net pots as well, so I just take them out of the tub and put them into the AeroFlo for flowering.

[liquid069]

Thank you. Ok i got the whoe setup so the pvc is going to be at a higher elevation than the pump and where should the water level be? Does the pump run 24/7 or do you have to control it's use somehow. I'm sorry but i'm growing my first time in soil right now and I'd love to switch to a hydro system of somesort and this looks very managable. I appreciate your help and direction!

[HerbalRemedies]

Originally Posted by liquid069

Thank you. Ok i got the whoe setup so the pvc is going to be at a higher elevation than the pump and where should the water level be? Does the pump run 24/7 or do you have to control it's use somehow. I'm sorry but i'm growing my first time in soil right now and I'd love to switch to a hydro system of somesort and this looks very managable. I appreciate your help and direction!

Since my manifold sits directly on top of my pump, I filled it just enough so the pump is completely submerged. If you elevate the manifold, raise the water level accordingly, just make sure the manifold isn't submersed.

I keep my pump running 24/7

[noober]

Great stuff man.

I'm going to build one of these for my next grow.

I'll start my seeds or cuttings in rockwool and grown them until they have a strong root system before moving them to the DIY Tub.

I have a few questions...
1. With your current design and manifold height how often do you have to top off the resevoir running the pump 24x7?
2. What are those rocks you covered the rockwool with in the baskets?
3. How much can I get away with elevating the manifold to raise it up higher from the pump to get more water in the resevoir? I plan on growing 6 or 9 plants all the way from start to harvest in a single DIY Tub.
4. Do you start out by watering from the top until the roots are below the basket or does the spray reach the bottom of the rockwool?
5. How often to you drain and fill the resevoir (or do you just keep topping it off when the water level gets too low)?

Thanks.

[HerbalRemedies]

Originally Posted by noober

Great stuff man.

I have a few questions...
1. With the currecnt design how often do you have to top off the resevoir running the pump 24x7?
2. What are those rocks you covered the rockwool with in the baskets?
3. How much can I get away with extending the neck that connects the manifold to the pump to raise the manifold higher and get more water in the resevoir? I plan on doing 6 or 9 plants all the way from start to harvest.
4. Do you start out by watering from the top until the roots are below the basket?

Thanks.

If going from seed to harvest with this, I'd recommend only doing 6 plants and building another tub (they have a small footprint) for 6 more if necessary. 9 would be squeezing things in a bit too tight if you want fully mature plants.

1. I top it off everyday, but that'd because I have nothing better to do than check reservoir levels... If you fill it to just so the pump is completely submerged, your looking at a 1-2 days period of not filling it. And that's with my manifold sitting almost directly on top of the pump.

2. Hydroton, if you buy those, soak them as well with pH'd water before you use them.

3. I was actually thinking about this: IF you desired to extend the neck of the manifold, I'd suggest cutting a few pieces of PVC Pipe at 2", 4" and 6". Since this setup doesn't add any adhesive to the mix you can swap them out at your leisure.

4. I keep them in rockwool / tray w/ humidome until they break ground, once I see a sprout, I move them into the system. I didn't have to water them from the top at all. My design gives complete coverage even as a sprout.

NOTE: If you don't completely fill the net pots in with hydroton, you'll get beads of water shooting through the holes and hitting your plants, so make sure you fill them in as good as possible.

And I'd also recommend buying an extra tub, so when you need to change out the reservoir, you have a place for the lid covered in plants.

Hope this helps.

[noober]

Thanks for the quick reply +rep to you

If I raise the manifold what do you think about using net pot covers to keep water from spraying through the rocks?

If I do 6 plants should I go with 6" baskets?
Thanks again!

[HerbalRemedies]

Originally Posted by noober

Thanks for the quick reply +rep to you

If I raise the manifold what do you think about using net pot covers to keep water from spraying through the rocks?

If I do 6 plants should I go with 6" baskets?
Thanks again!

You could definitely modify it to use 6" baskets, I'd probably go with 4", but you could use 6" if that's what you'd prefer.

I've never used net pot covers, so I can't comment on the efficiency of keeping water under the lid, but I'd assume they would work.

[noober]

I'm googling around for Neoprene Collars... all the pics I see look like net pot covers.

Do the collars go above the rockwool at the base of the cube?

Can you post a link to the collars you are using?

Sorry to bombard you with all these questions. I am going to get my parts in order and start building in a day or two.
Thanks.

[Primo832641]

I still don't really understand the sprayers? What are they exactly and where do i get them?
Also how loud would you say the whole system is when its running?
Thanks!

[HerbalRemedies]

Originally Posted by Primo832641

I still don't really understand the sprayers? What are they exactly and where do i get them?
Also how loud would you say the whole system is when its running?
Thanks!

You can get them here, all they are is a piece of plastic cut to make pressurized water mist out of the top.

While it's on and the pump is completely submersed in water, the whole system is actually very quiet since there isn't a typical waterfall draining type thing and all you have are droplets hitting the reservoir. It can be concealed behind a closed door without any sound issues, much quieter than my AeroFlo

[atlbuds]

Im thinking of running this setup as a first timer but had a couple questions.

1. Should i be concerned with my power bill using this system? ( I actually plan on doing 6 plants in 6 pots method.)

2. Do i need a higher GPH pump? If so which would u suggest?

3. With price out of the way and my power bill being low one of my first priorities what type lamp would u suggest? I will be growing these 6 from seed to harvest. I was thinking two 400W HPS
or one 600W HPS??

4. I plan on using this setup in one of my closets, however; there is a window in that closest do i need to cover it up?

5. Can i just hang a couple of fans around my plants and that will be enough air circulation or what would u suggest?

Thanks in advance!

+rep

[diff_lock2]

Whats the water/pressure head rated on that pump? I have a 260GPH pump with a 2m pressure head, and I can barley create a spray from 5 fittings. Your spray looks much more fine than mine.

Also what is the power rated on that pump, my 260GPH pump says 30w.

[HerbalRemedies]

Originally Posted by atlbuds

Im thinking of running this setup as a first timer but had a couple questions.

1. Should i be concerned with my power bill using this system? ( I actually plan on doing 6 plants in 6 pots method.)

2. Do i need a higher GPH pump? If so which would u suggest?

3. With price out of the way and my power bill being low one of my first priorities what type lamp would u suggest? I will be growing these 6 from seed to harvest. I was thinking two 400W HPS
or one 600W HPS??

4. I plan on using this setup in one of my closets, however; there is a window in that closest do i need to cover it up?

5. Can i just hang a couple of fans around my plants and that will be enough air circulation or what would u suggest?

Thanks in advance!

+rep

1. The system itself won't really affect your electricity bill at all since the pump is the only thing running, it's the light (of your choosing) you'll need to be concerned with.

2. The only thing you'd need to do to modify it to your 6 plant system is drill 6 3" holes instead of 20.. keep all the specs (manifold, pump, nozzles, etc) all the same.

3. If your concerned about your bill, run only 1 400W HPS... the Tub is small enough that all the plants will get the primary coverage anyway. For better results, use 1 600W HPS.

4. Yes, it is essential you cover the window, you don't want prying eyes. It also helps maintain a strict 18/6 and 12/12 light schedule.

5. If you don't live in close proximity to anyone, I'd suggest putting a window AC unit in your window, and covering the rest up. This way you'll have fresh, cool air being pumped into the closet and you won't have to worry about heat issues from your lamp.... which you will if you choose to run a HPS... then bring 1 oscillating fan into the closet and you now have the ideal growing environment.

Note: You may need a dehumidifier depending on how it gets inside the closet.

[.rUsTy]

Wonderful tutorial. So simple to follow, can this be used for veg for say 2-3 plants? would you just have to cut the length of the pvc to fit the amount of plants your growing?

and why cant you use this same system for flowering?