First DWC 3 AK47xRyder#2 and 3 Afghan Ryder

After two previous soil grows from bag seeds that ended in hermes I decided to do it right. I order 5 AK47 x Ryder #2 and 3 Afghan Ryder seeds all femed. I attempted to start a journal when I began germinating, but the thread didnt appear so this is my second attempt and it has been ten days since beginning germination. I am keeping an excel spread sheet which I will update on here to contain relevant details to grow as well as taking daily pics. I appreciate any advice from experienced hydro growers.

Equipment:
General Organic BioThrive Grow and Bloom
Hydrozyme for root protection
6 27 Watt CFL equivalent of 100 Watt incandescent

Current Problems:
Well I picked to large of a reservoir so it is hard to contain the volume of water also its is going to be a very tedious flushing process
No ventilation system and warm climate so the room can get above 90 degrees during the day
Possibly inefficient light (have metal halide bulb but creates too much heat for my unventilated closet)
Other things to come as I notice them

Current Questions:
My pump is kinda loud and I live in an apartment and do not desire to run it all day for fears of drawing suspicion. Is it necessary to continuously run a pump in the reservoir or will it stay oxygenated?
I buried my air stone under the rock to promote an even mixing of the nuts, but now a thin film has appeared on the top of the water. any ideas?

Edited by GuessWho420, 23 June 2011 - 11:54 PM.

Picture 1: Self Explanatory
Picture 2: I decided to bury the air stone in the rocks to promote mixing of nuts
Picture 3: First Day after seeds burst
Picture 4: Second Day
Picture 5: Third Day
~Weekend Vacation - Girlfriend in charge ~
Picture 6: Shouldn't have left GF in charge - 2 maybe dead
Picture 7: Please recover
Picture 8: Roots show in bottom of plugs moved healthy plants to rockwool
Picture 9: Still holding out hopes for the runts, hoping stress just delayed growth

Notes:
06/13/11
Begun Germination
06/14/11
Set-Up Grow Room
06/15/11
Pump loud need remedy
water PH naturally high
Should I have put seeds in plugs with no cover? If not germinated light is bad so yes
06/16/11
Really hot – Do something
WE HAVE GREEN!
Prepared water for rockwool cubes with hydrozyme and ph down
06/17/11
All have successfully sprouted GOOD SEEDS!
PH went up why?
06/20/11
Dont leave a women in charge of the plants.
Just got back home and plugs are bone dry and I lost two plants
06/21/11
SO HOT!!!
First time with PPM meter surprisingly low
06/22/11
Buried air stone under rocks to promote mixing
I think on of the dead may have risen again. Faint hope remains for the other
06/23/11
Cooler due too rain still no growth in the two that I believe dead
Need to figure out what is going on with PH – if it is just not properly mixed and getting bad sample or what
Thin film on top now after running the buried airstone wierd

Environmental Stats:
Date PH Temp Humidity PPM Action Taken
06/15/2011 5PM >7.5 84 45 - 25 ml of PH Down added
06/15/2011 8PM ~6.6 84 39 - 5 ml of PH Down added
06/16/2011 5PM 6.5 88 41 - could be lower Ideal 5.8
06/17/2011 5PM 7 88 32 0 20 ml of PH Down added
06/21/2011 5PM <6 90 38 150 Added ~ 15 ml of PH Up to get proper reading
06/22/2011 9PM 6 90 44 220 None
06/23/2011 6PM 6.5 84 44 244 None – Curious about fluctuation

yesterday PH was below 6 now it read ~6.5 with no added nuts or etc, experts weight in please.
Any ideas on what the film is?

Edited by GuessWho420, 24 June 2011 - 08:34 PM.

Ok I think I have some kind of mold in my reservoir check the pics below. Up really close they look like little donuts. I am hoping it is just the nuts(first time hydroponics), but only a couple more days till the plants go in the reservoir and I need to fix it if it is bad. Also I am having huge fluxes in PH. I assume it is due to the mold, but no idea. Any way here are the stats for today and a pic of the babies. The back 3 are the Afghan Ryder and the front AK47 Ryder.


06/24/2011 5PM
PH: 7
Temp: 81
Humidity:51
PPM: 280
No action taken yet need to do more research

Edited by GuessWho420, 24 June 2011 - 10:01 PM.

With nothing changing in the environment the PPM and the PH is increasing the PH wildly! I can keep dumping PH down in there any ideas what is causing it?

06/25/2011 5PM
PH: 7 .5
Temp: 81
Humidity:48
PPM: 300
No action taken yet need to do more research and some opinions

That last dose of 15 mil of nutes did it. I found that when you get close to the desired PH level, leave it over night before adding any more up or down. Most of the time the tips of the leaves turn brown. Then you know to cut back. Sounds like you have a lot of work to do. I did a closet grow couple years ago and on one plant eight zips. you have to get lights and ventilation. You can do it just keep motivated and don't let your room get to far behind your plants before fixing it. Good Luck

Ya I spent all day re-doing everything. I have to make another trip out to the store need to get some more tubing but when its finished I will post some picks. I didnt have to let my plants die to learn my lesson. That previous res was crap. Unfortunately I still dont see any feasible way to vent and cool. Also I grabbed some more CFLs.

Pics will be up soon.

New System up. I expect it to be much easier to work with and I wont have an algae problem because of light. On a more disappointing note after all the work today I lost track of which plants where which so ill have a surprise come flower. Also I ordered a better PH meter instead of the drops because they only read as low as 6.

Brand new water in the new reservoirs.
06/26/2011
PH: <=6?
PPM: 200
Temp: 79
Humidity: 50%

although the temp readings were taken after working in the closet so I expect it to be hotter tomorrow. Question about the water level. I have a wick system going on to in the net pots, but how high can I raise the water relative to the netpots and the rockwool? Thanks All!

So this noobie needs some reassurance the new system has only been up for a day, but I have seen a wild swing in everything and need to know that this doesnt mean something horrible is going wrong even though that very well could be it. I can guarantee there is no light leak into the res other than maybe some how making through the hydroton. I see some algea popping up, but it very well could be just organic mass from the nuts, agian im noob so dont know this is just what I have read. Here are the stats

Humidity: 45%
Temp: 84, although swings wildly during the day depending on whether the closet doors are open or not(no ventilation and I have to close them while im at work). It has been up to 96 and as low as 74. I think this is the most critical factor in the algea growth. Between measurement the only change in the res was adding the air stones to circulate.

Yesterday to today:
PH - <6.0 to >7.5
PPM - 200 to 360

I am ok with the PPM rise, but I added enough PH down to bring it back down to the lower 6.X. Ill take another measurement tomorrow morning or tonight after letting it sit to give you guys some more info. Help a noobie out guys I would love to share some great bud sex with yall.

Edited by GuessWho420, 28 June 2011 - 01:26 AM.

So after adding 10 ml of PH down to each rez last night I measured again this morning and it was around 7.4 in both with a PPM of 425. Added another 10ml to each res and will measure this afternoon.

Things werent horrible today. Ph is down to 6.4, but not sure how low it was after the 3 caps for PH down in an 5 gallon rez, it could still represent a significant rise. I added on cap of PH down to each rez and will measure again tonight.

PPM: 465
PH: 6.4
Temp: 82
Humidity: 40

loving all the details and the neat work.
Subscribed!

Hey man. We actually started almost at the same time. I started germ 3 days after you! This is my first grow so i'm a noob. Just remember that. I'm learning just like you. One thing i'm definitely learning is that hydro ain't easy. Not by a long stretch. Everything's got to be under control and things can fail very quickly.

I don't know anything about your nutes and mine are completely different, but do you know if you're using any type of CalMag (Calcium / Magnesium) product? I had a similar problem with climbing pH levels too. I found out by reading other threads that low ppm water (like yours) lacks any good kind of pH buffer and that CalMag can help smooth things out. Luckily, my nutrients kit came with something called MagiCal and with just a little of it, my pH has been pretty stable since i started using it. The most it'll go up in a day is like 0.3 now. Funny. Neither of the two grow books i bought covered this scenario.

The pH of your solution is supposed to change over time because your plants crap out higher pH crap than what they eat, water evaporation, etc. And remember, the pH of your medium is every bit, if not more important, than the pH of your soup. You need to make sure nutrient salts don't build up to deadly levels in your growing medium.

As for your reservoir, i think it's the heat down there. Have you been monitoring reservoir temps? I don't know what that is down there, but it just looks like some kind of rot to me. Doesn't look good. And it doesn't look like other reservoir pics i've seen anyway. Even if you don't have light leaks, i think the heat alone is enough for it to be a serious issue.

In the pics of your new setup, what are those clear tubes? From what i've read about hydro so far, clear tubes are a no-no. They are just another light leak.

Question: Why did you put your air stone under rocks? Why do they need to help mix nutes when the nutes should be mixed already? I just ask because i haven't seen it in other grows and i thought the sole purpose of an air stone is to oxygenate the water. Hell, i'm terrified to let anything into my reservoir without a super sound reason, hehe. Btw, when's the last time you changed reservoir? What's your reservoir change schedule?

Answer to your question: Yes, the reservoir needs to be oxygenated 24/7. Turning off the pump is bad.

The good news: It looks like your plants are still chugging along so that's good. I hope you get your pH and reservoir issues get fixed.

The bad news: I think you have 2 main obstacles. One is heat. And the second is stagnant air. When i imagine your setup, i imagine an oven. A hot box without a way to get fresh air in. Even if you have a fan in there, no fresh air circulates in, and you're just recirculating "used-up," Co2 depleted air.

It might not be a bad idea to take a step back and reassess. You might get over the pH and reservoir issue for now, but down the road, you're going to face worse problems. At least now, they're only seedlings and you can deal. But you don't want shit hitting the fan when your girls are big, bushy, sticky and smelly. Shutting down your grow temporarily may not be a bad idea. First, create the conditions to grow right. Then grow. You've come this far already. Might as well take the last few steps and figure out ways to solve heat and air circulation. And then, after that, only your carelessness can stop you from that big, stanky, dank stash we're both workin' for. Best of luck!

Hey, it just occurred to me. You said you had no air circulation. How are you going to deal with odor?

Buddha out

Lower your ph! Soil mediums require a ph of 6.2-6.4, hydro should be 5.6-5.8, I've even seen people who are in flower start as low as 5.2 and they'd let it creep up till 5.6-5.8. Also regular res changes should be done, I change my res every week during flower every two during veg.

Like Buddha said I to believe your res is to warm, looks to me that your nutes are turning into something your plants probably won't like... No let me rephrase that, wow that's some nasty s*it you gotta fix that.

More air flow means more CO2 for your plants and more air flow means less heat. Fix your heating problem And that might fix alot of your problems.

Also I've learned that adjusting your ph everyday screws with the plants. One journal I have been following he was fixing his ph at least once a day and his plants weren't doing to good, as soon as he fixed his heating problem, he stopped having to adjust the ph everyday and his plants took off.

I subbed, hope some of this helps.

Definitely agree with the fellas above.
Temps are extremely important in hydro. If you don't have a passive intake and an outtake things are gonna get hot.

Just a [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YFADW8"]booster fan[/ame], Nothing too special or strong but I have one and it moved air pretty well. It would probably be enough for you.

And get some Cal mag or something similar as stated above. You need your PH buffer or it'll be swinging. Don't have a link but Ive read ph swings .5 and higher stress the plants a bit.

Keep up the good work!

Wow a bunch of love all at once thanks guys. So my experience with the first res was just that an experience learned tons and nipped a ton of mistakes in the butt before the plants could feel them. Ill list the stats for today than address the comments.

06/29/11 5PM
PH: 5.7
PPM: 540
Temp: 79
Humidity: 43%

Regarding the PH - My first rez was a nightmare because it was so large and I placed a ton of cheap rocks at the bottom in an attempt to diplace some water so when I cleaned I wouldent be throwing away a ton of expensive nutes. Most likely some of the rock was dissolving into the rez rising the PH. My ph is currently under control at a steady 5.8.

CalMag - The attendant at the hydro store said that Hydrozyme performed the same job and then some so I went with that instead, but if he was wrong I will order CalMag. Just let me know.

Circulation - Moved a fan closer to the plants to give them a little breeze, but the closet is only closed from 11 PM to 5 AM, when im sleeping. other than that the air gets to circulate through the room. I know this is not ideal, but destroying the closet with ventilation is not an option.

Heat - I have been able to manage the air temp simply by having the night time be when the closet is closed from 11 to 5. Not a perfect fix, but cant think of another option.

Res temp - I have not been monitoring it, but this is next on my list of fixes. How do yall manage the res temp?

C02 - Well I would like to keep the PPM as high as possible so I will be adding some fungi to help with that later in July.

Odor - Well this is a kind of play it by ear thing. Since I cant vent a carbon filter wont do me any good. Fortunately I have time to ponder this problem before it needs to be addressed.

Clear Tubing - Two run into each rez from the air pump to airstones. Getting clear ones was a mistake I just have yet to return to PetSmart to get black tubing. The reason you can see them is because It was easiest to feed them through the net pots. I will be re-routing them when I get longer ones to not run around the light and the plants.

New Issue - So I noticed a little white (please dont be right) mold around the plug on one of the plants. any suggestions?

Thanks again guys honestly I was getting a little down and was losing interest in maintaining this journal, but with a couple people interested Ill keep the info flowing!

PICS:
1. Set-Up shows the fan moved. I raised the lights just for the pic they are usually 8" away
2. Learned my lesson not to play with the chemicals over the plants. A drop of PH Down fell on the leaf. It was withered the next morning so I chopped it.
3. The is just a pic of where the average ones are at right now

Edited by GuessWho420, 29 June 2011 - 10:10 PM.
Pics

First off the white "mold" I'm sure everyone has that problem at least once. What it is, is build up of nutes that are exposed to light which is fixed just by stopping the light from reaching your cubes. If you do let it go for to long it can start to give you problems especially if your plants are top fed. Stop the light from touching the clay and root cube and that should stop.

I personally dont have temp problems due to the fact that I use a AC unit when needed "almost never" but if your closet/room is ventilated properly there shouldn't be a need to cool unless your ambient temp is high. Also another way to keep it cooler is to have your lights on at night.

My res temps stay pretty much constant at 68. I keep my res away from everything, lights, exhaust Etc. water transfers heat easily. Also a large res stays cooler then a small one (common sense). I don't know how much room you have to spare so I can't help ya there. Some kind of heat exchanger/water chiller might be a good approach but gets $$.

I found your thread from buddha's thread, saw you were wanting input, so here I am. Hope this helps and I'll be checking back often.

Ya thank from what Ive read the mold is no big deal unless you just ignore it. Ive taken some step already to try and stop it the rockwool and plug were staying pretty wet cause I had a wick system going to help feed the plants till the roots covered the rockwool. But the roots are growing like crazy and I wanna nip the mold in the butt so I cut the wicks. Thanks for stopping by and I will keep the pics coming to keep you interested.

Sounds like a good start. I don't know if you grow legally or not, but if you're not, i'd be super worried about odor control. Plants still look good though!

Its all illegal federally, but regardless I dont know that I want everything in my house to permanently smell like dank; Assuming I get that far.

06/30/11 6AM
PH - 6.4
PPM - 500
Temp - 84
Humidity 37%

Edited by GuessWho420, 30 June 2011 - 10:03 AM.

Your ph is totally f'd. I read threw your first few posts again, your ph moves way to much to quickly. Honestly I'd throw those nutes out and get synthetic until you figure out your problem. My ph barely moves maybe .3 over a day. You having to correct the ph as much as you are can only lead to being bad... Your little ones have just begun life, can you imagine six weeks from now? Id hate to see you have to try again.