2 Gal RDWC + External 6 Gal Reservoir

Just figured I'd stop by the hydro section and show you guys my latest project. I have a 2x2x4 tent and plan to grow 1 plant at a time from seedling to harvest with a dwc setup.

Originally got a 3.5 gal bubble bucket, but I think it was a little too tall, so I found a 2 gal bucket that was even shorter and I think it is going to work great.

I figured the pH and EC with 2 gal would be hard to keep in check, let alone the draining and adding water with a mid flowering plant. I needed to somehow add more volume to the bucket without adding height inside the tent.

Basically, you can see 3 hoses attached to the bucket in the tent. I had to make holes in the side of the tent for the drain hoses to flow at the right angles (I only paid $30 for the tent anyways)

Bottom outlet on the side is the drain, set at the constant water level I want the plant to have. (Please excuse my ugly silicone job)

Top outlet on the side is my overflow protection (in case drain screen inside the bucket gets clogged).

Top smaller hose is of course the water coming from the external reservoir.

Ball valve on inlet and outlet to control water flow/height..

I will use a wet vac to get the water out of the 2 gal bucket when it comes time to change nutes and flushing.

 

Thank you, me too! I figured there so many ways to do it, might as well try my own way.

 

I did consider that option, but with it being such a small bucket to begin with, my drain is set to allow about 3/4 of a gal in the bucket at all times which I believe is the right amount for the air stone to work properly.

The water pump is at the very bottom of the external res, so I believe the water level would have to drop to below half a gallon in order to run into the issue you describe. I will also be able to monitor this setup daily and top off as necessary.

Thanks for the suggestion/tip! I am definitely open to more. This is why I love GC.

Nice setup you have there btw

 

Figured I'd post a few pics since I've finished setting everything up. What do you guys think?

 

Is anyone interested in me starting a grow journal for this run?

I love showing my progress and knowledge with other blades, but only if people will tag along with me. If it's just going to be me posting pics and daily updates with no visitors, I could just personally log it and use the extra time doing other things.

 

Well I got my answer

 

Lol I just figured it's been a few days since I asked without any replies, and there are constantly hundreds of people on and off GC.

 

Just posting a couple pics that show how this system is working for me. This is 15 days from seed. Shes nice and wet from my foliar feed. Look at those feeders on the roots! Zoom in for even better view.

 

Just an update, switched to transition nutes and flipped to 12/12 as of today.

 

Short veg period (2-3 weeks), strains with short/medium genetics (with less stretch), and training the hell out of the plant(s) lol. I use hooks on the lid to tie the plant down with, that way I can lift the whole plant from the bucket when refilling or cleaning.

 

Yes but your starting height of the bucket is important. I chose a 2 gallon bucket because its 11 inches which gives me little over 2 and a half feet for final plant height 8 inches away from the light and has plenty of room for roots.

Next time I am going with a small rectangle storage tote that holds a little more water but is 7.5 inches tall. Every inch counts in micro grows. I have a dimmable driver which will help if my plant ends up growing taller than I plan.

It would normally be less convenient to grow DWC in this small of a bucket since you'd have to constantly watch the pH and EC/ppm swings.

I happen to have enough room for in my grow area to experiment, so I built the 6 gal external reservoir with a pump to the 2 gal which gravity drains back into the external reservoir. More water in the system means more stable temps, pH, and EC which is crucial for DWC.

 

Well a 3x3x3 is a perfect veg area and autos in 1 gal pots, just saying!