# Bioballs



## nouvellechef (Mar 11, 2010)

The answer to hydroton? I am hearing it knocks it out of the park for ease of cleaning and aeration for roots. Look on Ebay. What ya think?


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## burnin123 (Mar 11, 2010)

is this your system?


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## hugs4nuggs420 (Mar 11, 2010)

they had these at the pet store i used to work at and they were running in an aquarium fish filter system. For ease of cleaning their is no better. 

We had heavy sludge probs in our tank system for a long time and when we eventually cleaned out the entire system, those bio balls were the easiest thing to clean. Just gently ran them over some water and they were spotless.

Interested to see how well they work in a hydro set up, I'm sure the roots will take very well in them.


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## ishnish (Mar 11, 2010)

interesting...  i might see if they got something like that at petco and give it a try in a bucket...


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## nouvellechef (Mar 11, 2010)

Now I just found out they have weighted ones also, even better. 

No thats not my set up.


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## LEFTHAND (Mar 11, 2010)

nouvellechef said:
			
		

> The answer to hydroton? I am hearing it knocks it out of the park for ease of cleaning and aeration for roots. Look on Ebay. What ya think?


 
*Neat.. how  is it for retaining moisture/water??*
*LH*


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## nouvellechef (Mar 11, 2010)

I dont know if it does or not. Do we need it to? It would increase floods in Ebb, which is good and in a dripper system that recirculates, not really needed.


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## AcesUp (Mar 11, 2010)

These will not hold any water as they are made of plastic. They are used in outdoor KOI ponds for beneficial bacteria to colonize. They basically have alot of surface area.


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## jmansweed (Mar 12, 2010)

Hey - hey,

My buddy Greener Pastures is a long time aquarium enthusiast. A real good one I might add. As soon as I mentioned these to him he told me about Ehfisubstrat Pro. It's composed of smaller balls, made of primarily glass I think. It's extremely porous, naturally creating tremendous surface area - very similar to the BioBalls. Might have to try a few different types - eh?

Not much in the way of water retention either but w/ a top feed bucket - it may be a solid alternative to hydroton........:hubba:  

  hXXp://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4136+8983&pcatid=8983

peace.................Jman


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## nvthis (Mar 12, 2010)

Wouldn't 'extremely porous' cancel out the benefit of easey cleaning?


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## dirtyolsouth (Mar 12, 2010)

Yah all that's just peachey...   BUT what do they feel like when you STEP on one...?


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## Growdude (Mar 12, 2010)

why would these be any easyer to clean?


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## nouvellechef (Mar 12, 2010)

Do we need water retention on top drip or Ebb for that matter? Top drip there is no need. Ebb, it just would increase floods with less retention which is a good thing for uptake, no? 

NV, how would it cancel it out? They are like a see thru ball homey. So easy to clean. Wont make you want to smash something in your room when you step on one with bare feet compared to hydroton.

Grow, They dont retain anything or maybe a tiny % of moisture. makes it easy as they dont retain salts and they are see thru.

I have not tried them first hand, just hearing this and now I will for sure pick a few up and follow up. Oh and IMO, they look wayyy more bad azz then hydroton. I am sure you will need a styrofoam insert around the top of the plant base to cover light from getting down there for those that run open top, until a heavy canopy is created, well hopefully.


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## zem (Mar 12, 2010)

i have some biogel balls they retain a lot of water in them, they initially look like tiny little balls but they expand when soaked in water and they hold the water and ferts for long time in them they have a gelatine touch a bit disgusting like the touch of a frog's skin lol, they are very easy to clean since theyr extremely slippery. i never tried them on MJ i just have a bamboo stick in them and it stays alive for so long without any watering, the balls shrink down in size and should be sprayed or flooded with water to swell again. i am interested in using them sometime with my mother plants dunno if i will do it tho


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## pcduck (Mar 12, 2010)

:confused2: I use these in my aquarium filter. They do not seem any easier to clean then hydroton. Mine are not made out of plastic, but some kind of pumice? maybe, but I know they are not plastic.


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## JBonez (Mar 14, 2010)

blue growing media would at the least look cool.


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## Locked (Mar 14, 2010)

Looks like they come in different colors as well....google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=opB&rls=com.ubuntu:en-USfficial&resnum=0&q=Bio+Balls&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=11705142990461635292&ei=bg2dS5aCKsP88Ab-gYWtDg&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBMQ8wIwAA#ps-sellers


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## zem (Mar 14, 2010)

PieRsquare said:
			
		

> Ebb and Flow will out-perform DWC every time because of the increased oxygenation of the roots. This is a proven fact in the hydroponic scientific community.


im sorry i dont mean to contradict your info just that i dont think so, i did flood and drain for years and just now i switched to dwc and i never seen the root structure i saw in dwc, so i think that dwc once done right could at least be as good or better than flood drain, the key is to get a very powerful airpump and to set the water level low so that roots get misted with oxygenated water, this gives em too much O2 and roots will become thick like stems IME


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## LEFTHAND (Mar 14, 2010)

zem said:
			
		

> im sorry i dont mean to contradict your info just that i dont think so, i did flood and drain for years and just now i switched to dwc and i never seen the root structure i saw in dwc, so i think that dwc once done right could at least be as good or better than flood drain, the key is to get a very powerful airpump and to set the water level low so that roots get misted with oxygenated water, this gives em too much O2 and roots will become thick like stems IME


 
*the question is did you do ebb right.. alot of people think a couple waters a day is fine.. when in reality its not.. you have to flood as much as possible.. like 1hr on 2 off 24/7 ...not saying you dont or didnt know how to run ebb.. *
*LH*


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## zem (Mar 14, 2010)

i used to flood every 2 hours when lights on and only 2 times when lights were off, i dont know which is better but what i personally experienced is that dwc is at least as good once done right  i did mess up couple of times when i had the misconception that a submersible pump is enough to air my res but once i got my new airpump it was a different story


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## nouvellechef (Mar 14, 2010)

I was probably just taken in by the cool colors. I think all systems have there advantages. But I can end the argument here of what's better. I just got my new Undercurrent. If you don't know by now, it will blow away both DWC, top feed and Ebb styles. Look it up. I have it running right now. Its water movement is ridic. I have the Ebb running, never done top feed, but the UC is gonna grow trees and massive growth rates. Srry, rambling. 

Back to the balls. There awesome. I got blue. Will follow up.


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## nouvellechef (Mar 14, 2010)

Kool. Were gonna find out soon.


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## nvthis (Mar 14, 2010)

_"In many 'solution culture' hydroponic systems, *the oxygen supplied for plant root uptake is provided mostly as dissolved oxygen (DO) held in the nutrient solution.* If depletion of this dissolved oxygen in the root system occurs, then growth of plants, water and mineral uptake are reduced."_ 

If this is so...(~DO~)


Then how does this work?



			
				PieRsquare said:
			
		

> With Ebb and Flow, the entire root system is exposed to nothing but oxygen. Depending on how porous your media is, it will retain some nutrient solution in the media and withing the root system itself, but the majority of the root system is literally sitting in nothing but oxygen. This is why hydroponic scientists have repeated over and over that nothing except aeroponics can come close to the oxygen saturation of ebb and flow.


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## SherwoodForest (Mar 14, 2010)

hydroponic scientists, hydroponic scientists, hydroponic scientists, sheesh! If I read hydroponic scientists one more time I'ma sock one in the mouth when I see a hydroponic scientists.


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## zem (Mar 14, 2010)

actually the normal dwc of lettuce or vegetables is very different than MJ form of DWC with a bubbler, the lettuce is floated on water and all the roots are submerged while MJ DWC only the lower rootball is submerged and the suspended roots are misted with fresh air 24/7, the "scientists were probably referring to the vegetable form of dwc


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## nvthis (Mar 14, 2010)

PieRsquare said:
			
		

> Your quote is out of context and obviously doesn't apply to ebb and flow. It would apply to DWC and NFT systems only.


 
Interesting... It didn't come with any warning that it _wouldn't_ be in context... 

Anyway, I found this... 


*How Oxygen Keeps Your Plants Thriving!*
_Oxygen is used in large quantities by plants. If you were to analyze a dried plant you would find that about 45% consisted of Oxygen atoms. Just like humans, plants need fresh air and their cells use Oxygen in the same kind of quantities that ours do. In air conditions with a low concentration of Oxygen, or where the air is poor, plants do not thrive. Those that do manage to eke out an existence remain poor stunted specimens. _
_The leaves of a plant have easy access to Oxygen. They make it as a natural bi-product of the process of producing plant sugars and breathe it out as waste during the process of photosynthesis. _
_The roots of the plant do not have the same amount of Oxygen available to them. They have to work a lot harder to find enough for their needs. Insufficient Oxygen at the roots will reduce the plants root respiration and result in the shutting down of photosynthesis. _
_A plantâ&#8364;&#8482;s growth and its yield are governed by the size and health of its root system. It can only grow to its full potential if the roots have enough Oxygen for their needs. In plants grown hydroponically this essential ingredient is supplied dissolved in the nutrient solution. _
_Dissolved Oxygen in the nutrient solution can be measured by a DO meter. These are available from all good hydroponics equipment suppliers. _
_The amount of Oxygen dissolved in the solution will vary depending on both temperature and pressure. The warmer the water the lower the gaseous content will be. Really cold fresh water has a DO reading of up to 14 ppm or 14mg/litre, while water at 30 degrees centigrade can only hold about 5ppm or 5 mg/l DO. _
_This DO only amounts to a very small percentage of the roots needs. All water culture systems have to utilise some other form of oxygenation for the roots as well as DO in the nutrient. Root systems that have insufficient Oxygen available will soon turn brown and become very sick. _
_We aerate the nutrient in our systems in order to get the best saturation that we can, (from 5ppm to 8ppm) but the main function of this aeration is to kill off the anaerobic bacteria around the roots. Anaerobic bacteria are pathogens that cannot survive in an oxygenated environment; (Anaerobic meaning without air). _
_Because the dissolved Oxygen in the nutrient can only supply about 1% of the roots requirements, the balance must be made up by breathing air. This air is trapped within the soil in conventional gardening and in the growing medium in normal hydroponics systems. This Oxygen search uses up energy that the plant could better use to produce root growth. _
_The only type of system where this does not happen is the aeroponics system. The aerated water being sprayed directly onto the roots, allows the plant to take in free Oxygen from the surrounding air, while still keeping the roots moist and supplied with nutrient. _
_One of the functions of Oxygen is to facilitate the exchange of nutrients and gasses between the plant roots and the surrounding solution. It does this by changing the electrical charges within the water, so allowing the roots to absorb the available nutrients with the least expenditure of energy. For this reason, if no other, the roots need all the Oxygen they can get._

Sounds like ebb and flow is indeed and oxygen paradise! Thanks for clearing it up! 

Interesting how one can find so much conflicting information on the web.....

(by the way, I don't know one damn thing about hydroponics, I was just curious... And Chef, as for the balls... If they are very very porous ~i.e. pumice~ I would think THAT would make them hard to clean. After all, isn't that what makes hydroton hard to clean??? )


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## zem (Mar 15, 2010)

PieRsquare said:
			
		

> Actually, when you use a mist in a DWC application, you've then converted it to a hybrid of both aeroponic and DWC. Also, the water used in the application you're referring to is oxygenated by radical agitation and rapid exchange in the flow tanks. Your comment makes me think you haven't studied much about the subject. There is no fault in that. Keep learning and you'll discover that hydroponics goes way, way beyond what has been discussed here on this group and a few marijuana books.


strange thing is that i dont see any pic of any of your grows, you're still in period of research, i've done my readings and chose ebb&flow like you  and then switched dwc and saw with my own experience. it's funny how people think they know everything cuz they read a book or probably an article or maybe even fantasized about it. i mean i dunno but would the major hydroponic growers use dwc to grow tons of food if it was not optimal? you've begun to annoy me with your "superior intellect" lol i bet you never grew a plant, you came teach us what you've read, start growing dude you'll learn a lot, you still have a long way to go LOL


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## pcduck (Mar 15, 2010)

PieRsquare said:
			
		

> Ebb and Flow will out-perform DWC every time because of the increased oxygenation of the roots. This is a proven fact in the hydroponic scientific community.



Where did you get this information? What is your source?


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## loolagigi (Mar 15, 2010)

my brother used small rocks from hd. worked like a champ


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## nouvellechef (Mar 15, 2010)

Ahh look what I started. Throw out the word, "blueballs" and everyone can relate 

NV, the balls are not porous. They are soft and weighted, like a plastic substance. I will follow up.


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## nouvellechef (Mar 15, 2010)

PieRsquare said:
			
		

> Why are you being so antagonistic? I'm not here to belittle you or put you down in any way. I'm proud of what I've learned. It took decades of work to learn what I've accomplished and now you feel you have to attack me? Why is that? Do you feel threatened by me somehow?
> 
> I've also grown MJ for quite a few years. I don't post my photos because I don't feel safe doing so. It's that simple. Try opening your mind and learning instead of falling back on anger. I'm not attacking you in any way. Your attack on me is wrong and unnecessary. You say that the major growers use DWC? You're totally wrong. It's not used by ANY major growers. NFT is the most common type of hydroponics used by commercial growers.
> 
> ...


 
How many watts are you running? I got your PM. When you say "small" grow OP like mine. Do know what I run? LOL


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## nouvellechef (Mar 15, 2010)

Sounds like you got it down. No its not a cartel, but its 200 sq ft, 130sq for lighting. One soil, one Ebb and the new UC. I already know what Ebb can do. Not saying your wrong, but the UC dominates the Ebb. I promise you. Ppl that cash crop on other sites, dont spend 2k on a system that dont produce. Otherwise, they would run Ebb. I have same lights over each, and I already know the UC outdoes it, cause the only reason I got it was I saw it in action, it also limits plant numbers and increases grams per watt if done right.

16 site, 40" centers
7k watts
13 gal modules

You do the math 

Threads outta whack. I luv blue balls....


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## zem (Mar 15, 2010)

PieRsquare said:
			
		

> You say that the major growers use DWC? You're totally wrong. It's not used by ANY major growers. NFT is the most common type of hydroponics used by commercial growers.
> 
> How about if you get the chip off your shoulder and try reading a few books to learn something from? I haven't read "a book", as you so callously stated, but many hundreds of books on just one subject; hydroponics. I'm also not flaunting what you call my "superior intellect", as I don't have a superior intellect, just a work ethic that makes me work hard to learn something I want to know thoroughly. I have worked hard to learn hydroponics. Both in practice and by study.
> *WTMIL*


so these are not major commercial growers?
 hXXp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmq9SPPgUpc
hXXp://www.hydronov.com/02-HydronovInc/Hydronov_02_E.htm
LOL if this guy read and learned so much how's he get these conclusions? i'm sorry guys but IMO he's a joke, DWC is very widespread in growing commercial food, the hydronov company has done setups that are huge in china canada US mexico and japan all are DWC and smallest is 14000 hectares! i wasnt arguing with him only exchanging info until he told me that i havent read enough and that he had :rofl: so strange how he missed reding that


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## nvthis (Mar 15, 2010)

jmansweed said:
			
		

> Hey - hey,
> 
> My buddy Greener Pastures is a long time aquarium enthusiast. A real good one I might add. As soon as I mentioned these to him he told me about Ehfisubstrat Pro. It's composed of smaller balls, made of primarily glass I think.* It's extremely porous, naturally creating tremendous surface area* - very similar to the BioBalls. Might have to try a few different types - eh?
> peace.................Jman


 
Ah ha! Hey Chef (Jeeze man, 2 chefs on this site... Very confusing..), sorry brother, this is what I was responding to when I mentioned the cleaning thing... Sorry for the confusion... 

~NV


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## zem (Mar 15, 2010)

PieRsquare said:
			
		

> So your argument is to name call?
> 
> I've already reported you to the Moderators.


lol i thought you had me on ignore, and i havent called you names lol you just tellin all DWC growers they havent read enough and believe me some mods grow DWC. i truely think that your not truthful so im not calling you names, i actually dont believe a word you say especially when you say you read HUNDREDS of books! lol


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## ishnish (Mar 15, 2010)

I couldn't find any bio(blueballs) 
but i came across these bio-ring things and thought i'd pick up a small pack to run an experiment or two..
made from ceramics I believe..
hXXp://www.animalworldnetwork.com/cabifiprceri.html

i'll keep posted when i get the chance to try it out.  gotta wait for the veggy's to veg so i can get two clones off the same plant to run a decent side by side test.
price wise I doubt i'll be switching to bio-rings unless I get some killer results.


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## ishnish (Mar 15, 2010)

PieRsquare said:
			
		

> People like you are all mouth and no action. Be quiet. *You're showing your ignorance.*



forgive me if i'm wrong, but aren't Pies round??? :rofl:

Follow your own advice PieR²

no one likes a "know-it-all"   :argue:

And why so scared to post a pic?   Are 'they' out to get you?


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## zem (Mar 15, 2010)

PieRsquare said:
			
		

> Btw, the lettuce hydro you've shown is NFT. NOT DWC. I don't care what they call it. DWC is standing water with aeration. The lettuce crops you so ignorantly showed are all NFT. The nutrient water flows through the trays and back into a holding tank which is aerated. The process is called Nutrient Flow Technique, (Not to be confused with Nutrient Film Technique). Learn your subject. It's water culture, not Deep Water Culture. Your ignorance of the subject is hanging out.


let me start with saying that i never intended to pick up a fight with you or anyone, actually i consider it to be a kind of a debate, that said, lemme ask you, so if what your calling NFT and what the pro food growers call DEEP POOL floating raft technology  is diferent that MJ DWC thats cuz it's floating with roots totally submerged, how could it be better than a DWC with roots partially in air? your whole statement that ebb&flow is better was based on the fact that in ebb&flow the roots are getting air and not submerged :confused2:


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## ishnish (Mar 15, 2010)

your continuous rambling of one subject as though you're an expert classifies you, at least in my book, as a "know-it-all."

you seem to really like ebb&flow.  that's totally cool dude.
lots of people on this forum like DWC.  that's cool too.

this thread was started to talk about these ball things as a growing medium. not argue about what hydro system is best, go start a thread in the hydroponics section if you want to argue your point further.

and i haven't attacked you...  yet...   :hubba:  :hitchair:
i'm just a lil annoyed that I had to scroll past a bunch of off-topic posts.
sorry i didn't make myself clear previously.


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## pcduck (Mar 15, 2010)

> In a comparison of the two, Ebb and Flow supplies more oxygen to the roots if the fill and drain cycles are proper




Where is this comparison and who did it?


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## pcduck (Mar 15, 2010)

why don't ya just link me? to where it state this? or is he the only one that has this opinion?


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## loolagigi (Mar 15, 2010)

piersquare, no, nobody like a know it all.......


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## zem (Mar 15, 2010)

PieRsquare said:
			
		

> They can call it anything they like. It's NFT. The "floating raft" title is to differentiate between that type of growing and all the others. It's a sub-type of NFT.
> 
> Stop saying things that aren't true. I never said "ebb&flow is better was based on the fact that in ebb&flow the roots are getting air and not submerged". Now you're the one making things up.
> 
> Ebb and flow creates a vacuum that draws oxygen all the way to the bottom of the media. It totally saturates the entire root mass with oxygen. DWC does not. In a comparison of the two, Ebb and Flow supplies more oxygen to the roots if the fill and drain cycles are proper. There is no way for DWC to provide that much oxygen to the roots. These are facts, not opinions.


im glad we could argue with no more mocking  i think that no matter how many times you flood and drain you cannot supply as much air as a good airpump does, ive done both compared em myself and nouvellechef also did it and reported dwc to be superior. the DWC of mj is done using airstone and water level low below netpots so the roots are suspended in air and getting fine bubbles mist from the airstones and NOT from a hybrid or aero/DWC just an airstone no misters...


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## ishnish (Mar 15, 2010)

So...   any thoughts out there on the bio-rings i picked up??
i'm thinking that I'll fill the lower half of the netpot with the bio-rings and the top half with rockwool & hydroton...


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## LEFTHAND (Mar 15, 2010)

zem said:
			
		

> im glad we could argue with no more mocking  i think that no matter how many times you flood and drain you cannot supply as much air as a good airpump does, ive done both compared em myself and nouvellechef also did it and reported dwc to be superior. the DWC of mj is done using airstone and water level low below netpots so the roots are suspended in air and getting fine bubbles mist from the airstones and NOT from a hybrid or aero/DWC just an airstone no misters...


 
*why do you let the soil dry out?? prevents root rot and allows oxygen to the roots..*
*now only if we could feed them but allow a dry oxygen period.. right.. well thats the whole idea of EBB.. you wet/feed doing so pushes all the stail air out.. feedin is done now we want a dry but oxygenated period.. well when it drain it pulls air in.. yes/no?? thats fresh air..  not bubbles nor are the roots sumerged.. *
*LH*


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## SherwoodForest (Mar 15, 2010)

It's good that Pie2 has passion for his beliefs, I look for that in people that work for me. However being someone who is beyond reproach shows a lack of learning ability. Kinda the way folks become after years of being single minded. If you are not willing to accept others opinions and state things like "it's so true, you can't argue it or your an idiot" you don't sound like much of a learner to me. And by the same token, how can you expect others to believe your info when you shove it down their throats like here "eat this chicken, it's steak I tell you, now believe me, and eat up!"


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## ishnish (Mar 15, 2010)

So....
any thoughts out there on the bio-rings i picked up??
i'm thinking that I'll fill the lower half of the netpot with the bio-rings and the top half with rockwool & hydroton..


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## nouvellechef (Mar 15, 2010)

Try it. Never know what might be a great addition to room. I ordered the balls and will follow up. They have sweet colors.


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## ishnish (Mar 15, 2010)

do they have glow-in-the-dark balls?


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## SherwoodForest (Mar 15, 2010)

Hey quit derailing this post with talk of Bio-rings!


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## nouvellechef (Mar 15, 2010)

IDk. Send them a email. They could produce it.


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## loolagigi (Mar 15, 2010)

PieRsquare said:
			
		

> This has gone far enough.
> 
> It's in books. Not online. You have to actually pick the book up and read it. It's been said by so many different people who have actually tested it in hundreds of experiments that it's pointless to call it an opinion. It's not an opinion, it's proven fact.
> 
> I'm sorry. I've tried to share my knowledge and have received nothing but static. I'm done, you win. I'm out. It's not worth it.


lololol,NEVER GIVE UP DUDE!


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## loolagigi (Mar 15, 2010)

ishnish said:
			
		

> do they have glow-in-the-dark balls?


blue balls are not fun.


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## pcduck (Mar 15, 2010)

PieRsquare said:
			
		

> This has gone far enough.
> 
> It's in books. Not online. You have to actually pick the book up and read it. It's been said by so many different people who have actually tested it in hundreds of experiments that it's pointless to call it an opinion. It's not an opinion, it's proven fact.
> 
> I'm sorry. I've tried to share my knowledge and have received nothing but static. I'm done, you win. I'm out. It's not worth it.




Do not blame me:ignore: for you not being able to support your opinion:holysheep:


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## SherwoodForest (Mar 15, 2010)

This pie guy is probly a great guy with a wealth of information to give, but you can't come here and present your argument like it's the gospel truth, believe or be damned. It's like when I was 7 and thought I invented the perfect way to masturbate, and after many experiments I decided it was the best way, a flawless technique. So I wrote to the experts on the subject to teach them my methods. Playboy's responce was that while they were happy I found a great way, they too had great methods and some of them felt they did it just as well, maybe even better than my way. Well I figured screw them, if they don't do it my way, they are all going to miss out. It wasn't until years later that I realized other people can be just as good masterbaters as me, no matter how they do it.:banana:


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## ishnish (Mar 15, 2010)

:rofl:


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## zem (Mar 15, 2010)

lmao


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## loolagigi (Mar 15, 2010)

roflmao


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## Jericho (Mar 15, 2010)

Pie, could i have the name of some of the books you have read. Im not trying to prove anything you seem to know what you talking about. Just would like to have the books so that i can find them and give them a once over to see whats in it. Lucky me i dont live in the US so downloading online books aint that much trouble.


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## Jericho (Mar 15, 2010)

And im not contradicting anyone here im just wondering. 

Ebb and flow sucks fresh air in from out side and thats the reason that it is the "better way". Now a dwc has air pumped into it constantly. into water and then into the air space in the dwc unit. not all roots are submerged in a dwc unit. so wouldnt the dwc have more air that the ebb and flow if it has the correct pump?


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## nouvellechef (Mar 15, 2010)

Pie, what happened to the other thread? Lame to delete a whole thread with content.


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## Jericho (Mar 15, 2010)

So. I decided to email Dr. Patricia A. Rorabaugh who has a Master's degree in Plant Physiology. I asked if ebb was any better than dwc. and the differences between them. 

The reply i got was:

Both flood & drain and deep water culture are good methods of hydroponics.  I've never heard that one is favored over the other.  Both provide water and nutrients to the roots.  Oxygen is provided in flood and drain systems every time the water drains.  In deep water culture systems one would have to add oxygen via bubblers. 
* Certainly the choice of plants to grow may be a factor in any results found from a comparison.  If you grow large tomato plants, flood & drain many times a day for good aeration but do not use bubblers for aeration in the deep culture system, then yes the flood & drain plants will probably do better.  So, make sure your are giving your plants the same conditions (water, nutrients, oxygen and aerial environment).*  The only difference should be the systems used.  Good luck with your project. 
Dr. Rorabaugh 

I shall be happy to forward the Email to anyone who would want it. she also seems very helpfull if you tell her its for a school project. Hehe. 

This is her info page hXXp://ag.arizona.edu/PLS/faculty/rorabaugh.html


I have also asked her to clarify the bold text to be sure that we are getting the correct responce. 

And please pie if you have the names of the books could you advise me on the ones you found best. 

Cheers


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## loolagigi (Mar 15, 2010)

ok, phew....dwc IS better.....lol


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## LEFTHAND (Mar 16, 2010)

*the guy who writes the books pie was talking about is Dr. Resh... google it..
he has some very awsome info.. 
LH*


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## Jericho (Mar 16, 2010)

yeh i checked him out. he has about 10 books. will get a couple.


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## LEFTHAND (Mar 16, 2010)

Jericho said:
			
		

> yeh i checked him out. he has about 10 books. will get a couple.


 
*He's got some good reading..*
* i as well have ordered a few lol.. MJ has got me into veggie growign as well i love to grow.. everything and anything lol..*
*LH*


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## sallyliao (May 19, 2011)

Interested to see how well they work in a hydro set up, I'm sure the roots will take very well in them.


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