# DWC problems



## stoner 420 (Jan 9, 2008)

hello i am having some problems with my new dwc setup ... first things first i did this with a 10 gal fish tank, a water pump , an air pump , 10'' air stone , and 4 in net pots.... it started out as a drip system and i was having problems with the roots not getting any bigger and the plants stoped growing also... i have two plants that have been in flower for 1 1\2 weeks... i changed it to a dwc system yesterday and one of the plants sunleaves are starting to droop reminds me of overwatering.. i have so pics of the setup pls feel free to give some advice all comments are greatly appreciated..... 

ps is there not enough air in there


----------



## snuggles (Jan 9, 2008)

First things first, what are you using for nutes, what kind of water (tap, distilled, etc.), what is the water temp, pH etc? You have some root problems there, the picture is fuzzy but those roots look brown and slimy to me. Give us some more info and lets see if we can get the plants in a better place....its all part of the hydro learning curve, it can be frustrating at times but you will have it down in no time.

Now that I look closer, how much space you have between the bottom of the netpots and the water level? It looks like the water level is too high and there is no root exposure to the air, so it could explain the overwatered look, plants are drowning and they appear to have some sort of root problem.


----------



## stoner 420 (Jan 9, 2008)

hi snuggles i am useing MG ( i know not the right thing) but before you freak out lol. the ph is inbetween 5.8 and 6.3 ... i use tap water and the water temp is about room temp and the box stays about 85 to 90... so water temp is about the same mayb a little higher...i am sorry that the pic is so fuzzy roots are not really slimy but on the other hand the tubing that is in the water is slowly getting slimy...so mayb.. the net pots are just barely in the water just the bottom of the roots .. but i also have some tape around the top of the net pots to hold the medium for getting in the water.... i tried to lower the water level but then the very tips of the roots were just barly in the water...   the wierd thing is that the little plant on the left is looking great. but they both seem to have stoped growing.... pls help me i need this i am running slim on product for the last grow....


----------



## snuggles (Jan 9, 2008)

How old are those plants? The roots aren't very long, also you do want them to get some room, the airstones should be keeping the roots and the medium damp with water spritz..spritz lol. I think you hit it on the head with the air thing to be honest, like I said from the pictures it looks like the water level is very high, someone might know better but I actually keep the water level an inch or so away when I start a plant from seed, meaning the roots aren't in the water yet but the airstones create enough "spritz" to keep them moist and searching for water ( also as the plants get older and develop roots I drop the water level )...plants get lazy, this is why I tend to underwater as opposed to overwater, gotta make the roots work a little so they spread out, applies more to soil but I think maybe it applies in hydro to an extent to, you want some of the root to be exposed to air. I would definitely lower the water level a bit and see if the airstones keep the netcups and medium moist...if it looks like overwatering its most likely the water level, and lack of oxygen to the roots. Hope this helped you....

Also they may be stunted/stressed so you won't see root growth right away but they should recover though it might take a week before you see some root growth. Also if you are seeing slime I would get a conditioner like Hydroguard or Florashield just to be safe, you'll thank yourself now instead of curse yourself later.


----------



## stoner 420 (Jan 10, 2008)

thanks alot snuggles i really appreciate the help but just to clarify ... for instance the bubbles bead up at the surface and spread so what you are saying is that i need to just get the root tips touching the bubbles at the top instead of submerging them in the water.. i was curious how they were getting air due to the air bubbles going straight to the top ... you have cleared alot of questions for me and i am very greatful....i will try to lower it and see what happens.....


----------



## sweetnug (Jan 10, 2008)

Wow way too high h20 temp bro.  70 max.  snuggles  is correct as far as the water height.  Take a few gallons out.  You also have a pythium problem that may be perm.  Sorry to say but you may have to kill em.  pythium will ruin harvests and is due to high temp as well as other things.  Keep trying once you get the dwc down you'll love it.


----------



## snuggles (Jan 10, 2008)

yeah this is where the slime is coming from, especially if when you say the box is 85-90 degrees you are referring to water. The hydroguard and florashiled will help but only so much if temps are 2 high. However I see you say water is room temp so hopefully that is not 85+degrees. Good luck and its all about hydro love....don't give up...I'm glad I didn't...lol. Have a good morning guys.


----------



## CasualGrower (Jan 10, 2008)

Also, watch your Nute mixtures in DWC.... where you can get by with a 1200-1600PPM full dose with a drip or eb and flow..... DWC grows are much more susceptible to Nute burn, so full dose nutes would be 800 to 1Kish PPM.

Yes get the temps to the 70's.... Low 80's max.


----------



## snuggles (Jan 10, 2008)

CasualGrower said:
			
		

> Also, watch your Nute mixtures in DWC.... where you can get by with a 1200-1600PPM full dose with a drip or eb and flow..... DWC grows are much more susceptible to Nute burn, so full dose nutes would be 800 to 1Kish PPM.
> 
> Yes get the temps to the 70's.... Low 80's max.


It might be a PITA but freezing say two or three small Gatorade type bottles will do the trick, I have to do inside summer grows like this at times...it works but it's a once/twice a day kinda a thing. Oh and I did not know that about PPM, woops I run the drip same as the DWC never going over 1000ppm even in flower...thanks for the info.


----------



## stoner 420 (Jan 10, 2008)

thanks guys for the info really helpful the only bad thing is that i don't have a ppm meter or the fancy epuipment for hydro i guess it was a bad idea to go with hydro considering i don't have the money or easy access to a hydro store the closest is like an hour and a half away so i may just go with a hand watering hydraton in a bucket or something like that..... i just thought i might have the luck with hydro that i have with soil... i helped a buddy with a system with six rockwool trays and a resivoir that driped water for 15 every 3 to 4 hours and we did not have the ppm jsut a ph tester and it was a great turn out ........... pls help me try to get this down....


----------



## snuggles (Jan 10, 2008)

Man its tough with out some sort of pH meter, I never was successful without one. Some guys are and I'm in awe of them cause its a feat in my eyes. I think Ph is more important than PPm for now, if you follow the dosage of your nutes (usually 1/2 full dasage for MJ) the PPM is usually on and you can get away with just topping with water. it might lose some potential but you wont kill it, however if you top with nutes in the water you're gonna need a PPM. But if you could get a pH meter or test strips maybe. Like I said I've been in awe of people who do this with out pH meters. Not that PPM isn't important but if you can only get one I would go pH first then PPM. But everyone is different. My thinking is if you have the money get the meters, they pay for themselves and actually make life easier in the long run. Also do you not like ordering online? I know some people get noided by hydro online, but two of the biggest hydro buyers are elderly and schools, hydro isn't shady in itself. If not get them delivered to a buddies house.


----------



## stoner 420 (Jan 10, 2008)

hey snuggles i really appreciate the info and the quick replies to help me get this hydro thing down.. if you notice in the last post of mine i did state that i had a ph tester i have a ph meter but it is messed up and i can't seem to get it working so i bought the little drip testers that you get at the pet stores..  after the info you and sweetnug have given me i transplanted the wilted one into the same net pot but with hydraton instead of aquirium gravel and perilite
and raised it up out of the dwc and put the driper back on it to see if maybe it will come back if not i will make a top for the tank and just put one net pot with the plant that is doing ok in and see what happens if nothing then i will go with a drip bucket of sorts and make it easier.... once again thanks for the info and if you wish to keep helping me just keep on posting and i will be your student and mayb i will get it down................


----------



## CasualGrower (Jan 11, 2008)

Hey Stoner..... You dont need a hydro store to get the gear.... most of the stuff you can DIY and the pumps can be bought at any pet store and a cheap PH test kit can be had there too..... PH adjusting is easy also, Lemon juice for down and...... I forget what the Up would be,    baking soda i think.


A PPm meter is helpful but not absolutely necessary, just read the direction on any nutes you do use.... and remember to always go on the light side.... better to have to add a lil to correct slow growth than try to revive a nute locked plant.

And for anything you might need and can't find close to home..... there are dozens of Hydro stores with online delivery service.....  

Good luck,  if ya need amy more specifics just holler.


----------



## stoner 420 (Jan 11, 2008)

thanks casualgrower but i do have the equipment like pumps airstones a cheap-o ph tester the ph is fine .... just an update i did lose the sick one i came home today and it was very very sad looking so i just took her out and left the one that is looking good other than slow growth and slow root development but the little starter buds i guess you would call them are still growing like crazy so i guess that is good....... thanks for all the help


----------

