Stealth Hydro Bubbleponics?

[Dr. Stoner]

Hey guys, i've been wanting to start my first hydro grow for a while now and i've finally saved up enough money. I was looking around for a good hydroponics system and i stumbled upon the stealth hydro bubbleponics system SH Hydroponics, Inc. > Bubbleponics™ 6 Planter Starter Kit
It looked pretty cool to me and i was wondering if anyone has had any experience using this system, and could let me know how it worked with the magical plant. Thanks in advance

[SouthernWeed]

That kit is best used as a clone starter or nursury for seedlings. You could use it for a whole grow, but with just a six gallon res, you should not try to grow more than two plants...and even then you'll need to check/adjust ph 2-3 times a day and add water/nute mix once. I would say to go buy a five gallon bucket w/lid, an air pump and airstone. Cut a hole in the lid for the net pot, drill a hole at the top of the bucket to pass the line from the airpump to the airstone, and use that. You can buy all of that at Wal-Mart for around 30 bucks...another 20 bucks for netcup/rockwool/hydroton, and you'll have a much more stable platform for a single plant grow. If you want to grow more than one plant, buy another bucket, an airpump with multiple outlets and another airstone.

[obxgardener]

I used it for my first hydro grow, check out the link in my signature.

[obxgardener]

Thanks blubullett - it worked pretty well; it was good to learn on, but as Southern said, the res is kinda small.

However, you could just buy a $15 40 gal tub at Wal-Mart, and use the rest of the components if you want bigger plants. It's not a bad deal with what they sell for $200, though the lights are only good for veg - I upgraded to 600 HPS which upped my yield to over 5 oz on that little tank.

I did a complete DIY on my second grow in progress, $25 for a net cup/ hydroton/ rockwool package on ebay; $10 35 gal tank; $12 for dual air pump at walmart; $40 for Dutch Masters nutrients... I rigged up an old bilge pump, but they can be had for $40 at Lowes in the pond section. $10 for tubing... and $250 for a 600 watt HPS is a pretty good system for under $400.

I haven't had much problem running only 6 gallons in the res; the PH does drift, but as long as you knock it down once a week between water changes, things work fine. Just keep an eye on the water level - it can go down a gallon a day during veg.

I do check it daily, but have left town as long as a week after adding extra water, and the only problem was burnt tops from growing into the lights.

[Dr. Stoner]

thanks for all the help guys
obx, did you find that your plants got too crouded since the pots are so close to each other?

[obxgardener]

Originally Posted by Dr. Stoner

thanks for all the help guys
obx, did you find that your plants got too crouded since the pots are so close to each other?

Yes - the smartest thing I did was not to veg them too long. In that setup, you don't want the plants more than 12" before you flip the switch.

I was able to overcome some of the crowding by training the plants outward, but I wish I had just cut out holes in a bigger tub and switched everything while I still could. After a while the roots get very tangled too, so you can't move them.

With my new set up, I can still move the plants two months into the grow.

It's all about the res. size - not for holding so much water, or even for the leaves as you can train them, but to spread the roots out.

If you go with that system, just use the top to trace out holes in a larger tub top and cut them with a sabresaw. Keep everything else the same.

Oh yeah, and keep a close eye on res. temps - really bad idea to let the water go over 70 degrees for any extended period. Your best bet is to place it on a concrete floor in a cool room with a fan directly on the res.

And only run the pump once an hour after the roots hit the water - I had it on too much and it rotted the roots.

[Dr. Stoner]

sounds good thanks a lot man i appreciate it

[Jjones]

i made my first one when i was 14 it's easy and if your worried about spacing then you can just reduce the numbers of plants in each tub.

if you make your own all you have to worry about is airating the water enough. i let my roots just hang in the nutes. my mother and cloning box is on the same system too.