Greenislands 5 Gallon Upgrade Ebb & Gro TEK

[Rhilo]

I NEED HELP PLEASE ~
I am in the middle of a sort of Ebb and Grow / RDWC hybrid myself; however, the big problem is, the guy who talked me into this system and who knows it well, is MIA and I am confused...

I have a CAP ebb and grow upgraded to 5 gal pots BUT I was advised to put 5" air stones in each bucket.. I had the system running just DWC with the air and the roots were great (white, healthy, vibrant) - After about a week I switched them to running on the reservoir and the ebb controller and they don't seem as happy as the ones still in DWC waiting to be moved to the new system as I get the buckets ready..

So- I basically have an airated RDWC with 5 gal CAP Ebb and Grow system..

Question: Since I am using the air stones and big air pump 110lph, is the standard controller bucket ok, as it fills the pots about 2/3 full ( 2-3 inches from bottom of 6" net pots) ???

I hate to ask stupid questions but I have spent well over $2000.00 on this room and equipment and the person guiding me on this hybrid system is gone so- I need ya -

What type of fill and drain cycle should I use?
How long and times of day?

I know you used all hydroton and did not do this net pot setup, but I have a feeling you have seen or done this setup.. I don't EXACTLY understand the premise of BOTH (ebb and flow + Air stones in DWC) - Am I supposed to leave the fill cycle on most all the time so the buckets stay full and oxygenated from the air stone, only running the drain cycle 6 times a day or so for 15 minutes - OR - A TOTALLY different schedule..

?????????????????????????????????????????????????

I have some great looking new babies that are super healthy and I don't want to lose them by implementing this new watering method, but I'm in the middle of it now and kinda guessing at some things and that is not good.

Any help would be GREATLY appriciated -
Thanks in advance..

 

[Rhilo]

I know I may be rambling here but just so you know what I have planned and somewhat in place : Is 12 5 gal buckets connected via 3 1/2 " lines which feed rows of 4 buckets; each bucket has 2 ports just as yours, but it does not completely circulate.. I was going to use 2 outputs from the controller bucket for each 1/2 feeder line but again, they terminate after the 4th bucket in the row, not a fully connected "loop".. Is this ok??

I need many tips-
All advise and criticism welcome..

 

[mrgreenisland]

Its crazy to see how many views this post reached. I started this thread a long time ago.. and Im back. Been busy working in Colorado warehouses the past 5 years. Im super glad to see that so many people had a chance to see this project of mine. There have been some significant changes over the years but generally speaking I still know people running these systems I made for them over 4 years ago

 

[Kingsmen83]

Hey buddy, I have been reading the TEK on the 5 gal Ebb and Flow. Quick question, what was the reason for removing the guts of the Controller unit and mounting it on a bigger bucket?
I am only creating a 3 bucket setup, using a 30Gal Rubbermaid Tote for the Res.
I am just debating using a control unit or just raising the buckets a little, pumping up with an overflow and just let gravity pull it back.

Any help is greatly appreciated.