Other than the cost of big reservoirs? Any upsides? I'm leaning towards a bunch of 2X4's, cuz I can source the ressy's for $13 at dePot. But then when you start to get into double digits, the need for so many pumps and timers means more links in the chain - and more opportunities for failure. But on the other hand if you have big tables, you have a lot to loose if one goes sour for some reason. I guess it would be sort of silly to have a gymnasium full of little 2x4 tables. Not that that's what I'm going into but still.
why not run a BIG ressy and offset the times by 45mins....ive done that for years I had 3-3x3 tables running off a 75 gal res, offset by an hour id buy the table that fits the space and forget running multiple tables
For the record 70 gallon ressy barely runs a 4x4 Ive had all kinds of issue making aure a pump doesnt run dry but I have a huge pump fill table in under a min and had to install 2 overflows to not run pump dry with no risers on them
Well nip you could just get a smaller pump That's what I did. One table wouldn't drain fast enough so near the end of the flood time it would start to overflow near the back. I checked the pump and sure nuff, 2X as big as all the rest. I switched it out for a dinky little $12 pump, and bingo....no issues. CC how far can you push that? Like how many tables can you feed off one ressy? I mean can I use one 20 gallon res and have it feed four 2x4 tables - just do one table per hour?
no the volume is not enough in a 70 gallon, granted I only have 60 gallons in the ressy but the volume isn't there, well it may be there in veg, but no way in flower unless you feel like adding water all the time If you run a 4x4 by 3 inches deep 48*48 = 2304 sq inches * .00433 (cubic inches to gallons) = 9.98 gallons * how many inches deep you want to run so for every inch of water equals 10 gallons. plus most pumps suck from the top and sides so you need plenty in the ressy so it do suck air and burn up pump Also, from everything I read and the few months I've been running tables, the quicker the flood and drain the better. Esko told me that a few years ago and never really though about it until I seen two tables side by side, one with a slightly bigger pump...the roots looked happier.
As many as you want, depending on how far they are away make sure you upsize the pump because all pumps loose GPH the further they travel (naturally :roffl but you need to figure out the basic volume as well. Offset timers like CC said, as long as you can fill one table, it will fill another or even 10 more if you offset timers I'm switching my other tabless to two 3x3's per ressy just out of ease of changing things and making nutes
I think I missed your point, or you missed mine. But anyway, there has to be a point where the nutrients get eaten up during the week so you can't feed unlimited numbers of plants with one res worth of nutes. I don't think a quick fill is more important than not overflooding your tables :LOL:
sure you can depending on the formula http://www.asklucas.com/LucasFormula-Addback.html or orginally from superusa (icmag) https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bxw_zEr6WOSsNTYzNTBiN2ItNDZjZi00NTQzLTk4YjktN2ZmMmVlZTJjMjFl/edit?hl=en&pli=1 :roffl: you know i never though about it until i hooked up a 700gph pump...2" of return and no risers later, i solved the problem, but the flow is awesome and I may switch more tables to it. the roots are just sitting in water, it's like a stream washing over them. I have nothing at all but my opinion and could be way off but I'm thinking it's like dwc vs rdwc...one is static and the other is fluid, meaning more oxy at the root level
Are u running all your tables with all the plants at the same stage of flower? Once I get all 5 tables going maybe 2 might be at the same stage, I want to harvest every 2-3 weeks, So one res wouldn't really work in my set up.
Nippie....why in the hell are you flooding 3inches? That's the reason your going dry in a 60 gal 4x4 I have a 75 gallon for my 8x4 table, that's what Hydrofarm even recommends 4x4 is recommended to pair up with a 50gal res....which is what I do and I throw in 40 gal till week 3, then go to 50 till chop
I'm not, prob two plus when you include the bottom of the tray and with risers (on 3x3s and 2x2s) but no risers on the 4x4 with a bigger pump and it maxes out about 1" at 15 minutes but with a very good flow accross the table, the returns are opposite side. But I would agree about the 50 gallons, but I think it would be 50 gallons in a 70 gallon ressy. I think the shape of the ressy matters also, I'm close to 15 gallons befor my pump is even under water but I use 26 (filled to 20 gallons) on my other tables with no issues, the are taller ressys though (totes) and add water at least once a week more like twice.
That's cool and sounds like far less work. But for me it's easier to top off a smaller one than to deal with the size and weight of a bigger one. At 8 lbs per gallon it doesn't take too many to get fucking heavy. A 400 lb res and arthritis don't work well together. And in a years time how many gallons of water, as well as dollars of nutes, went unused by the plants? When it takes a small res worth of water just to cover the pump you're forced to buy the nutes in 5 gallon containers. Might just be me, but my nute ppm levels get higher as the water level decreases. May not be as dramatic a decrease in a huge tank. But I can fix mine with a meter and some water. We all do what we feel works best for our particular situation. Each to his own. Be Cool, CG
really? the ones that I run 20 gallons in I have to constantly top off, I doubt I will in the big one though, actually running beneficial bacteria in there so that I can go a couple weeks without changing it Creative Gardner, they have dollies, if I can get a picture I will of what I'm talking about, but it's a little three wheel...actually just found them online I used four or them under the 70 gallon ressy and it slides like a dream http://www.homedepot.com/p/Shepherd-6-in-Tri-Dolly-9299/100193474?cm_mmc=SEM&cm_mmc=SEM&cm_mmc=SEM&cm_mmc=SEM&cm_mmc=SEM&cm_mmc=SEM&cm_mmc=SEM&cm_mmc=SEM&cm_mmc=SEM&cm_mmc=SEM&cm_mmc=SEM&gclid=CKDLqbvO0cACFcOP7AodEzwASw&gclsrc=ds
