AK-47 & HDF Side By Side Bio-Bucket Style!!!

Big (Teacher) Sorry Meant Toke!!!

Big (Teacher) Sorry Meant Toke!!!

VEG AND MOMS Dont recall...
I don't recall reading through your Bio Bucket (Basically one hell of a book thread) If you have plans to crank it up and go that route or are you content with harvesting and then restarting all over? Let me know and sorry if I missed it. If I did Ill take me lashes.

Yes I’ll be keeping moms…….veg time will probable be four weeks…….as soon as I’m finished with a harvest I have clones to go right back in, I like to do back-to-back grows throughout the year.

BigTokes: "How-To" Of The Bio-Buckets 101
BigTokes: Hard-Core Bio-Buckets, First Big Run!!
BigTokes: Secound Big Run!!
BigTokes: AK-47 Plus H.D.F Bio-Bucket Style

Big Toke:

I used to read all the post over at OG about the BIO Buckets. Im a soil grower but like the simplcity of this system. Due to the disposal of soil I am starting to think about hydro.. I'll be looking at this one daily keep us updated please

real quick question how much would it cost me to build a 4 bucket set up?
peace

sack

Just a guess, everything approximate:
Item _ Cost (in $US)
600w HPS with 4" fan and fittings _ $300
4 five gallon buckets w/lid _ $20
1 30 gallon+ reservoir _ $10
1 bag landscaping lava rock _ $5
4 6" net pots _ $5
misc tubing, fittings, etc. _ $30
1 200gph + water pump _ $60
1 15amp timer _ $15
1 glue gun and glue sticks _ $20
1 Skilter filter 250 (optional) _ $35
1 6" Inline fan _ $200
1 6" carbon scrubber _ $250
6" ducting _ $30
4" ducting (for light) _ $20

TOTAL _ $1000

Please don't let the total figure scare you. This seems like a lot, but if you are going to put out the cash, you might as well do it right. After all, $1000 is just 2.5 ounces of decent weed. This setup will pay for itself in the first grow. I have left out a lot: nutrients, paint, duct tape, meters, etc. Bottom line, growing marijuana is illegal and not cheap. If you skimp on something, say odor control for example, you may find that your freedom is worth much more than the cost of a carbon scrubber.

If I may make a suggestion... for about $200 more (the cost of a 1000w light, larger pump, and bigger fan) you can have six plants and should expect to pull 3 to 6 ounces per plant depending on strain in bio-buckets. If flower room size is your restriction, then nevermind.

I love bio-buckets, but I must confess that I have not done hydro using any other system, so I am not one to judge this system against any other. I like bio-buckets for the ease of maintenance. I visit my grow op once a week for about one hour on average. I recently went as long as three weeks between visits with very little ill effects.

Other things to consider:
The average household circuit is set up for 15 Amps. If you run a 600w light, fan, pump, etc. on one circuit, you will be ok IF YOU RUN NOTHING ELSE ON THAT CIRCUIT. If you use a 1kw light, I would suggest running that on one circuit and putting everything else on another circuit.

A 600w light puts out a lot of heat, a 1kw light even more. You must vent the light seperately from the room. I keep my ambient temps outside of the flower room at 67 degrees F. My 1000w light is vented seperately from my flower room. Both the light and flower room intake and exhaust into the same master bedroom. With temps at 67 in the master bedroom, temps inside the grow room reach 77 degrees during lights on. If you live in the house you are growing in and are unwilling to maintain 67 degrees throughout the house, you may need to consider seperate cooling for the room you are putting your flower room in. Portable AC units that vent to the outside or window AC units are ideal for this.

If all of this is way too much money for your taste... consider doing a cabinet grow using a 250w light. Heat problems are very much reduced, smaller fans are needed, but I would not recommend any more than three plants.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. Good luck.

nTstevenson: hey there,, it's only illeagle for most of you,,, but not in the right state's! The Fed's can still mess with ya, but if you keep it close to what you're prescribed you'll be fine! My Dr told us that they(the dr's) have a LOT more pull now then even 1 yr ago. They can override what county laws say you can have it they deem it nessesary I heard some local ppl's here got busted ,they had scripts only they had about 5 over what they were suppossed to have( two of those being outdoor and could Easily bee seen over the roof of the house, and the fence from one side, they took those two- i wonder why, and a couple from inside) and the cops took all those but 1 (left him with 1 over ). But he didn't get in trouble for having them But my county is gettin more lienient with Prop215 ppl. I'll be watchin this grow Bucket Boy! Good Luck and Good Health to ya!
~Wikid :Gotta Luv Nor Cal :friends:

JohnBell – yea I used to hang with OG they’ve went all anti-Bio-Buckets on me and every thing so I don’t hang there that often any more, but I glad you like my thread over here at IC, when and if the time comes that you want to go Bio-Hydro let me know and I’ll see about hooking you up.

sackoweed – I really don’t remember, it was over a year ago and I’m sure that some thing have went up and some went down, so again I really couldn’t till ya………I don’t really get into that aspect of the Bio-Buckets as to every one lives in different places, but good luck to ya.

BigTokes: "How-To" Of The Bio-Buckets 101
BigTokes: Hard-Core Bio-Buckets, First Big Run!!
BigTokes: Secound Big Run!!
BigTokes: AK-47 Plus H.D.F Bio-Bucket Style

BigToke, my bio-bucket god, I have another question for you. For the last few months I have been having pH problems. Not the normal hydro pH problems of pH floating too high, but actually they dive dramatically. I have no pictures to offer, because I haven't quite gotten over the awful feeling I have while posting on sites such as these. Call me paranoid, I plead guilty.

First some background: I run six 5 gallon buckets with 6" net pots filled with lava rock in a 4'x6'x7' high flower room with 1kW of light. I have approximately 15 gallons in my reservoir with a skilter filter 250 and six inches of drop for waterfall effect. I am running "farmer john" style, with 350gph pump and 1/2" feed line with 1 1/4" return feeding into 2" pvc. My feed line is seperate from the return line. The return to my res has numerous 1/16" holes drilled into the bottom allowing for numerous small streams of solution falling 6" back into the res for an increased waterfall effect. I don't have a DO meter, but I highly doubt that DO is a problem. I have been running my reservoir for about eight months now without a change. I use GH Flora series nutes according to the Lucas formula (0-5-10 in veg, 0-8-16 in flower). I use RO water to automatically top off my reservoirs and add GH nutes weekly to obtain my desired ppm level. Tap water is out of the question as I use well water that is 350 ppm at the faucet. After coming out of my RO unit it is at 5ppm and 6.8 pH. (By the way, why is my RO water 6.8 pH? Could this be the source of my problems?)

I am currently almost finished flowering NL5xHaze, a 65-75 day flowering strain according to Sensi. About 45 days ago I noticed yellow spots developing on old growth fan leaves while in flower. I originally diagnosed this as a Mag def., but I am relatively new to hydro, so I wasn't sure. I added horticultural epsom salts purchased from Home Depot with no observable effect. I then purchased a pH meter and discovered my pH was around 4.2 . I brought pH back up to 5.7 and have had to continue to add pH up ever since. However, this seems to have solved my immediate problem of nutrient lockout and spotting of fan leaves. The fan leaves that were damaged have not died, they are just spotted now.

Since I narrowed my problems to pH drop, I first thought that it had something to do with my setup. I used machine screws and nuts and 1" L brackets to attach my net pots to the underside of my bucket lids. I noticed that these were rusting, so I figured maybe this was causing pH drop. I removed the hardware from the netpots in my mother room (two buckets, otherwise same setup, but in an entirely different reservoir) and cut larger holes in the lid to allow the netpots to rest in the lid. I removed all metal from the system, but still noticed gradual pH drop. I have yet to diagnose the overall problem.

Recently, I read a thread by DeltaNugz at CW that seems to describe my problem. He also used Lucas formula in RO water, but he added back 33% strength nutrient solution from a seperate tank rather than straight RO water. He found that increasing N amounts in his nutrient solution solved his pH problem. He hypothesized that this was due to beneficial bacteria eating up some of the N that was in the nutrient solution, the abscence of which threw off the Lucas formula and dropped pH levels. I have not yet tried this, as my plants are so near finishing, I will just continue to add 15ml of pH up every week until they are done (which will probably be one week from now). But my question is do you have, or have you heard, any experience with falling pH levels in bio-buckets. I have noticed that you change your reservoir after every grow, and I will do this after my current grow has finished, but from what I have heard, Hurtback said that bio-buckets would be relatively stable in the pH department. Are my problems due to using RO water, or should I consider using a more nitrogen rich nutrient formula. If N is the answer, could you suggest something other than just increasing GH Flora micro?

I realize I am probably over-stressing, reservoir change out after every grow will probably fix the problem, but the fact that DeltaNugz also had the problem with almost the exact same reservoir maintenance program I have has got me wondering. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated, as there a far too few bio-bucket specialists out there.

Thanks in advance.

BigToke -


I cant wait to see HDF in your biobucket madness, its a strain i've been wanting to see grown out for a while now to see if it really is heavy duty, and if it is then purchasing...


I'm sure that in your bio-bucket wonderland these plants will thrive!

Basic Water Chemistry!!

Basic Water Chemistry!!

Hay ntstephenson, sorry to here about your (pH) problems I will offer up any thing that I can in order to help a bro out, after all were all just trying to grow the best weed that I can, you don’t need to proved me a picture any more than you need to take my advice, let that sink in a little bit!!! I think some folks are making a mountain out of a mole hill, I only ask folks to proved a picture when they want me to do a step-by-step with them, so your in no danger!!! As far as I can tell all your wanting is advice, and that’s way were all here, right?

Ok well now that that’s out of the way let’s get started!!

Here’s what I see wrong with this. You have a 15-gallon reservoir!!! for 6-bio-buckets? And a 350gph pump!!! WOW talk about your over kill, with that big of pump you could be running 24 to 28 bucket no problem!!! Of course this return thing I am having a little trouble trying to figure that out……..but off the top of my head, I wouldn’t think that the (DO) is your problem any way, as (DO) has no direct relationship with your (pH)……however your (pH) is in direct relationship with your (GH) and (KH)…….therefore if your having (pH) problems you should be looking into your (GH) and (KH), as they are responsible for the buffering abilities of your water, on top of the nutrients that your using. All pure water has a (pH) of 7.0 neutral and as far as the ppm’s go, that is decided mostly by how much calcium and magnesium that is in you water? I’m going to jump way down and pick up were you said Hurback said something

Hurtback said that bio-buckets would be relatively stable in the (pH) department. Are my problems due to using RO water,

Click to expand...

I would say a whole lot on this, but I’m sure what I am going to say we’ll cause a little light go being!! Hurtback I do believe was geographically located in a place that had soft water (guessing)?…..thus the use of Vitialink Nutrients or something like that, anyways they are one of the few nutrient companies that specializes in soft-water-nutrients……..thus very stable (pH) that he had, he did not express this in non of his writings, but I’m almost 100% sure that that was the reason for his success on the (pH) end of the system.

Now on the other hand let’s speak for a moment about what I feel that is mostly every ones problems with (pH), as I have said before every hydroponics system wither it is store bought or (DIY) must be built around two things!!

• (water efficiency) the supply, demand, and runoff thereof.
• utilization of (Dissolved Oxygen). This is, supply, exchange, and replenish.

if you have built or bought your system around these principles, then your next step would be (water analysis), simply put this means (Head or Soft Water?) The main difference between (Hard and Soft water) is hard water contains much more dissolved minerals – calcium and magnesium, for example – than soft water does.

Now that you’ve determined that your water type let’s say is (Hard). Hard water forms when naturally occurring minerals enter water sources. Over time, these minerals are absorbed by groundwater. The two most common types of minerals found in hard water are calcium and magnesium compounds. The term "hard water" was originally coined to refer to water that was difficult to work with. Hard water requires much more soap, shampoo or detergent than soft water, so your soap products don't stretch nearly as far. The effects of hard water are felt most often in daily household activities such as cleaning. The minerals present in hard water inhibit soap's lathering and cleaning capabilities.

All that means is, your water has a certain amount of (calcium and magnesium) in the water, now the way you determine this is by the ppm’s, they tell you how much (GH) are in the water, btw I think most of us already know this but I will say it again, your ppm meter is mostly reading the (GH) of your hydro-systems solution, the reason for this is that calcium and magnesium are the two larger atoms in your water/solution and therefore the most conductive mineral/element of all. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, more than 85 percent of the United States geography has hard water. I have noticed that a lot of growers use water softeners. Water filtration systems come in many forms. I will discuses this later on.
Water Photo


The next step would be for you is to understand what that means to you as a hydroponics grower in a long term recirculating system such as the Bio-Buckets. Hard water is characterized by high levels of Bicarbonates and it makes itself known in the form of calcium and magnesium. Hard water will usually have a high pH but not necessarily, this will depend on the alkalinity of your water source, this is the reason I recommend using tap-water because it has been treated to have the most stable levels of alkalinity and by using any form of water filtration system you have there by destabilized your water alkalinity levels among other things, and thereby will not hold up under long term recalculating growing conditions, but on the other head great for drinking water but were not trying to produce good drinking water for your Bio-System, were trying to produce the best stabilized water possible and the alkalinity levels tell you what that is……..are we begging to see the light yet? Well if not, don’t worry were not done yet!!!

The obvious problem for the grower is that he will be adding quite large amounts of acid on a regular basis. If using Phosphoric acid this may lead to a build up of Phosphate in the reservoir over time. High levels of P in the solution can inhibit the uptake of other salts, Zinc for instance, and cause general nutrient imbalance.

1. The first and most obvious solution is to change-out or flush regularly. This will reduce the chances of Phosphate accumulation and ensure maintenance of a good nutrient profile. Frequency of changes-outs or flushes truly depend on the volume of water/nutrient reservoir size and number of plants. In very Hard water arias however a large amount of Phosphoric acid will be needed to correct (pH) when nutrient is first made up.
2. The Best Solution by far is to use a specific formulation which is usually based on more acidic components. Hard water General Hydroponics Flora Range was formulated in response to demand from growers in various areas of the United Kingdom such as London, Thames Valley and other arias with very hard water. It was formulated to correct the (pH) of alkaline water and minimize the amounts of Phosphoric Acid that are required to maintain it at correct levels. It also takes account of the other minerals to be found in Hard water use of this product will ensure the best possible results in Hard water areas.

ntstephenson – did you know that instead of buying an expensive R/O filtration systems that you could have simply bought nutrients that was formulated to meet you hard water needs? Expensive filtration system are made for people how are drinking there water, not growing in it (in most cases)!! With the exceptions of very polluted water conditions.
There is one thing you must remember when dealing with indoor grow/rooms. There is no such thing as a "house plant." Plants grown in interior spaces actually come from deferent regions of the world, and must adapt to less than ideal conditions in the home or grow/room. The gardener's challenge is to know the plant's environmental needs and meet them. The interaction of environmental factors and maintenance practices contribute to the health or decline of the plant.
Now let’s discuses (Soft Water). Any water that does not contain large concentrations of the dissolved minerals calcium or magnesium. This will alter both the (pH) and the electrical conductivity.

DID YOU KNOW….. the purer the water, the lower its salinity and the greater its resistance to the flow of electricity? Salinity is related to conductivity?
DID YOU KNOW….. Soft water does not occur naturally. It must be processed.

Soft water quality all depends on how the water was softened. If the softening was accomplished by an ion-exchange method it is a better process. However, if the water was softened using sodium (SALT), you do not want to use it on your plants imo. Unfortunately, most home water softeners use sodium as the softening agent. The sodium water softener replaces the calcium and magnesium (two nutritional components needed by plants) with the sodium which is toxic to plants in large quantities produced and in most cases that I’ve seen almost all growers that use soft water use it a high levels at 100% of there water to mix in with there nutrients, it would be a better idea if you mixed it like half and half, you know like half regular water (hard water) and your filtered water (soft water) that way it you would stand a better chance of balancing it out to more your plants liking. If you use bottled water on your plants, you need to find out if the water has been softened, and if so, what method was used, sodium or ion-exchange.

Now that you have determined what type of water your going to be using to grow in, it is time to order the appropriate nutrients to go with it. Now that you have your nutrients we well discuses what relation this three elements are going to play in the roll of your (pH) problems.

Basic Water Chemistry!!

Basic Water Chemistry!!

What You Need to Know About Water Chemistry, and Why? In Order To Understand The Make Up Of Your Hydroponics System
What is PH?
Put simply pH is a measure of acidity. The pH scale goes from 1.0 which is highly acidic, through to 7.0 which is neutral, up to 14.0 which is highly alkaline, but really what does all that mine?

Water has four measurable properties that are commonly used to characterize its chemistry. They are (pH), buffering capacity, (GH), general hardness, (KH), calcium carbonate, which determines the (dH), degrees of hardness, (KH) and (dH) are counted as one, and (Salinity), the overall density of all of them combined. In addition, there are several nutrients and trace elements. It is a must: therefore that we explore these four properties if we are to ever understand what makes up a successful hydroponics productive system; in our hydroponics systems water/solutions to determine the health or lack thereof. The ultimate determining factor in the success of any hydroponics system must begin with it’s water chemistry, for that is the life force of any hydroponics system. To say that one hydro-system is designed better than the other, is like getting on your bathroom scales, and for me to hand you a feather, that feather is not going to contribute a noticeable deferens compared to the overall volume of the total mass of your body on the scales, and with that being said, any hydroponic system that is not built to build upon it’s self is a lemon!! I believe you know what I am saying, look at it this way; I believe that The hydroponic manufactures, have been manipulating growers from the begging, by designing (lemon) hydro-systems that keep you coming back constantly to buy more and more of there so called super-products!! I am further stating that the store bought or DIY hydro-systems that I see today are built around the same hydro-physics that the big manufactures are using, there is no greater lie than that of a half truth!! Have you ever been to the hospital and see someone with an IV in there arm, and also with a oxygen tub up there nose? They are intervenesly and mechanically supplying this carbon-bio-unit with what it needs to stay alive until it is able to sustain it’s self, all of the hydroponics designs that I see are built around hydro or hospital physics, to keep you or your plants alive until you/they can start over or what we growers call “flushes” or “nutrient change-outs” to restart the life process over again, this type of thinking works great for saving life’s but were not trying to save life, were trying grow life!! And in order to do this we must change our thinking, instead of thinking hydro-hospital-physics, we must think carbon-bio-physics for that is the only way to sustain life on a perpetual level. This is what the Bio-Buckets are all about!! This is a system that is built upon carbon-bio-physics, designed to sustain life and to build upon it’s self, this system is the only one of it’s design that I know of that utilizes all four properties that are the life force of hydroponics. And without further ado let’s get right into it.

pH
pH as we know by now refers to the water being either an acid, base, or alkaline base, with neither (neutral). A pH of 7 is said to be neutral, or another word you might want to know is (equilibrium) that means when there is nothing present or influencing your water to go one way or the other, that’s known as (neutral) or at (equilibrium). A pH of 5.5 is 10 times more acidic than water at a pH of 6.5. Thus, changing the pH by a small amount (suddenly) is more of a chemical change than you might think (and more stressful for your plants!!) than might first appear.

Two aspects of pH are important. First, rapid changes in pH are stressful to plants and should be avoided. Changing the pH by more than .5 units per day is known to stress plants. Thus, you want the pH of your Bio-Systems reservoir to remain constant and stable over the long haul. Second, plants have adapted themselves over time to like a sustain pH rage between (5.5 – 7.0). your job as a grower is to do your best to keep it in-between those numbers for best results.

Most plants can adjust to a pH somewhat outside of their optimal range. If your water's pH is naturally within the range of 6.5 to 7.5, you will be able to grow strain of mj without any problems. If your pH lies within this range, there is probably no need to adjust it upward or downward.

Buffering Capacity (KH, Alkalinity)
Buffering capacity refers to your systems water's ability to keep the pH stable as nutrients or additives are added. pH and buffering capacity are intertwined with one another; if the water has sufficient buffering capacity, the buffering capacity can absorb and neutralize the added acid without significantly changing the pH. Conceptually, a buffer acts somewhat like a large sponge. As more acid is added, the ``sponge'' absorbs the acid without changing the pH much. The ``sponge's'' capacity is limited however; once the buffering capacity is used up in your system water/nutrient, the pH changes more rapidly as acids are added.

Buffering has both positive and negative consequences. On the plus side, the nitrogen cycle produces nitric acid (nitrate). I feel I need interject some here, remember those little things I talk about all the time you know (Beneficial Bacterium) they are responsible for accelerating nitrogen cycle and producing nitric acid that is (nitrate), right about now there’s another one of those little lights going off in a growers mind. Without buffering, your tank's pH would drop over time (a bad thing). With sufficient buffering, the pH stays stable (a good thing), is this all ringing any bell’s or what!! On the negative side, hard tap water often almost always has a large buffering capacity. If the pH of the water is too high for your plants, the buffering capacity makes it difficult to lower the pH to a more appropriate value. Attempts to change the pH of water usually fail because buffering effects are ignored.

The water that I recommend to use the most in the Bio-Bucket System is simply tap-water, most tap-water has a buffering capacity that is due to carbonates and bicarbonates. Thus, the terms ``carbonate hardness'' (KH), ``alkalinity'' and ``buffering capacity'' are used interchangeably. Although technically not the same things. Note: the term ``alkalinity'' should not be confused with the term ``alkaline''. Alkalinity refers to buffering, while alkaline refers to a solution that is a base (i.e., pH > 7).

How much buffering does your Bio-System need? The larger the (KH), the more resistant to pH changes your water will be. A Bio-Systems water (KH) should be high enough to prevent large pH swings in your Bio-System over time. If your (KH) is below roughly 5.0, you should pay special attention to your tank's pH (test daily, until you get a feel for how stable the pH is). This is ESPECIALLY important if you neglect to do frequent partial water changes or go long term use such as in the Bio-Buckets. In particular, the nitrogen cycle creates a tendency for an established systems pH to decrease over time. The exact amount of pH change depends on the quantity and rate of nitrates produced, as well as the (KH). If your pH drops more than roughly two tenths of a point over a day or two, you should consider increasing the (KH) or performing partial water changes more frequently. (KH) doesn't affect the plants directly, so there’s no need in immediate action but I would keep an eye on it.

It Should Be Noted, So Pay Close Attention: BigToke does not recommend any kind of softening water methods, it is not a good idea to even use distilled water in your Bio-System. By definition, distilled water has essentially no (KH). That means that adding even a little bit of acid will change the pH significantly (stressing plants). Because of its instability, distilled (or any essentially other soft-water processing methods) is never used directly. Tap water or other salts must first be added to it in order to increase its (GH) and (KH).

BigTokes: "How-To" Of The Bio-Buckets 101
BigTokes: Hard-Core Bio-Buckets, First Big Run!!
BigTokes: Secound Big Run!!
BigTokes: AK-47 Plus H.D.F Bio-Bucket Style

Basic Water Chemistry!!

Basic Water Chemistry!!

General Hardness (GH)
General hardness (GH) refers to the dissolved concentration of magnesium and calcium ions. When it is said that some plants prefer ``soft'' or ``hard'' water, it is (GH) (not KH) that is being referred to.

It Should Be Note: That (GH), (KH) and (pH) Although as different as they are all three properties are distinct, they all interact with each other to varying degrees, making it difficult to adjust one without impacting the other. That is just one reasons why that BigToke recommends that beginner hydro-newbie’s are advised NOT to tamper with these parameters unless absolutely necessary, or under the direct supervision of a mentor or a very experienced grower who understands the basic properties of water chemistry. As an example, ``hard'' water frequently often comes from limestone aquifers. Limestone contains calcium carbonate, which when dissolved in water increases both the (GH) (from calcium) and (KH) (from carbonate) components. Increasing the (KH) component also usually increases pH as well. Conceptually, the (KH) acts as a ``sponge'' absorbing the acid present in the water, raising the water's (pH).

Water hardness follows the following guidelines. The unit (dH) means ``degree hardness'', while (ppm) means ``parts per million'', which is roughly equivalent to mg/L in water. 1 unit dH equals 17.8 ppm.
General Hardness

0 - 4 dH, 0 - 70 ppm : very soft
4 - 8 dH, 70 - 140 ppm : soft
8 - 12 dH, 140 - 210 ppm : medium hard
12 - 18 dH, 210 - 320 ppm : fairly hard
18 - 30 dH, 320 - 530 ppm : hard
higher : liquid rock (Lake Malawi and Los Angeles, CA)

Salinity
Did you folks know that by measuring the salinity of your hydroponics systems you can get the total amount of dissolved substances. Salinity measurements count both (GH) and (KH) components as well as such other substances as sodium. Salinity is usually expressed in terms of its specific gravity, the ratio of a solution's weight to weight of an equal volume. One component of salinity that neither GH or KH includes is sodium. Is knowing your Bio-Systems water's salinity very important in nutrient management and long term use? Is knowing (pH), (GH) and (KH) suffices important to any hydro-grower? I will discuss this at a latter time but for now I made up something for you, this is a basic 3D representation of what I am trying to say, once you understand the makeup of basic water chemistry you will have a better understanding of what’s happening in your system.
Photo.


Nutrients and Trace Elements
In addition to (GH), (KH), (pH) and salinity, there are a few other substances you may want to know about. Most tap water contains an assortment of nutrients and trace elements in very low concentrations. The presence (or absence) of trace elements can be important in some situations, specifically:

• nitrates, which are in direct conjunction with the NITROGEN CYCLE
• phosphates, the second most prominent nutrient. Phosphates have been linked to algae growth. If you have persistent algae problems, high phosphates may be a contributing factor, let me say something here, I do not believe that the lucas formula for the Bio-Buckets use it at your own risk. To control algae, only if not using the Bio-Bucket System, frequent partial water changes are often recommended to reduce nutrient levels. If growing in a Bio-Bucket System that I have laid out, there will be no problems for you because the Beneficial Bacterium will control all algae.
  BB-Photo
  
  

when I have competed imputing the necessary formulas for the Bio-Bucket Nutrient Management Work Sheet program, after that you put in your information it will automatically calibrate it’s self to these four (GH), (KH), (pH) and salinity, which make up the Basic Water Chemistry.
Photo


Altering Your Water's Chemistry
Hardening Your Water (Raising GH and/or KH)
The following measurements are approximate; Note that if your water is extremely soft to begin with (1 degree KH or less), you may get a drastic change in pH as the buffer is added.
To raise both (GH) and (KH) simultaneously, add calcium carbonate (CaCO3). 1/2 teaspoon per 100 liters of water will increase both the (KH) and (GH) by about 1-2 (dH) degrees of hardness.

Did you know….the (KH) calcium carbonate and the (dH) degrees of hardness thereof, are the determining factors of your waters buffering capability’s, in other words let’s say that your (pH) to high, and you have to add LOT’S of ph-up to get it back to normal, that would tell me that your waters degrees of hardness which is calcium carbonate is very low!! But if you only had to add a little amount of ph-up that would mean that you (KH) plus (dH) are not to bad off……whoops I hear another one of those little bells going off!!!

To raise the (KH) without raising the (GH), add sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), commonly known as baking soda. 1/2 teaspoon per 100 Liters raises the (KH) by about 1 (dH). Sodium bicarbonate drives the pH towards an equilibrium value of 8.2.

Raising and Lowering pH
One can raise or lower (pH) by adding chemicals. Because of buffering, however, the process is difficult to get right. Increasing or decreasing the pH (in a stable way) actually involves changing the (KH). The most common approach is to add a buffer whose equilibrium holds the pH at the desired value. This was what I was talking about of the Bio-Buckets earlier when I said: that if a hydro-system that did not build upon it’s self, then it could not sustain life. Did you know….I’ll bet you didn’t know that the Bio-Bucket System is built around these four basic principals and the support thereof, and that is the (GH), (KH), (pH) and (Salinity).

Note that the exact amount of quantity needed for (pH) up or down depends on the water's buffering capacity. In effect, you add enough acid to use up all the buffering capacity. Once this has been done, decreasing the (pH) is easy. However, it should be noted that the resultant (lower-pH) water has much less (KH) buffering than it did before, making it more susceptible to (pH) swings when (for instance) nitrate levels rise. Warning: It goes without saying that acids are VERY dangerous! Do not use this approach unless you know what you are doing, and you should treat the water BEFORE adding it to your hydro-system, this is just another reason that I recommend tap-water if possible.

Products such as ``pH-Down'' are often based on a phosphoric acid buffer. Phosphoric acid tends to keep the (pH) at roughly 6.5, depending on how much you use. Unfortunately, use of phosphoric acid has the BIG side effect of raising the phosphate level in your hydro-system, stimulating algae growth. It is difficult to control algae growth in a hydro-system with elevated phosphate levels.
Did you know…..that one safe way to lower (pH) WITHOUT adjusting (KH) is to bubble CO2 (carbon dioxide) through your hydro-system. The CO2 dissolves in water, and some of it forms carbonic acid. The formation of acid lowers the (pH). Of course, in order for this approach to be practical, a steady source of CO2 bubbles is needed to hold the (pH) in place. As soon as the CO2 is gone, the (pH) bounces back to its previous value. The high cost of a CO2 injection system makes it non practical for hydro use as a (pH) lowering technique. (for inexpensive do-it-yourself alternatives). CO2 injection systems can be found almost every were on the internet because the additional CO2 stimulates plant growth.

Softening Your Water (lowering GH)
Soft Water
"Soft water" is a relative term, but water to be soft must contain low amounts of dissolved calcium and magnesium, which cause water to be hard.
Milligrams per Liter Grains per Gallon
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Soft 0 to 60 mg/l 0 to 3.5 gpg
Moderate 61 to 120 mg/l 3.5 to 7 gpg
Hard 121 to 180 mg/l 7 to 10.5 gpg
Very Hard over 180 mg/l over 10.5 gpg

Usually the best home water softeners soften water using a technique known as ``ion exchange''. Your may see this as RO/DI That is, they remove calcium and magnesium ions by replacing them with sodium ions. Although this does technically make water softer, and your plants can tell noticeable difference. That is, plants that prefer soft water don't like sodium either.
Hard water can also be softened by diluting it with distilled water or R/O water. R/O (reverse-osmosis) water is purified water made by a R/O unit. Unfortunately, R/O units are too expensive ($100-$500) for most hobbyists, but distilled water can also be almost purchased at any stores, but for most folks the expense and hassle are not worth it.

BigTokes: "How-To" Of The Bio-Buckets 101
BigTokes: Hard-Core Bio-Buckets, First Big Run!!
BigTokes: Secound Big Run!!
BigTokes: AK-47 Plus H.D.F Bio-Bucket Style

Well I guess it’s about time for a little update, well let me just go ahead and say that these two genetics are the best that BigToke has every worked with………don’t know of any local growers that have these two strains (AK-47 Plus H.D.F) I’ve never seen genetics show there sex under 24/7 lighting but these did!! So what I ended up with was:

• Four AK-47’s.
• Five Heavy Duty Fruit’s.

Well I guess it’s time for me to start getting ready to clone and fire up the big dog Bio-System




BigTokes: "How-To" Of The Bio-Buckets 101
BigTokes: Hard-Core Bio-Buckets, First Big Run!!
BigTokes: Secound Big Run!! :friends:
BigTokes: AK-47 Plus H.D.F Bio-Bucket Style

Good morning BT, i was getting ready to request an update. Great news on the sexing, good ratio! Is there a big difference or any at all in nute preferences in these two strains? FIRE IT UP!!!! :friends:

Amazing bro.

Hope you find a good mother in the lot, look for the cherry pheno of AK

Big Toke... Sign me up bro... very nice show as always.

Hope your girls are killer.

Can you use... those bucket lid pots for your bio-buckets? I have a bunch of 10"inch pots that form lids for a 5 gallon bucket.

Bonzo – I believe that the two will run very close to neck and neck on nutrient differences from what info I could gather.

Danimal – thanks for the phenol advice bro.

Maistre – how’s it going bro……..yea looks like I’ll be able to fill all 36 buckets with females this should be exciting for sure.

BigTokes: "How-To" Of The Bio-Buckets 101
BigTokes: Hard-Core Bio-Buckets, First Big Run!!
BigTokes: Secound Big Run!! :friends:
BigTokes: AK-47 Plus H.D.F Bio-Bucket Style

Well I suppose it’s time for another little update so here we go……….in my last update I said I was getting ready to fire up the big dog Bio-Buckets, and I most certainly did, here a little bit of what I did……….in preparing the Bio-Bucket System for it’s first run this year.

1. I flushed the Bio-System out twice, all 36 buckets with plain old tap-water first!!
2. I filled the Bio-System back up for the third time and added one bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide to the Bio-System and let it run 24 hours!! I also put large fish nets over the 4” drain pip’s to collect all of the muck that the Hydrogen Peroxide brakes up/comes out from cleaning out the system.
3. I then flushed that out!!.........refill the Bio-System again with plain old tap-water the fourth time…….let the Bio-System run for 12 hours and then flush that out.
4. I then refill for the last time!! With tap-water!! Let run 24/7 for two weeks and then I will put in the AK-47’s and the H.D.F’s, the Bio-System should be well established by then and ready for another successful run…………this should be by far the greatest/beast grow in this Bio-Bucket System ever yet!!!

So now let’s bring on the eye-candy!!












BigTokes: "How-To" Of The Bio-Buckets 101
BigTokes: Hard-Core Bio-Buckets, First Big Run!!
BigTokes: Secound Big Run!! :friends:
BigTokes: AK-47 Plus H.D.F Bio-Bucket Style

Howdy BT, isnt it a nice feeling to have everything flushed and squeaky clean! Lookin' forward to pics, peace, Bonzo

BT, how does the bud taste and smoke in your system? Potency?