BigTokes ~ "How-To" Of The Bio-Buckets 101

[BigToke]

BigTokes -- Bio-Buckets!!

BigTokes -- Bio-Buckets!!

Bonzo – ya the Bio-Buckets are a little different from the conventional hydro systems, but I do believe you’ll be more than satisfied with the results……I haven’t heard from Petemoss in a wail I hope every things ok with him, but his grow is still around for every one to see and learn from.

Maistre –

Could you gave me an idea of how many buckets would work under a 1000 HPS?

Here’s a top-view of one side of my Bio-System, they are eighteen buckets and this is a pic of the configuration of my lights, although the light in the middle could be switched with a 1000w. It really is just a matter of how you build your system you know what I mine. Oh and btw, if and when you decide on going with the Bio-Buckets I’m sure there will be plenty of info here to help and besides that I ant going no were. So ya bring it on!!
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Leeroy&Co – Thanks for stopping by, if I can be of help to ya in any way bro, just ask.

Giantmanbags – “Nitey night indica” that’s funny as hell dude pretty cool, I’ll tell ya one thing when I was done with this I had no problem sleeping.

 

[CrunchNasty]

this is an awesome step by step tutorial! im gonna try this method and see how it works asap!

 

[smokey-cigars]

Awesome...my top feed NFT system is re-circulatin,and i never have problems with PH flux, i even got the waterfall effect as well

Good post BIGTOKE

 

[Guest]

WoW... 3 lights... 1600w total. What are the dimensions of your grow area?

I have 5' X 8' X 80" area to work with. Lights: 1000w on a 6 foot tracker... I could also add another 400w to the mix.

My tap water was out of control ph up around 8 and 600+ ppm. With a reverse osmosis unit it dropped to around ph 7 and 15 ppm.

Ideally, I'd like to build a system that would work well under the 1000 with tracker and expand that to another room setup the same with a central res outside of either room.

I'm also curious as to your nutes... what do you run in your system? I've come to like PBP grow and bloom with cal-mag, liquid karma and hyrdoplex... would there be any problems with that mix?

 

[deZerTomB]

big toke-nice thread, great info as I am gathering info to eventually build my own hydro setup. Waterfall effect is great way to make bubbles. I certainly learned something here.

 

[sunnyside]

a sticky if I ever saw one..

a sticky if I ever saw one..

a great 'how to'...you rock big toke! I Don't know much about hydro systems, so I was wondering...
-does the pump stay on all the time??
-do you just use one pump?
-what pulls the solution back to the res from the pots?
-how does the solution drain with the return hose near the top of the bucket?

silly questions I know...I gotta learn somehow.

 

[BigToke]

BigTokes -- Bio-Buckets!!

BigTokes -- Bio-Buckets!!

What are the dimensions of your grow area?

My grow/room dimensions are: 10’ x 12’ x 8’

Ideally In a 5’ x 8’ x 80” area you could easily run 12 Bio-Buckets and have room to move around which is important!!.........Here’s what you would need:

1. 12-Buckets – Black preferably.
   
2. A Pump – In order to get the exchange-rate per-bucket for 12-Buckets you would need a pump that could pump 132 gallons of water an hour!!
   
3. A Nine-Gallon Reservoir – Using my method of calculating 3qt per-bud canopy this should sustain your grow for the full duration till harvest, without system change-outs of water/nutrients. Remember you need a reservoir of 9gal and then a 1-foot drop for water-fall-effect will generate enough dissolved oxygen to sustain your system.
   
4. 50-Feet of ¾ water hose.

This should get you started if your interested.
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If you were to have the space to go 8’ x 8’ x 80” you could run 22 Bio-Buckets with the same light, it would be more efficient for the amount of watt’s your using and still have room to move around………Same as above, but a little bigger.
Here’s what you will need to change.

1. A Pump – that can pump 242gal an hour.
   
2. A 17-Gallon Reservoir – using the same calculations.
   
3. 100-Feet of ¾ water hose.

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I'm also curious as to your nutes

I have always used General Hydroponics 3-Part Solution, but I see no reason way that PBP would not work….I would not foresee any problems with this.


Smokey-cigars – thanks for stopping by, and is good to see that you were able to implement some aspects of the Bio-System.

Dezertomb – I wish you looks of luck on your new hydro system whatever it is, thanks for the kind word thou and for stopping by.

 

[BigToke]

Sunnyside –

does the pump stay on all the time??

Yes!! 24/7 if not algae will set in.

do you just use one pump?

Yes!! One pump is all that is required.

what pulls the solution back to the res from the pots.

Each bucket has a 1” ¼ drain pip that fits in the mane drain pip which is 4” pvc and drains back to the reservoir. Look at the photo’s they can tell you more than I can say.

how does the solution drain with the return hose near the top of the bucket?

The 1” ¼ hose fits into a 4” drain pvc pip and then drains back into the reservoir.

I hope this helps sunny, if not just ask again I’ll eventually get it right.

 

[Hooked-On-Grown]

Do you need to grow them in veg and flower in the same system?

If I wanted to have a system to veg them.....can I take them out and move to another system for flowering? Does that screw things up??

 

[JustSayGrow]

BigToke this is an awesome thread, its very informative and easy too follow, this is definitely the "BioBucket Bible". I am sure the mods will sticky this one. Thanks for all the great info!!

 

[BigToke]

BigTokes -- Bio-Buckets!!

BigTokes -- Bio-Buckets!!

Hi HOG how’s it going good to see ya.

Here’s how I do it, I start off with a standard GH solution for Veg 3-2-1 for two to three weeks, just depends on how well rooted my clones are?

After the, let’s say two weeks are up “DO NOT FLUSH!!” the Veg. there are several reasons way you don’t wont to do that!! Just switch to Bloom solution of 1-2-3 for the duration of your grow, what ever Nitrogen is left in the system will be eaten up within 24 to 48 hours, depending upon grow/room condition, and you will be left with Bloom formula only!! This is how I have done it for little over a year now it will work, and in principle should work in any system of hydroponics, but the transition may take a little longer because of the non recirculating system, even if system recirculates like: ebb-n-flow or drip-system or some other type of partial recirculating system the Nitrogen up take that the plants will be able to move out of the system will be slower in comparison to a system that run’s 24/7 and has this type of exchange-rate of water/nutrients.

Simply put, yes you should be able to move the plants from the Bio-System and place them in another system but way waste the time if you already have a Bio-System running way not live them there, also you may have a problem placing the massive root system that comes from the Bio-Buckets into another system, just something to think about but you are a very experienced grower so I don’t believe you will have any problems.


JSG – thanks for the kind words that’s pretty nice of you to say, thanks dude and if I can help you in any way just let me know.

 

[sunnyside]

Thank you Big Toke for the quick respose!!! Let me make sure I got it right this time...the sump hose connects on the inside of the bucket and is used to drain??

 

[BigToke]

BigTokes -- Bio-Buckets!!

BigTokes -- Bio-Buckets!!

the sump hose connects on the inside of the bucket and is used to drain??

Yes that right.

In the old days HurtBack advocated that you should run your supply line up-through your drain line, this will cause major problems if you don’t rotate your bucket lids, but if you run your supply line separately from your drain lines you will not have this problem.

Sunnyside there always one or two plants in every grow my 36 Bio-Bucket System that grows such massive roots, that every now and again I will have to remove the roots from the 1” ¼ drain, but it’s just a couple of plants and you only have to do it one time.

 

[rule35sub1]

Great read, very informative.

 

[amsterdame]

Excellent thread, BigToke!! I've done DWC before with wonderful results, and your bio-buckets takes it all to the next level... I may try this next grow. Thanks so much for taking the time to provide such detailed information!

A*dame

 

[So Quick]

@BigToke: You have put this thread together so nicely...a masterpiece in my eyes!! I understand the effort, time and patience it takes to lay it all out in the way you've done!! Excellent work my friend!! This is a thread that should be seen by all...newbies as well as advanced hydro gardeners!! This thread deserves to be where everybody can find it, so to the top we go!! Plus I've never did a sticky before, so this should be fun

Anyways, thanks for the entertaining thread BT!!

SQ

 

[BigToke]

Amsterdame – I could not begin to tall you how much I love growing besides the extra benefits that I get from it……..I have had nothing but great enjoyment over the last year growing in the Bio-Buckets……..have been trying to find a good site to post the info on but was unable to find such a place until now!! The folks here at IC I truly believe have the growers interest at heart, never meat a more finer bunch of folks…………you know when you put a lot of work in something and then post it, you kind of feel like you should have the right to access it whenever you wont to make changes/modifying and such, and IC does just that gives the grower the power to modify his/her grow/& gallery at any time and that’s way cool in my book, so I have no problems contributing to this site……..besides that every one here knows that were growing and learning at the same time…….unless your somebody like SQ that is, who has already arrived!! And speaking of SQ.

So_Quick –you have been my inspiration for a long time, you are the man what can I say. I went to look for my thread today and looked right over it, and thought maybe I was losing my mind!! But then realized that you mad a sticky out of it, WOW man don’t know what to say, put me in the spot light like this is making me kind of nervous but coming from a grower that does so excellent in his grows that means a lot!! Of course would have meant a lot from any one else also. Again many thanks I appreciate the fine props SQ I’m glad you found it entertaining because you’ve made my head spin more than once!!

 

[sunnyside]

Hey BigToke... another question if you dont mind.

Where do you keep your water level on your buckets?

Also I am still trying to picture this in my head so please bear with me and my silly hydro-newbie questions. lol





could you show how you attach the drain hoses to the giant pvc pipes?

 

[BigToke]

BigTokes -- Bio-Buckets!!

BigTokes -- Bio-Buckets!!

sunnyside – there is no silly questions bro, ask all you wont and I’ll do my best. Ok let’s get down to business.

Where do you keep your water level on your buckets?

The water level in my Bio-Buckets are 2” ½ from the top of the bucket, sunny because I am in the middle of a grow right now I am limited as to what I can do as far as illustrations goes, but I’ve backed up and included some new pic’s in the tutorial for ya go take a look and see if this doesn’t answer some of your questions.

Oh yea, all most forgot the part your looking for is under; Part four -- Supply and Return

 

[sunnyside]

oooh Big Toke...thank you very much. It's all clickin now!!!!