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Petemoss' Bio Buckets
- Thread starter petemoss
- Start date
petemoss
Active member
BT, I used the same protein skimmer. Someone advised me to ditch the charcoal filter pad because it could remove certain nutrients (I forgot which), so I just rinsed out the black charcoal filter and kept reusing it. I think a powerhead would work just as well and would be quieter.
PhatDaddy, some roots grew down the drain and all the way into the rez! I used 1.5" drains with the feed inside the drain. Early in the grow, some short roots float near the top and tend to get sucked into the drain tube. But as the roots get longer, they stay down in the water. roots in the drain can always be pulled out when you rotate the lids.
Mercer, I was aiming for 4 oz per plant but got slightly less in my scrog. In a limited space grow, I'd consider 4 oz per plant a reasonable target. I've seen some expert growers getting 16 oz from a single plant w/ a 400 watt hps in a cabinet scrog!
PhatDaddy, some roots grew down the drain and all the way into the rez! I used 1.5" drains with the feed inside the drain. Early in the grow, some short roots float near the top and tend to get sucked into the drain tube. But as the roots get longer, they stay down in the water. roots in the drain can always be pulled out when you rotate the lids.
Mercer, I was aiming for 4 oz per plant but got slightly less in my scrog. In a limited space grow, I'd consider 4 oz per plant a reasonable target. I've seen some expert growers getting 16 oz from a single plant w/ a 400 watt hps in a cabinet scrog!
newtogreen
Member
that is one nice setup peat moss is it possible to do a singel bucket bio or is it better to do four or more
ntg
ntg
Frid
Member
Amazing growth rates! I can't believe how many beautiful buds you had on those plants! I am going to look into bio buckets for my next grow. wow! kudos! you guys sure know how to grow some bud. How was the taste? was it harsh? compared to other grow setups is there a difference in smoothness? I would be interested in ya'lls opinions on all that. You said something about curing vs flushing. I am a newbie on hyrdo. With these kind of growth rates though and the bio buckets lack of ph and nutrient issues I am going to have read BigTokes articles a little bit closer! Bad Ass Weed Petemoss!!!
petemoss
Active member
Hi Tarbosh,
The thread I was referring to was written by NBG (natural born grower?). He had a 400 watt light inside a small cabinet and grew Chronic in a plastic tub. I believe he used a hydro system, possibly a top drip and filled the tub with diced rockwool and put an airstone at the bottom. Sadly, he got ripped off before his last harvest and had to move away. The thread is still here on ICM. Just search for a thread by NBG and you'll find it. An inspirational grow for sure!
The thread I was referring to was written by NBG (natural born grower?). He had a 400 watt light inside a small cabinet and grew Chronic in a plastic tub. I believe he used a hydro system, possibly a top drip and filled the tub with diced rockwool and put an airstone at the bottom. Sadly, he got ripped off before his last harvest and had to move away. The thread is still here on ICM. Just search for a thread by NBG and you'll find it. An inspirational grow for sure!
K
Kal-El
Hey pete, can't believe I have never seen this thread.
I have growing with bio buckets for years as well, I love em.
I have growing with bio buckets for years as well, I love em.
petemoss
Active member
Hi gizmatix,
I made the distributor from a Rubbermaid container and some 1/2" hydro grommets left over from my old DWC controller bucket. Here's some pic (below). I was using a very small res and barely had room for a traditional rectangular distributor. The protein skimmer was a Skilter 250. I made several round distributors using different size containers. The nice part was how the round distributor gave even flow without tuning.
I made the distributor from a Rubbermaid container and some 1/2" hydro grommets left over from my old DWC controller bucket. Here's some pic (below). I was using a very small res and barely had room for a traditional rectangular distributor. The protein skimmer was a Skilter 250. I made several round distributors using different size containers. The nice part was how the round distributor gave even flow without tuning.
BrotherGanja
Member
Great Grow man. I really appreciate the part where you explained exactly how you trained the plants under those screens. Iam gonna do something similar in a few days thanks for sharing man.
earthwormgod
Member
Petemoss - Great setup! I have a couple of questions. In your pics it looks like you have 3 different distributors. Was the pic in the beginning of the post the rectangle distributor that you were referring too, the one that was too large for your res? Also, it looks like you made 2 distributors out of the Rubbermaid containers, was there a reason for that? How did you mount the distributor in the res? Could you also explain the benefits of the protein skimmer? Thanks a lot!! Please check out my new grow - any suggestions are always welcome.
petemoss
Active member
I made several round Rubbermaid distributors just for fun to see how small I could get it. The round distributor sits on top of the water pump. There's a hole in the bottom of the Rubbermaid and the device you see in the second picture goes in the hole like a bulkhead fitting with a 5/8" hose attached to the pump outlet. I found the grey fitting in the electrical section at HD. Think it was called liquid tight electrical conduit fitting for running wires underground.
Hurtback suggested using an aquarium protein skimmer to aerate and filter the water. You could also use a powerhead with a venturi attachment to add oxygen. In either case, the air hose must draw fresh air from outside the reservoir. Otherwise, you will suffocate your plants.
Here's a better pic of the fixture. Haven't drilled a hole in the Rubbermaid yet:
Hurtback suggested using an aquarium protein skimmer to aerate and filter the water. You could also use a powerhead with a venturi attachment to add oxygen. In either case, the air hose must draw fresh air from outside the reservoir. Otherwise, you will suffocate your plants.
Here's a better pic of the fixture. Haven't drilled a hole in the Rubbermaid yet:
C
Casual
Awesome Pete... I was trying to find prebuilt sog screen similar to what you had a few years ago, but no luck.
I've been working on doing a 12 bucket BB system... been waiting on seedlings to become large enough to take clones off of... long wait.
Only thing I really don't like about BT's method is the loss of height caused by the elevated buckets. I loved your Protein Skimmer setup and am strongly thinking about trying it out so I can put my buckets on the ground.
What size Skimmer or Power Head would you recommend for a 12-bucket system. Rez is going to be 12 Gallons. 72 Gallons in system total. 900GPH Danner Mag drive pump. 1" main feed line with 3/4" line to the buckets.
Any advice would be fantastic!!
Thanks!
Caz
I've been working on doing a 12 bucket BB system... been waiting on seedlings to become large enough to take clones off of... long wait.
Only thing I really don't like about BT's method is the loss of height caused by the elevated buckets. I loved your Protein Skimmer setup and am strongly thinking about trying it out so I can put my buckets on the ground.
What size Skimmer or Power Head would you recommend for a 12-bucket system. Rez is going to be 12 Gallons. 72 Gallons in system total. 900GPH Danner Mag drive pump. 1" main feed line with 3/4" line to the buckets.
Any advice would be fantastic!!
Thanks!
Caz
petemoss
Active member
Hi Casual,
Good to see some new biobucket grows. To me it's the most natural and low maintenance setup there is. If I had the space, I'd love to do a 12-bucket bio grow like you're doing. Just about any size protein skimmer or powerhead will do for aeration. It's not that critical. Even an airstone will work. The main thing is to get your plumbing set up so you get even flow to the buckets and 10 to 15 time turnover. In my six-bucket setup I used a 400 gph pump to feed the buckets, so I think your 900 gph mag drive will be just right for 12 buckets.
I would suggest you feed with a 1/2" line instead of 3/4". That way, the water will shoot out of the feed elbow with some force and circulate nute solution throughout the bucket. And instead of hot gluing the drain fittings, I'd like to try those bulkhead fittings that look like a big fat O ring around a PVC pipe (forgot the name of those). Just PM me if you need help or advice.
Good to see some new biobucket grows. To me it's the most natural and low maintenance setup there is. If I had the space, I'd love to do a 12-bucket bio grow like you're doing. Just about any size protein skimmer or powerhead will do for aeration. It's not that critical. Even an airstone will work. The main thing is to get your plumbing set up so you get even flow to the buckets and 10 to 15 time turnover. In my six-bucket setup I used a 400 gph pump to feed the buckets, so I think your 900 gph mag drive will be just right for 12 buckets.
I would suggest you feed with a 1/2" line instead of 3/4". That way, the water will shoot out of the feed elbow with some force and circulate nute solution throughout the bucket. And instead of hot gluing the drain fittings, I'd like to try those bulkhead fittings that look like a big fat O ring around a PVC pipe (forgot the name of those). Just PM me if you need help or advice.
C
Casual
Pete, thanks for the advice!! I'm trying to figure out how to PM you... maybe I don't have sufficient posts to PM yet.
I've already built everything, and went with the Uniseals for PVC for my drain, and am expecting the 3/4" ones anyday for the inlet... Gluing and Siliconing just seemed so ghetto to me on a setup like this. The huge intake manifold is already built with 3/4" piping, valves and fittings, so for cost sake, I'm going to stay with the 3/4" for now.
I'm thinking I'll be styling with the 900Gph pump. If I rework the plumbing, I'll definitely plan on 1/2" supply lines.
I'm not sure how much DO a 12" waterfall will generate, and am trying to make a SWAG (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) at which Skimmer or Powerhead would best. Any insight on your part would be great! There's such a wide range of flow rates for them. I'm thinking about 400gph would be plenty, but if you have a different opinion, I'd love to hear it.
Thanks ton!!
Caz
I've already built everything, and went with the Uniseals for PVC for my drain, and am expecting the 3/4" ones anyday for the inlet... Gluing and Siliconing just seemed so ghetto to me on a setup like this. The huge intake manifold is already built with 3/4" piping, valves and fittings, so for cost sake, I'm going to stay with the 3/4" for now.
I'm thinking I'll be styling with the 900Gph pump. If I rework the plumbing, I'll definitely plan on 1/2" supply lines.
I'm not sure how much DO a 12" waterfall will generate, and am trying to make a SWAG (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) at which Skimmer or Powerhead would best. Any insight on your part would be great! There's such a wide range of flow rates for them. I'm thinking about 400gph would be plenty, but if you have a different opinion, I'd love to hear it.
Thanks ton!!
Caz
that's a friggen sweet set up and grow mate, just wondering how much you ended up harvesting? cheers 
